Run App Twice To Work

Question

I\'m making an android app that test if certain security features on your phone are enabled. For example, if you have password log in enabled or if your data is encrypted on you

Answer 1

Using a static variable to check how many times onStart has been called isn't a good idea, because an app can be killed if Android needs more memory for other apps while still allowing the user to navigate back to the app. That would be the path through the red box in the picture below (http://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/Activity.html#ActivityLifecycle):

A static variable would be 0 again after that and your app would run the security check again. What you need to do is use an instance variable that you persist in onSaveInstanceState and restore in onCreate. In case the app is killed, onSaveInstanceState is called and you save your Activity's state. If the user goes back to the app, onCreate is called and the state would be restored. This works for all other cases too when the app isn't killed but the user just navigates away from the app and later re-opens it. Here's a simple example of an app saving and restoring:

public class MainActivity extends Activity {

    private boolean mSecurityCheckDone;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);

        if (savedInstanceState != null) {
            mSecurityCheckDone = savedInstanceState.getBoolean("mSecurityCheckDone");
        }
    }

    @Override
    protected void onStart() {
        super.onStart();

        if (! mSecurityCheckDone) {
            // run the security check

            mSecurityCheckDone = true;
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void onSaveInstanceState(Bundle outState) {
        super.onSaveInstanceState(outState);

        outState.putBoolean("mSecurityCheckDone", mSecurityCheckDone);
    }

    @Override
    public void onRestoreInstanceState(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onRestoreInstanceState(savedInstanceState);

        if (savedInstanceState != null) {
            mSecurityCheckDone = savedInstanceState.getBoolean("mSecurityCheckDone");
        }
    }

}