Unable to add window -- token null is not for an application

Question

I am extracting the text of a push notification and display that in an alert - however, I'm getting a Fatal exception when the receiver is being activated (see the logcat below)

11-26 08:35:51.919    4607-4607/au.gov.nsw.shellharbour.saferroadsshellharbour E/AndroidRuntime﹕ FATAL EXCEPTION: main java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to start receiver au.gov.nsw.shellharbour.saferroadsshellharbour.HomeScreen$Receiver: android.view.WindowManager$BadTokenException: Unable to add window -- token null is not for an application 
    at android.app.ActivityThread.handleReceiver(ActivityThread.java:2291)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.access$1600(ActivityThread.java:143)
    at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1317)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:99)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:137)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:4963)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:511)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:1038)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:805)
    at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)
Caused by: android.view.WindowManager$BadTokenException: Unable to add window -- token null is not for an application
    at android.view.ViewRootImpl.setView(ViewRootImpl.java:716)
    at android.view.WindowManagerImpl.addView(WindowManagerImpl.java:356)
    at android.view.WindowManagerImpl.addView(WindowManagerImpl.java:234)
    at android.view.WindowManagerImpl$CompatModeWrapper.addView(WindowManagerImpl.java:153)
    at android.app.Dialog.show(Dialog.java:277)
    at android.app.AlertDialog$Builder.show(AlertDialog.java:932)
    at au.gov.nsw.shellharbour.saferroadsshellharbour.HomeScreen$Receiver.onPushOpen(HomeScreen.java:198)
    at com.parse.ParsePushBroadcastReceiver.onReceive(ParsePushBroadcastReceiver.java:108)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.handleReceiver(ActivityThread.java:2284)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.access$1600(ActivityThread.java:143)
    at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1317)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:99)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:137)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:4963)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:511)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:1038)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:805)
    at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)
11-26 08:36:06.779    4607-4607/au.gov.nsw.shellharbour.saferroadsshellharbour I/Process﹕ Sending signal. PID: 4607 SIG: 9

Below is my Receiver class:

private void displayAlert(){

    AlertDialog Alert= new AlertDialog.Builder(this)
            .setTitle("News")
            .setMessage(notificationText)
            .setPositiveButton(android.R.string.ok, new DialogInterface.OnClickListener(){
                public void onClick(DialogInterface dialog, int which){
                }
            })
            .show();

}


public static class Receiver extends ParsePushBroadcastReceiver {
    private String notificationText;
    public Receiver(){

    }
    private static final String TAG = "MyNotificationsReceiver";

    @Override
    public void onPushOpen(Context context, Intent intent) {
        Log.e("Push", "Clicked");
        Intent i = new Intent(context, HomeScreen.class);
        i.putExtras(intent.getExtras());
        i.setFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);
        context.startActivity(i);
            try {
                JSONObject json = new JSONObject(intent.getExtras().getString("com.parse.Data"));

                notificationText = json.getString("alert");

            } catch (JSONException e) {
                Log.d(TAG, "JSONException: " + e.getMessage());

        }
    }

}

UPDATE: so now I'm able to open the activity no problem, but cannot extract the push notification message, place it in the alert dialogue, and display the alert dialogue.

are you trying to call an alertDialog from a receiver? that's a NO! NO! NO!.. rather transfer your alerDialog code to your activity class being the HomeScreen.class.. okay Sir? — Elltz, Nov 25 '14 at 21:52
How then do i trigger the alert when the notification is received? — scb998, Nov 25 '14 at 21:57
take a look at this sloution: http://stackoverflow.com/a/8766864/4224337 — Rami, Nov 25 '14 at 21:58
taking the link @Rami gave into consideration, you could apply that and also create a static boolean variable and its false by default and anytime a push or notification is received, you set it to true and check for for it in your activity onresume and after you show set to false.. i am legit-ly lucid, Sir? — Elltz, Nov 25 '14 at 22:02

Ross Hambrick · Answer 1 · 2014-12-01T16:31:30.047

1

The Context that is given to a BroadcastReceiver is not able to show a Dialog.

It sounds like you should instead follow the standard pattern of displaying a Notification using the NotificationManager. That's the more standard experience and what your users would expect.

The following link will take to to the documentation for a Notifications example and the full page is worth a read to understand the different options available.

http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/notifiers/notifications.html#SimpleNotification

edited Dec 01 '14 at 16:31

answered Nov 25 '14 at 22:03

Ross Hambrick

5,880
2
43
34

I updated the answer with a link to the docs that will provide an example and the guidance needed. – Ross Hambrick Dec 01 '14 at 16:32

score 1 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 12:06

1

  public class scb998 extends Application { // this could be any singleton class not just application
    static boolean scb988b; // its false by default, but feel free to instatiate it
    static String msg = ""; // this came after the edit
   }

then in your receiver class right after this context.startActivity(i); trigger your boolean to true.. then follow my comments... actually that's it.. also you could pass the string to the activity via the intent function putString or a static singleton String variable anyway Sir..

actually this just for reps...lol..

EDIT AFTER YOUR LAST COMMENT

the whole story is you are trying to show a dialog, when a msg is received-but you can't do it in your receiver, so all you do is communicate with your activity when is up to let it know that a new msg has been received, there all so many ways to do it, starting from otto, to local broadcast manager , you can learn these on your own, or use this simple way of mine, that extends the application class, and put a static boolean like i did.. don not put it in Receiver you could also create a static string for your noty message Scb998.msg = notificationText = json.getString("alert");, then after context.startActivity(i); set your boolean Scb998.scb988b = true;, after then remove and put it in your activity rather

 void calalert(){
       AlertDialog Alert= new AlertDialog.Builder(this)
        .setTitle("News")
        .setMessage(Scb998.msg)
        .setPositiveButton(android.R.string.ok, new DialogInterface.OnClickListener(){
            public void onClick(DialogInterface dialog, int which){
            }
        })
        .show();
        Scb998.scb988b = false;
 }

now call it in your Home class onresume and check for the boolean

@Override
protected void onResume() {
    // TODO Auto-generated method stub
    super.onResume();
    if(Scb998.scb988b)
        calalert();
}

edited May 23 '17 at 12:06

Community

1
1

answered Nov 25 '14 at 22:10

Elltz

10,730
4
31
59

Apparently the boolean cannot be declared as static - does that change anything? – scb998 Nov 25 '14 at 22:17
i tried to implement this in Android studio, and i get a warning stating that inner classes cannot have static declaration. – scb998 Nov 25 '14 at 22:23
[check this ok](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1953530/why-does-java-prohibit-static-fields-in-inner-classes). so create a new class ok, Sir? or extend the application class like i did and declare it your manifest too- that's if you extended the application.. clear now? – Elltz Nov 25 '14 at 22:31
not particularly. sorry, I'm quite new to android (everything seems so much easier on iOS). see my updated question. I don't know how to extract the alert text from the statically declared receiver, put that in the message section of the alert dialogue, and then display the alert dialogue. – scb998 Nov 25 '14 at 22:42
lol, actually my answer just covered all, but since you say you new, you probably need codes so [this](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5265913/how-to-use-putextra-and-getextra-for-string-data) .. so after you do the putting and getting you display it..and showing it, is just following the way you doing it ok, that all@scb998 – Elltz Nov 25 '14 at 22:50
Im really not getting this at all. Ill mark your answer as correct, as it has removed the error and ask a new question. – scb998 Nov 25 '14 at 23:44
IT WORKS!!!!! thank you so so so so much! its great to find a person on stack that is willing to stick with a problem through to completion! – scb998 Nov 27 '14 at 21:54

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 03 '15 at 18:10

0

Just use YOUR-ACTIVITY-NAME.this for alert builder context.

Corrected form, for example:

 AlertDialog Alert= new AlertDialog.Builder(YOUR-ACTIVITY-NAME.this)

answered Oct 03 '15 at 18:10

Shayan Amani

5,787
1
39
40

Unable to add window -- token null is not for an application

3 Answers3