java - MainActivity.this is not an enclosing class AsyncTask

Question

I'm trying to create an AsyncTask for the 1st time, but I don't have much luck.

My AsyncTask needs to get some information from a server and then add new layouts to the main layout to display this information.

Everything seems to be more or less clear but, the error message "MainActivity is not an enclosing class" is bothering me.

Nobody else seems to have this problem, so I think I miss something very obvious, I just don't know what it is.

Also, I'm not sure if I used the right way to get the context, and because my application doesn't compile so I can't test it.

Your help is much appreciated.

Here is my code:

public class BackgroundWorker extends AsyncTask<Context, String, ArrayList<Card>> {
    Context ApplicationContext;

    @Override
    protected ArrayList<Card> doInBackground(Context... contexts) {
        this.ApplicationContext = contexts[0];//Is it this right way to get the context?
        SomeClass someClass = new SomeClass();

        return someClass.getCards();
    }

    /**
     * Updates the GUI before the operation started
     */
    @Override
    protected void onPreExecute() {
        super.onPreExecute();
    }

    @Override
    /**
     * Updates the GUI after operation has been completed
     */
    protected void onPostExecute(ArrayList<Card> cards) {
        super.onPostExecute(cards);

        int counter = 0;
        // Amount of "cards" can be different each time
        for (Card card : cards) {
            //Create new view
            LayoutInflater inflater = (LayoutInflater) ApplicationContext.getSystemService(Context.LAYOUT_INFLATER_SERVICE);
            ViewSwitcher view = (ViewSwitcher)inflater.inflate(R.layout.card_layout, null);
            ImageButton imageButton = (ImageButton)view.findViewById(R.id.card_button_edit_nickname);

            /**
             * A lot of irrelevant operations here
             */ 

            // I'm getting the error message below
            LinearLayout insertPoint = (LinearLayout)MainActivity.this.findViewById(R.id.main);
            insertPoint.addView(view, counter++, new ViewGroup.LayoutParams(ViewGroup.LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT, ViewGroup.LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT));
        }
    }
}

Answer 1

Eclipse is probably right, and you are trying to access a class (MainActivity) that is inside it's own file from another class that is in its own file (BackgroundWorker) . There is no way to do that - how is one class supposed to know about the other's instance magically? What you can do:

• Move the AsyncTask so it is an inner class in MainActivity
• Pass off your Activity to the AsyncTask (via its constructor) then acess using activityVariable.findViewById(); (I am using mActivity in the example below) Alternatively, your ApplicationContext (use proper naming convention, the A needs to be lowercase) is actually an instance of MainActivity you're good to go, so do ApplicationContext.findViewById();

Using the Constructor example:

public class BackgroundWorker extends AsyncTask<Context, String, ArrayList<Card>>
{
    Context ApplicationContext;
    Activity mActivity;

   public BackgroundWorker (Activity activity)
   {
     super();
     mActivity = activity;
   }

//rest of code...

As for

I'm not sure if I used the right way to get the context

It is fine.