Set text of spinner before item is selected

Question

I have a spinner with three items and I use an XML string-array resource to feed it. When you open an activity the spinner normally shows the first item that's in the array list. I'd like to change that and show the text "Select one" in the spinner, before an item is selected.

How can I do that?

Trudy

Possible duplicate of How to make an Android Spinner with initial text "Select One" – Kilometer

Answer 1

You can do that one of two ways.

1) Add "Select One" as the first item in your xml and code your listener to ignore that as a selection.

2) Create a custom adapter to insert it as the first line,

EDIT

In your resources

<string-array name="listarray">
    <item>Select One</item>
    <item>Item One</item>
    <item>Item Two</item>
    <item>Item Three</item>
</string-array>

In your onItemSelected Listener:

spinnername.setOnItemSelectedListener(new OnItemSelectedListener() {
@Override
    public void onNothingSelected(AdapterView<?> parent) {
    }
    @Override
    public void onItemSelected(AdapterView<?> parent, View view, int pos, long id) {
        if (pos == 0) {
        }else {
            // Your code to process the selection
        }
    }
});

Averroes

Is there a way to insert it from a string resource? – Trudy

Yeah, just add it as the first of the entries in your array resource. I edited my answer to provide an example. – Averroes

+1, Good trick, but it would be greate if we could remove the radio button from select one item. – Troudeloup

@SahilMahajanMj How about not having it in the dropdown ar all? Check this answer for a way to do thar. – Averroes

Answer 2

To set a default text for the spinner you have to use android:prompt=@string/SelectOne for your spinner Where SelectOne is defined in your string.xml .

Example :

<Spinner android:id="@+id/spinnerTest"  
 android:layout_marginLeft="50px"
 android:layout_width="fill_parent"                  
 android:drawSelectorOnTop="true"
 android:layout_marginTop="5dip"
 android:prompt="@string/SelectOne"
 android:layout_marginRight="30px"
 android:layout_height="35px" 
/> 

Term

Not what the OP wanted. He wants it in the spinner, not as the header for it. – Averroes

check this post , it gives miltitude way to do what you want. #868018 – Term