/*
 * Copyright (C) 2008 The Android Open Source Project
 *
 * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 * You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 * limitations under the License.
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package android.app;

import android.annotation.WorkerThread;
import android.annotation.Nullable;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.os.Handler;
import android.os.HandlerThread;
import android.os.IBinder;
import android.os.Looper;
import android.os.Message;

IntentService is a base class for Services that handle asynchronous requests (expressed as Intents) on demand. Clients send requests through Context.startService(Intent) calls; the service is started as needed, handles each Intent in turn using a worker thread, and stops itself when it runs out of work.

This "work queue processor" pattern is commonly used to offload tasks from an application's main thread. The IntentService class exists to simplify this pattern and take care of the mechanics. To use it, extend IntentService and implement onHandleIntent(Intent). IntentService will receive the Intents, launch a worker thread, and stop the service as appropriate.

All requests are handled on a single worker thread -- they may take as long as necessary (and will not block the application's main loop), but only one request will be processed at a time.

Note: IntentService is subject to all the background execution limits imposed with Android 8.0 (API level 26). In most cases, you are better off using JobIntentService, which uses jobs instead of services when running on Android 8.0 or higher.

Developer Guides

For a detailed discussion about how to create services, read the Services developer guide.

See Also:
/** * IntentService is a base class for {@link Service}s that handle asynchronous * requests (expressed as {@link Intent}s) on demand. Clients send requests * through {@link android.content.Context#startService(Intent)} calls; the * service is started as needed, handles each Intent in turn using a worker * thread, and stops itself when it runs out of work. * * <p>This "work queue processor" pattern is commonly used to offload tasks * from an application's main thread. The IntentService class exists to * simplify this pattern and take care of the mechanics. To use it, extend * IntentService and implement {@link #onHandleIntent(Intent)}. IntentService * will receive the Intents, launch a worker thread, and stop the service as * appropriate. * * <p>All requests are handled on a single worker thread -- they may take as * long as necessary (and will not block the application's main loop), but * only one request will be processed at a time. * * <p class="note"><b>Note:</b> IntentService is subject to all the * <a href="/preview/features/background.html">background execution limits</a> * imposed with Android 8.0 (API level 26). In most cases, you are better off * using {@link android.support.v4.app.JobIntentService}, which uses jobs * instead of services when running on Android 8.0 or higher. * </p> * * <div class="special reference"> * <h3>Developer Guides</h3> * <p>For a detailed discussion about how to create services, read the * <a href="{@docRoot}guide/components/services.html">Services</a> developer * guide.</p> * </div> * * @see android.support.v4.app.JobIntentService * @see android.os.AsyncTask */
public abstract class IntentService extends Service { private volatile Looper mServiceLooper; private volatile ServiceHandler mServiceHandler; private String mName; private boolean mRedelivery; private final class ServiceHandler extends Handler { public ServiceHandler(Looper looper) { super(looper); } @Override public void handleMessage(Message msg) { onHandleIntent((Intent)msg.obj); stopSelf(msg.arg1); } }
Creates an IntentService. Invoked by your subclass's constructor.
Params:
  • name – Used to name the worker thread, important only for debugging.
/** * Creates an IntentService. Invoked by your subclass's constructor. * * @param name Used to name the worker thread, important only for debugging. */
public IntentService(String name) { super(); mName = name; }
Sets intent redelivery preferences. Usually called from the constructor with your preferred semantics.

If enabled is true, onStartCommand(Intent, int, int) will return Service.START_REDELIVER_INTENT, so if this process dies before onHandleIntent(Intent) returns, the process will be restarted and the intent redelivered. If multiple Intents have been sent, only the most recent one is guaranteed to be redelivered.

If enabled is false (the default), onStartCommand(Intent, int, int) will return Service.START_NOT_STICKY, and if the process dies, the Intent dies along with it.

/** * Sets intent redelivery preferences. Usually called from the constructor * with your preferred semantics. * * <p>If enabled is true, * {@link #onStartCommand(Intent, int, int)} will return * {@link Service#START_REDELIVER_INTENT}, so if this process dies before * {@link #onHandleIntent(Intent)} returns, the process will be restarted * and the intent redelivered. If multiple Intents have been sent, only * the most recent one is guaranteed to be redelivered. * * <p>If enabled is false (the default), * {@link #onStartCommand(Intent, int, int)} will return * {@link Service#START_NOT_STICKY}, and if the process dies, the Intent * dies along with it. */
public void setIntentRedelivery(boolean enabled) { mRedelivery = enabled; } @Override public void onCreate() { // TODO: It would be nice to have an option to hold a partial wakelock // during processing, and to have a static startService(Context, Intent) // method that would launch the service & hand off a wakelock. super.onCreate(); HandlerThread thread = new HandlerThread("IntentService[" + mName + "]"); thread.start(); mServiceLooper = thread.getLooper(); mServiceHandler = new ServiceHandler(mServiceLooper); } @Override public void onStart(@Nullable Intent intent, int startId) { Message msg = mServiceHandler.obtainMessage(); msg.arg1 = startId; msg.obj = intent; mServiceHandler.sendMessage(msg); }
You should not override this method for your IntentService. Instead, override onHandleIntent, which the system calls when the IntentService receives a start request.
See Also:
/** * You should not override this method for your IntentService. Instead, * override {@link #onHandleIntent}, which the system calls when the IntentService * receives a start request. * @see android.app.Service#onStartCommand */
@Override public int onStartCommand(@Nullable Intent intent, int flags, int startId) { onStart(intent, startId); return mRedelivery ? START_REDELIVER_INTENT : START_NOT_STICKY; } @Override public void onDestroy() { mServiceLooper.quit(); }
Unless you provide binding for your service, you don't need to implement this method, because the default implementation returns null.
See Also:
  • onBind.onBind
/** * Unless you provide binding for your service, you don't need to implement this * method, because the default implementation returns null. * @see android.app.Service#onBind */
@Override @Nullable public IBinder onBind(Intent intent) { return null; }
This method is invoked on the worker thread with a request to process. Only one Intent is processed at a time, but the processing happens on a worker thread that runs independently from other application logic. So, if this code takes a long time, it will hold up other requests to the same IntentService, but it will not hold up anything else. When all requests have been handled, the IntentService stops itself, so you should not call Service.stopSelf.
Params:
/** * This method is invoked on the worker thread with a request to process. * Only one Intent is processed at a time, but the processing happens on a * worker thread that runs independently from other application logic. * So, if this code takes a long time, it will hold up other requests to * the same IntentService, but it will not hold up anything else. * When all requests have been handled, the IntentService stops itself, * so you should not call {@link #stopSelf}. * * @param intent The value passed to {@link * android.content.Context#startService(Intent)}. * This may be null if the service is being restarted after * its process has gone away; see * {@link android.app.Service#onStartCommand} * for details. */
@WorkerThread protected abstract void onHandleIntent(@Nullable Intent intent); }