Toasts and Snackbars in Kotlin XML Android: A Comprehensive Guide

In Android development, displaying brief, informative messages to the user is a common requirement. Two popular ways to achieve this are through Toast and Snackbar. Toast provides a simple, non-intrusive way to show messages, while Snackbar offers additional functionality such as incorporating actions. This blog post will guide you through creating and displaying both Toasts and Snackbars in Kotlin using XML-based layouts for Android.

What are Toasts and Snackbars?

• Toast: A small popup that displays a message to the user without requiring any action. Toasts automatically disappear after a short period.
• Snackbar: A transient, bottom-aligned message that can optionally include an action. Snackbars are more interactive than Toasts and are part of the Material Design library.

Why Use Toasts and Snackbars?

• Toasts: Provide quick, non-disruptive feedback to the user, ideal for confirmations or brief status updates.
• Snackbars: Offer a way to communicate errors or important information while allowing the user to take immediate action.

Setting Up Your Development Environment

Before we begin, ensure you have the following:

• Android Studio installed.
• Basic understanding of Kotlin and XML layout files.
• An Android project set up.

Creating Toasts in Kotlin XML Development

Toasts are straightforward to implement. Here’s how:

Step 1: Import Necessary Libraries

Ensure you have the required imports in your Kotlin file:

import android.content.Context
import android.widget.Toast

Step 2: Create and Show a Toast

Use the Toast.makeText() method to create a Toast and then call show() to display it:

fun showToast(context: Context, message: String) {
    Toast.makeText(context, message, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
}

Step 3: Call the Toast Function

You can call this function from any part of your code, such as a button click listener:

button.setOnClickListener {
    showToast(this, "Button Clicked!")
}

Here’s a complete example of creating and showing a Toast:

package com.example.toastsnackbar

import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
import android.os.Bundle
import android.widget.Button
import android.content.Context
import android.widget.Toast

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)

        val button: Button = findViewById(R.id.myButton)
        button.setOnClickListener {
            showToast(this, "Button Clicked!")
        }
    }

    private fun showToast(context: Context, message: String) {
        Toast.makeText(context, message, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
    }
}

Creating Snackbars in Kotlin XML Development

Snackbars require a bit more setup since they depend on the Material Components library. Here’s how to create and show them:

Step 1: Add Material Components Dependency

Ensure you have the Material Components dependency in your build.gradle file:

dependencies {
    implementation 'com.google.android.material:material:1.6.0'
}

Step 2: Import Necessary Libraries

Import the necessary Snackbar libraries in your Kotlin file:

import com.google.android.material.snackbar.Snackbar

Step 3: Create and Show a Snackbar

Use the Snackbar.make() method to create a Snackbar. This requires a root view. You can typically use the layout’s root view:

fun showSnackbar(view: View, message: String) {
    Snackbar.make(view, message, Snackbar.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
}

Step 4: Call the Snackbar Function

You can call this function from any part of your code, such as a button click listener. Ensure you pass the appropriate view as the first argument:

button.setOnClickListener {
    showSnackbar(findViewById(android.R.id.content), "Action triggered!")
}

Here’s a complete example of creating and showing a Snackbar:

package com.example.toastsnackbar

import android.os.Bundle
import android.view.View
import android.widget.Button
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
import com.google.android.material.snackbar.Snackbar

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)

        val button: Button = findViewById(R.id.myButton)
        button.setOnClickListener {
            showSnackbar(findViewById(android.R.id.content), "Button Clicked!")
        }
    }

    private fun showSnackbar(view: View, message: String) {
        Snackbar.make(view, message, Snackbar.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
    }
}

Step 5: Adding Actions to Snackbars

One of the advantages of using Snackbars is the ability to add actions. Here’s how to include an action in your Snackbar:

fun showSnackbarWithAction(view: View, message: String) {
    Snackbar.make(view, message, Snackbar.LENGTH_LONG)
        .setAction("Retry") {
            // Handle the action here
            showToast(this, "Retrying...")
        }
        .show()
}

Call this function when you need to display a Snackbar with an action:

button.setOnClickListener {
    showSnackbarWithAction(findViewById(android.R.id.content), "Failed to connect")
}

Complete Example with Both Toast and Snackbar

package com.example.toastsnackbar

import android.content.Context
import android.os.Bundle
import android.view.View
import android.widget.Button
import android.widget.Toast
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
import com.google.android.material.snackbar.Snackbar

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)

        val toastButton: Button = findViewById(R.id.toastButton)
        val snackbarButton: Button = findViewById(R.id.snackbarButton)

        toastButton.setOnClickListener {
            showToast(this, "Toast Message!")
        }

        snackbarButton.setOnClickListener {
            showSnackbarWithAction(findViewById(android.R.id.content), "Snackbar Message")
        }
    }

    private fun showToast(context: Context, message: String) {
        Toast.makeText(context, message, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
    }

    private fun showSnackbarWithAction(view: View, message: String) {
        Snackbar.make(view, message, Snackbar.LENGTH_LONG)
            .setAction("Retry") {
                showToast(this, "Retrying...")
            }
            .show()
    }
}

Conclusion

Toasts and Snackbars are essential components for providing feedback to users in Android applications. Toasts offer simple, non-intrusive messages, while Snackbars provide more interactive capabilities with actions. By following this guide, you can effectively implement both Toasts and Snackbars in your Kotlin XML-based Android projects, enhancing the user experience.