Spannable

Page Summary

• Spannable is an interface for attaching and detaching markup objects to text, extending the Spanned interface.

• It's implemented by classes like Editable, SpannableString, and SpannableStringBuilder, offering varying levels of mutability.

• Key methods include setSpan() to attach markup and removeSpan() to detach it, influencing text display and behavior.

• It inherits constants from Spanned that define span behavior, like SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE and SPAN_INCLUSIVE_INCLUSIVE.

• Developers can utilize Spannable to implement rich text functionalities within their applications.

public interface Spannable implements Spanned

Known Indirect Subclasses Editable, SpannableString, SpannableStringBuilder Editable This is the interface for text whose content and markup can be changed (as opposed to immutable text like Strings).  SpannableString This is the class for text whose content is immutable but to which markup objects can be attached and detached.  SpannableStringBuilder This is the class for text whose content and markup can both be changed.

This is the interface for text to which markup objects can be attached and detached. Not all Spannable classes have mutable text; see Editable for that.

Nested Class Summary

class

Spannable.Factory

Factory used by TextView to create new Spannables.

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 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.

Inherited Method Summary

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.

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()

Public Methods

public abstract void removeSpan (Object what)

Remove the specified object from the range of text to which it was attached, if any. It is OK to remove an object that was never attached in the first place.

Parameters

what

public 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. See Spanned for an explanation of what the flags mean. The object can be one that has meaning only within your application, or it can be one that the text system will use to affect text display or behavior. Some noteworthy ones are TextWatcher and SpanWatcher.

Parameters

what
start
end
flags