AsyncTask

AsyncTask

extends  Object

java.lang.Object
↳	android.os.AsyncTask<Params, Progress, Result>

Class Overview

---

AsyncTask enables proper and easy use of the UI thread. This class allows to perform background operations and publish results on the UI thread without having to manipulate threads and/or handlers.

AsyncTask is designed to be a helper class around Thread and Handler and does not constitute a generic threading framework. AsyncTasks should ideally be used for short operations (a few seconds at the most.) If you need to keep threads running for long periods of time, it is highly recommended you use the various APIs provided by the java.util.concurrent pacakge such as Executor, ThreadPoolExecutor and FutureTask.

An asynchronous task is defined by a computation that runs on a background thread and whose result is published on the UI thread. An asynchronous task is defined by 3 generic types, called Params, Progress and Result, and 4 steps, called onPreExecute, doInBackground, onProgressUpdate andonPostExecute.

Developer Guides

For more information about using tasks and threads, read the Processes and Threads developer guide.

Usage

---

AsyncTask must be subclassed to be used. The subclass will override at least one method (doInBackground(Params...)), and most often will override a second one (onPostExecute(Result).)

Here is an example of subclassing:

 private class DownloadFilesTask extends AsyncTask<URL, Integer, Long> {
     protected Long doInBackground(URL... urls) {
         int count = urls.length;
         long totalSize = 0;
         for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
             totalSize += Downloader.downloadFile(urls[i]);
             publishProgress((int) ((i / (float) count) * 100));
             // Escape early if cancel() is called
             if (isCancelled()) break;
         }
         return totalSize;
     }

     protected void onProgressUpdate(Integer... progress) {
         setProgressPercent(progress[0]);
     }

     protected void onPostExecute(Long result) {
         showDialog("Downloaded " + result + " bytes");
     }
 }
 

Once created, a task is executed very simply:

 new DownloadFilesTask().execute(url1, url2, url3);
 

AsyncTask's generic types

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The three types used by an asynchronous task are the following:

1. Params, the type of the parameters sent to the task upon execution.
2. Progress, the type of the progress units published during the background computation.
3. Result, the type of the result of the background computation.

Not all types are always used by an asynchronous task. To mark a type as unused, simply use the type Void:

 private class MyTask extends AsyncTask<Void, Void, Void> { ... }

   
   

    
    
Summary
    
    

    
    
Nested
 Classes

        
        
          enum 
        
AsyncTask.Status
Indicates
 the current status of the task. 
    
    
Fields

        
        
          public static final  
         Executor 
        
SERIAL_EXECUTOR
An Executor that
 executes tasks one at a time in serial order.

        
        
          public static final  
         Executor 
        
THREAD_POOL_EXECUTOR
An Executor that
 can be used to execute tasks in parallel.
    
    
Public
 Constructors

        
        

        
         
         AsyncTask() 
        
        
        

          Creates a new asynchronous task. 
        
    
    
Public
 Methods

        
        
          final boolean 
        

        
         
         cancel(boolean mayInterruptIfRunning) 
        
        
        
 
         
Attempts to cancel execution of this task.
 
        

        
        
          static void 
        

        
         
         execute( 
         Runnable runnable) 
        
        
        

          Convenience version of  
         execute(Object) for use with a simple Runnable object. 
        

        
        
          final  
         AsyncTask<Params, Progress, Result> 
        

        
         
         execute(Params... params) 
        
        
        

          Executes the task with the specified parameters. 
        

        
        
          final  
         AsyncTask<Params, Progress, Result> 
        

        
         
         executeOnExecutor( 
         Executor exec, Params... params) 
        
        
        

          Executes the task with the specified parameters. 
        

        
        
          final Result 
        

        
         
         get(long timeout,  
         TimeUnit unit) 
        
        
        

          Waits if necessary for at most the given time for the computation to complete, and then retrieves its result. 
        

        
        
          final Result 
        

        
         
         get() 
        
        
        

          Waits if necessary for the computation to complete, and then retrieves its result. 
        

        
        
          final  
         AsyncTask.Status 
        

        
         
         getStatus() 
        
        
        

          Returns the current status of this task. 
        

        
        
          final boolean 
        

        
         
         isCancelled() 
        
        
        

          Returns  
         true if this task was cancelled before it completed normally. 
        
    
    
Protected
 Methods

        
        
          abstract Result 
        

        
         
         doInBackground(Params... params) 
        
        
        

          Override this method to perform a computation on a background thread. 
        

        
        
          void 
        

        
         
         onCancelled(Result result) 
        
        
        
 
         
Runs on the UI thread after cancel(boolean) is invoked and doInBackground(Object[]) has finished.
 
        

        
        
          void 
        

        
         
         onCancelled() 
        
        
        
 
         
Applications should preferably override onCancelled(Object).
 
        

        
        
          void 
        

        
         
         onPostExecute(Result result) 
        
        
        
 
         
Runs on the UI thread after doInBackground(Params...).
 
        

        
        
          void 
        

        
         
         onPreExecute() 
        
        
        

          Runs on the UI thread before  
         doInBackground(Params...). 
        

        
        
          void 
        

        
         
         onProgressUpdate(Progress... values) 
        
        
        

          Runs on the UI thread after  
         publishProgress(Progress...) is invoked. 
        

        
        
          final void 
        

        
         
         publishProgress(Progress... values) 
        
        
        

          This method can be invoked from  
         doInBackground(Params...) to publish updates on the UI thread while the background computation is still running. 
        
    
    
[Expand]
        
        

          Inherited Methods 
        
 From
 class java.lang.Object
        
        
 
         
 
        
   
   
Fields
   
   

   
   

    
    
public static final Executor SERIAL_EXECUTOR
    
    

     
     Added in 
     
     API level 11
    
    
    
    

     
     

      
      
An Executor that executes tasks one at a time in serial order. This serialization is global to a particular process.
     
     
    
    
   
   

   
   

    
    
public static final Executor THREAD_POOL_EXECUTOR
    
    

     
     Added in 
     
     API level 11
    
    
    
    

     
     

      
      
An Executor that can be used to execute tasks in parallel.