Editable

Page Summary

• Editable is an interface for mutable text, supporting content and markup changes, unlike immutable strings.

• It provides methods for appending, inserting, deleting, and replacing text, as well as managing spans (markup objects).

• Editable uses InputFilters to control and potentially modify text insertions.

• SpannableStringBuilder is a key implementation of Editable, enabling changes to both text content and markup.

• Inherited constants from Spanned offer options for controlling span behavior and interaction with text modifications.

public interface Editable implements CharSequence GetChars Spannable Appendable

Known Indirect Subclasses SpannableStringBuilder SpannableStringBuilder This is the class for text whose content and markup can both be changed.

This is the interface for text whose content and markup can be changed (as opposed to immutable text like Strings).

Nested Class Summary

class

Editable.Factory

Factory used by TextView to create new Editables.

Inherited Constant Summary

From interface android.text.Spanned

int	SPAN_COMPOSING	This flag is set on spans that are being used to apply temporary styling information on the composing text of an input method, so that they can be found and removed when the composing text is being replaced.
int	SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE	Spans of type SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE do not expand to include text inserted at either their starting or ending point.
int	SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_INCLUSIVE	Non-0-length spans of type SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_INCLUSIVE expand to include text inserted at their ending point but not at their starting point.
int	SPAN_INCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE	Non-0-length spans of type SPAN_INCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE expand to include text inserted at their starting point but not at their ending point.
int	SPAN_INCLUSIVE_INCLUSIVE	Spans of type SPAN_INCLUSIVE_INCLUSIVE expand to include text inserted at either their starting or ending point.
int	SPAN_INTERMEDIATE	This flag will be set for intermediate span changes, meaning there is guaranteed to be another change following it.
int	SPAN_MARK_MARK	0-length spans with type SPAN_MARK_MARK behave like text marks: they remain at their original offset when text is inserted at that offset.
int	SPAN_MARK_POINT	SPAN_MARK_POINT is a synonym for SPAN_INCLUSIVE_INCLUSIVE.
int	SPAN_PARAGRAPH	SPAN_PARAGRAPH behaves like SPAN_INCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE (SPAN_MARK_MARK), except that if either end of the span is at the end of the buffer, that end behaves like _POINT instead (so SPAN_INCLUSIVE_INCLUSIVE if it starts in the middle and ends at the end, or SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_INCLUSIVE if it both starts and ends at the end).
int	SPAN_POINT_MARK	SPAN_POINT_MARK is a synonym for SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE.
int	SPAN_POINT_MARK_MASK	Bitmask of bits that are relevent for controlling point/mark behavior of spans.
int	SPAN_POINT_POINT	0-length spans with type SPAN_POINT_POINT behave like cursors: they are pushed forward by the length of the insertion when text is inserted at their offset.
int	SPAN_PRIORITY	The bits specified by the SPAN_PRIORITY bitmap determine the order of change notifications -- higher numbers go first.
int	SPAN_PRIORITY_SHIFT	The bits numbered just above SPAN_PRIORITY_SHIFT determine the order of change notifications -- higher numbers go first.
int	SPAN_USER	The bits specified by the SPAN_USER bitfield are available for callers to use to store scalar data associated with their span object.
int	SPAN_USER_SHIFT	The bits numbered SPAN_USER_SHIFT and above are available for callers to use to store scalar data associated with their span object.

Public Method Summary

abstract Editable	append(char text) Convenience for append(String.valueOf(text)).
abstract Editable	append(CharSequence text, int start, int end) Convenience for replace(length(), length(), text, start, end)
abstract Editable	append(CharSequence text) Convenience for replace(length(), length(), text, 0, text.length())
abstract void	clear() Convenience for replace(0, length(), "", 0, 0)
abstract void	clearSpans() Removes all spans from the Editable, as if by calling Spannable.removeSpan(Object) on each of them.
abstract Editable	delete(int st, int en) Convenience for replace(st, en, "", 0, 0)
abstract InputFilter[]	getFilters() Returns the array of input filters that are currently applied to changes to this Editable.
abstract Editable	insert(int where, CharSequence text) Convenience for replace(where, where, text, 0, text.length());
abstract Editable	insert(int where, CharSequence text, int start, int end) Convenience for replace(where, where, text, start, end)
abstract Editable	replace(int st, int en, CharSequence source, int start, int end) Replaces the specified range (st…en) of text in this Editable with a copy of the slice start…end from source.
abstract Editable	replace(int st, int en, CharSequence text) Convenience for replace(st, en, text, 0, text.length())
abstract void	setFilters(InputFilter[] filters) Sets the series of filters that will be called in succession whenever the text of this Editable is changed, each of which has the opportunity to limit or transform the text that is being inserted.

Inherited Method Summary

From interface java.lang.CharSequence

abstract char	charAt(int arg0)
IntStream	chars()
IntStream	codePoints()
abstract int	length()
abstract CharSequence	subSequence(int arg0, int arg1)
abstract String	toString()

From interface android.text.GetChars

abstract void

getChars(int start, int end, char[] dest, int destoff) Exactly like String.getChars(): copy chars start through end - 1 from this CharSequence into dest beginning at offset destoff.

From interface android.text.Spannable

abstract void	removeSpan(Object what) Remove the specified object from the range of text to which it was attached, if any.
abstract void	setSpan(Object what, int start, int end, int flags) Attach the specified markup object to the range start…end of the text, or move the object to that range if it was already attached elsewhere.

From interface java.lang.Appendable

abstract Appendable	append(char arg0)
abstract Appendable	append(CharSequence arg0, int arg1, int arg2)
abstract Appendable	append(CharSequence arg0)

From interface android.text.Spanned

abstract int	getSpanEnd(Object tag) Return the end of the range of text to which the specified markup object is attached, or -1 if the object is not attached.
abstract int	getSpanFlags(Object tag) Return the flags that were specified when Spannable.setSpan(Object, int, int, int) was used to attach the specified markup object, or 0 if the specified object has not been attached.
abstract int	getSpanStart(Object tag) Return the beginning of the range of text to which the specified markup object is attached, or -1 if the object is not attached.
abstract <T> T[]	getSpans(int start, int end, Class<T> type) Return an array of the markup objects attached to the specified slice of this CharSequence and whose type is the specified type or a subclass of it.
abstract int	nextSpanTransition(int start, int limit, Class type) Return the first offset greater than or equal to start where a markup object of class type begins or ends, or limit if there are no starts or ends greater than or equal to start but less than limit.

Public Methods

public abstract Editable append (char text)

Convenience for append(String.valueOf(text)).

Parameters

text

See Also

• replace(int, int, CharSequence, int, int)

public abstract Editable append (CharSequence text, int start, int end)

Convenience for replace(length(), length(), text, start, end)

Parameters

text
start
end

See Also

• replace(int, int, CharSequence, int, int)

public abstract Editable append (CharSequence text)

Convenience for replace(length(), length(), text, 0, text.length())

Parameters

text

See Also

• replace(int, int, CharSequence, int, int)

public abstract void clear ()

Convenience for replace(0, length(), "", 0, 0)

See Also

• Note that this clears the text, not the spans; use {@link #clearSpans} if you need that.

public abstract void clearSpans ()

Removes all spans from the Editable, as if by calling Spannable.removeSpan(Object) on each of them.

public abstract Editable delete (int st, int en)

Convenience for replace(st, en, "", 0, 0)

Parameters

st
en

See Also

• replace(int, int, CharSequence, int, int)

public abstract InputFilter[] getFilters ()

Returns the array of input filters that are currently applied to changes to this Editable.

public abstract Editable insert (int where, CharSequence text)

Convenience for replace(where, where, text, 0, text.length());

Parameters

where
text

See Also

• replace(int, int, CharSequence, int, int)

public abstract Editable insert (int where, CharSequence text, int start, int end)

Convenience for replace(where, where, text, start, end)

Parameters

where
text
start
end

See Also

• replace(int, int, CharSequence, int, int)

public abstract Editable replace (int st, int en, CharSequence source, int start, int end)

Replaces the specified range (st…en) of text in this Editable with a copy of the slice start…end from source. The destination slice may be empty, in which case the operation is an insertion, or the source slice may be empty, in which case the operation is a deletion.

Before the change is committed, each filter that was set with setFilters(InputFilter[]) is given the opportunity to modify the source text.

If source is Spanned, the spans from it are preserved into the Editable. Existing spans within the Editable that entirely cover the replaced range are retained, but any that were strictly within the range that was replaced are removed. As a special case, the cursor position is preserved even when the entire range where it is located is replaced.

Parameters

st
en
source
start
end

Returns

• a reference to this object.

public abstract Editable replace (int st, int en, CharSequence text)

Convenience for replace(st, en, text, 0, text.length())

Parameters

st
en
text

See Also

• replace(int, int, CharSequence, int, int)

public abstract void setFilters (InputFilter[] filters)

Sets the series of filters that will be called in succession whenever the text of this Editable is changed, each of which has the opportunity to limit or transform the text that is being inserted.

Parameters

filters