Change the text color of a single ClickableSpan when pressed without affecting other ClickableSpans in the same TextView

Question

I have a TextView with multiple ClickableSpans in it. When a ClickableSpan is pressed, I want it to change the color of its text.

I have tried setting a color state

Answer 1

I finally found a solution that does everything I wanted. It is based on this answer.

This is my modified LinkMovementMethod that marks a span as pressed on the start of a touch event (MotionEvent.ACTION_DOWN) and unmarks it when the touch ends or when the touch location moves out of the span.

public class LinkTouchMovementMethod extends LinkMovementMethod {
    private TouchableSpan mPressedSpan;

    @Override
    public boolean onTouchEvent(TextView textView, Spannable spannable, MotionEvent event) {
        if (event.getAction() == MotionEvent.ACTION_DOWN) {
            mPressedSpan = getPressedSpan(textView, spannable, event);
            if (mPressedSpan != null) {
                mPressedSpan.setPressed(true);
                Selection.setSelection(spannable, spannable.getSpanStart(mPressedSpan),
                        spannable.getSpanEnd(mPressedSpan));
            }
        } else if (event.getAction() == MotionEvent.ACTION_MOVE) {
            TouchableSpan touchedSpan = getPressedSpan(textView, spannable, event);
            if (mPressedSpan != null && touchedSpan != mPressedSpan) {
                mPressedSpan.setPressed(false);
                mPressedSpan = null;
                Selection.removeSelection(spannable);
            }
        } else {
            if (mPressedSpan != null) {
                mPressedSpan.setPressed(false);
                super.onTouchEvent(textView, spannable, event);
            }
            mPressedSpan = null;
            Selection.removeSelection(spannable);
        }
        return true;
    }

    private TouchableSpan getPressedSpan(
            TextView textView,
            Spannable spannable,
            MotionEvent event) {

            int x = (int) event.getX() - textView.getTotalPaddingLeft() + textView.getScrollX();
            int y = (int) event.getY() - textView.getTotalPaddingTop() + textView.getScrollY();

            Layout layout = textView.getLayout();
            int position = layout.getOffsetForHorizontal(layout.getLineForVertical(y), x);

            TouchableSpan[] link = spannable.getSpans(position, position, TouchableSpan.class);
            TouchableSpan touchedSpan = null;
            if (link.length > 0 && positionWithinTag(position, spannable, link[0])) {
                touchedSpan = link[0];
            }

            return touchedSpan;
        }

        private boolean positionWithinTag(int position, Spannable spannable, Object tag) {
            return position >= spannable.getSpanStart(tag) && position <= spannable.getSpanEnd(tag);
        }
    }

This needs to be applied to the TextView like so:

    yourTextView.setMovementMethod(new LinkTouchMovementMethod());

And this is the modified ClickableSpan that edits the draw state based on the pressed state set by the LinkTouchMovementMethod: (it also removes the underline from the links)

public abstract class TouchableSpan extends ClickableSpan {
    private boolean mIsPressed;
    private int mPressedBackgroundColor;
    private int mNormalTextColor;
    private int mPressedTextColor;

    public TouchableSpan(int normalTextColor, int pressedTextColor, int pressedBackgroundColor) {
        mNormalTextColor = normalTextColor;
        mPressedTextColor = pressedTextColor;
        mPressedBackgroundColor = pressedBackgroundColor;
    }

    public void setPressed(boolean isSelected) {
        mIsPressed = isSelected;
    }

    @Override
    public void updateDrawState(TextPaint ds) {
        super.updateDrawState(ds);
        ds.setColor(mIsPressed ? mPressedTextColor : mNormalTextColor);
        ds.bgColor = mIsPressed ? mPressedBackgroundColor : 0xffeeeeee;
        ds.setUnderlineText(false);
    }
}

Answer 2

Much simpler solution, IMO:

final int colorForThisClickableSpan = Color.RED; //Set your own conditional logic here.

final ClickableSpan link = new ClickableSpan() {
    @Override
    public void onClick(final View view) {
        //Do something here!
    }

    @Override
    public void updateDrawState(TextPaint ds) {
        super.updateDrawState(ds);
        ds.setColor(colorForThisClickableSpan);
    }
};

Answer 3

try this custom ClickableSpan:

class MyClickableSpan extends ClickableSpan {
    private String action;
    private int fg;
    private int bg;
    private boolean selected;

    public MyClickableSpan(String action, int fg, int bg) {
        this.action = action;
        this.fg = fg;
        this.bg = bg;
    }

    @Override
    public void onClick(View widget) {
        Log.d(TAG, "onClick " + action);
    }

    @Override
    public void updateDrawState(TextPaint ds) {
        ds.linkColor = selected? fg : 0xffeeeeee;
        super.updateDrawState(ds);
    }
}

and this SpanWatcher:

class Watcher implements SpanWatcher {
    private TextView tv;
    private MyClickableSpan selectedSpan = null;

    public Watcher(TextView tv) {
        this.tv = tv;
    }

    private void changeColor(Spannable text, Object what, int start, int end) {
//        Log.d(TAG, "changeFgColor " + what);
        if (what == Selection.SELECTION_END) {
            MyClickableSpan[] spans = text.getSpans(start, end, MyClickableSpan.class);
            if (spans != null) {
                tv.setHighlightColor(spans[0].bg);
                if (selectedSpan != null) {
                    selectedSpan.selected = false;
                }
                selectedSpan = spans[0];
                selectedSpan.selected = true;
            }
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void onSpanAdded(Spannable text, Object what, int start, int end) {
        changeColor(text, what, start, end);
    }

    @Override
    public void onSpanChanged(Spannable text, Object what, int ostart, int oend, int nstart, int nend) {
        changeColor(text, what, nstart, nend);
    }

    @Override
    public void onSpanRemoved(Spannable text, Object what, int start, int end) {
    }
}

test it in onCreate:

    TextView tv = new TextView(this);
    tv.setTextSize(40);
    tv.setMovementMethod(LinkMovementMethod.getInstance());

    SpannableStringBuilder b = new SpannableStringBuilder();
    b.setSpan(new Watcher(tv), 0, 0, Spanned.SPAN_INCLUSIVE_INCLUSIVE);

    b.append("this is ");
    int start = b.length();
    MyClickableSpan link = new MyClickableSpan("link0 action", 0xffff0000, 0x88ff0000);
    b.append("link 0");
    b.setSpan(link, start, b.length(), Spanned.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
    b.append("\nthis is ");
    start = b.length();
    b.append("link 1");
    link = new MyClickableSpan("link1 action", 0xff00ff00, 0x8800ff00);
    b.setSpan(link, start, b.length(), Spanned.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
    b.append("\nthis is ");
    start = b.length();
    b.append("link 2");
    link = new MyClickableSpan("link2 action", 0xff0000ff, 0x880000ff);
    b.setSpan(link, start, b.length(), Spanned.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);

    tv.setText(b);
    setContentView(tv);

Answer 4

This is my solution if you got many click elements (we need an interface): The Interface:

public interface IClickSpannableListener{
  void onClickSpannText(String text,int starts,int ends);
}

The class who manage the event:

public class SpecialClickableSpan extends ClickableSpan{
  private IClickSpannableListener listener;
  private String text;
  private int starts, ends;

  public SpecialClickableSpan(String text,IClickSpannableListener who,int starts, int ends){
    super();
    this.text = text;
    this.starts=starts;
    this.ends=ends;
    listener = who;
  }

  @Override
  public void onClick(View widget) {
     listener.onClickSpannText(text,starts,ends);
  }
}

In main class:

class Main extends Activity  implements IClickSpannableListener{
  //Global
  SpannableString _spannableString;
  Object _backGroundColorSpan=new BackgroundColorSpan(Color.BLUE); 

  private void setTextViewSpannable(){
    _spannableString= new SpannableString("You can click «here» or click «in this position»");
    _spannableString.setSpan(new SpecialClickableSpan("here",this,15,18),15,19, Spanned.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE); 
    _spannableString.setSpan(new SpecialClickableSpan("in this position",this,70,86),70,86, Spanned.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
    TextView tv = (TextView)findViewBy(R.id.textView1);
    tv.setMovementMethod(LinkMovementMethod.getInstance());
    tv.setText(spannableString);
  }

  @Override
  public void onClickSpannText(String text, int inicio, int fin) {
    System.out.println("click on "+ text);
    _spannableString.removeSpan(_backGroundColorSpan);
    _spannableString.setSpan(_backGroundColorSpan, inicio, fin, Spanned.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
    ((TextView)findViewById(R.id.textView1)).setText(_spannableString);
  }
}

Answer 5

The answer by Steven M above works, but thought I'd share this: https://github.com/saket/Better-Link-Movement-Method

It just works. Nice to not have to own a bunch of complex code.

Answer 6

All these solutions are too much work.

Just set android:textColorLink in your TextView to some selector. Then create a clickableSpan with no need to override updateDrawState(...). All done.

here a quick example:

In your strings.xml have a declared string like this:

<string name="mystring">This is my message%1$s these words are highlighted%2$s and awesome. </string>

then in your activity:

private void createMySpan(){
    final String token = "#";
    String myString = getString(R.string.mystring,token,token);

    int start = myString.toString().indexOf(token);
    //we do -1 since we are about to remove the tokens afterwards so it shifts
    int finish = myString.toString().indexOf(token, start+1)-1;

    myString = myString.replaceAll(token, "");

    //create your spannable
    final SpannableString spannable = new SpannableString(myString);
    final ClickableSpan clickableSpan = new ClickableSpan() {
            @Override
            public void onClick(final View view) {
                doSomethingOnClick();
            }
        };

    spannable.setSpan(clickableSpan, start, finish, Spanned.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);

    mTextView.setMovementMethod(LinkMovementMethod.getInstance());
    mTextView.setText(spannable);
}

and heres the important parts ..declare a selector like this calling it myselector.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<selector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">

    <item android:state_pressed="true" android:color="@color/gold"/>
    <item android:color="@color/pink"/>

</selector>

And last in your TextView in xml do this:

 <TextView
     android:id="@+id/mytextview"
     android:background="@android:color/transparent"
     android:text="@string/mystring"
     android:textColorLink="@drawable/myselector" />

Now you can have a pressed state on your clickableSpan.