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NativeScript Core

Extending Classes And Interfaces

As part of the native Android development you often have to inherit from classes and/or implement interfaces. NativeScript supports these scenarios as well.

Classes

public class MyButton extends android.widget.Button {
    public MyButton(Context context) {
        super(context);
    }

    @Override
    public void setEnabled(boolean enabled) {
        super.setEnabled(enabled);
    }
}

MyButton btn = new MyButton(context);

class MyButton(context: Context) : android.widget.Button(context) {
    override fun setEnabled(enabled: Boolean) {
        super.setEnabled(enabled)
    }
}

val btn = MyButton(context)

Here is how the above is done in NativeScript:

let constructorCalled = false;
let MyButton = android.widget.Button.extend({
    // constructor
    init: function() {
        constructorCalled = true;
    },

    setEnabled: function(enabled) {
        this.super.setEnabled(enabled);
    }
});

let btn = new MyButton(context);
// constructorCalled === true

class MyButton extends android.widget.Button {
    static constructorCalled: boolean = false;
    // constructor
    constructor() {
        super();
        MyButton.constructorCalled = true;

        // necessary when extending TypeScript constructors
        return global.__native(this);
    }

    setEnabled(enabled : boolean): void {
        this.super.setEnabled(enabled);
    }
}

let btn = new MyButton(context);
// MyButton.constructorCalled === true

Note: In the above setEnabled function the this keyword points to the JavaScript object that proxies the extended native instance. The this.super property provides access to the base class method implementation.

Creating an anonymous Java class which extends from the base Java java.lang.Object class: 

let MyClass = java.lang.Object({
    // constructor
    init: function() {
    },

    toString: function() {
        // override Object's toString
    }
});

let myClassInstance = new MyClass();

class MyClass extends java.lang.Object {
    // constructor
    constructor() {
        super();
        // necessary when extending TypeScript constructors
        return global.__native(this);
    }

    toString(): string {
        // override Object's toString
    }
}

let myClassInstance: any | java.lang.Object = new MyClass();

Creating a named Java class which extends from the java.lang.Object class will allow referring to the class by its full package name (in AndroidManifest.xml, for example): 

let MyClass = java.lang.Object("my.application.name.MyClass", {
    // constructor
    init: function() {
    },

    toString: function() {
        // override Object's toString
    }
});

let myClassInstance = new MyClass();
let myClassInstance2 = new my.application.name.MyClass();

class MyClass extends java.lang.Object {
    // constructor
    constructor() {
        super();
        // necessary when extending TypeScript constructors
        return global.__native(this);
    }

    toString(): string {
        // override Object's toString
    }
}

let myClassInstance: any | java.lang.Object = new MyClass();
let myClassInstance2: any | java.lang.Object = new my.application.name.MyClass(); // may produce a TypeScript compilation error, because the namespace will not be recognized, it's safe to ignore
let myClassInstance3: any = new (<any>my).application.name.MyClass(); // TypeScript compiler-safe

One important thing to note when dealing with extending classes and implementing interfaces in NativeScript is that, unlike in Java - where you can extend an Abstract class with a new java.arbitrary.abstract.Class() { }, in NativeScript the class needs to be extended as per the previous examples - using the extend function on the java.arbitrary.abstract.Class, or using the extends class syntax in TypeScript.

Interfaces

The next example shows how to implement an interface in Java/Kotlin and NativeScript. The main difference between inheriting classes and implementing interfaces in NativeScript is the use of the extend keyword. Basically, you implement an interface by passing the implementation object to the interface constructor function. The syntax is identical to the Java Anonymous Classes. 

button.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
    public void onClick(View v) {
        // Perform action on click
    }
});

button.setOnClickListener {
    // Perform action on click
}

button.setOnClickListener(new android.view.View.OnClickListener({
    onClick: function() {
        // Perform action on click
    }
}));

button.setOnClickListener(new android.view.View.OnClickListener({
    onClick: function() {
        // Perform action on click
    }
}));

Alternatively you can use the following pattern for a named interface implementation: 

let ClickListener;

function initializeClickListener() {
    if (ClickListener) {
        return;
    }

    ClickListener = java.lang.Object.extend({
        interfaces: [android.view.View.OnClickListener], /* the interfaces that will be inherited by the resulting class */
        onClick: function() {
            // Perform action on click
        }
    });
}

// [...]

{
    // [...]

    initializeClickListener();
    nativeView.setOnClickListener(new ClickListener());
}

interface ClickListener {
    new(): android.view.View.OnClickListener;
}

let ClickListener: ClickListener;

function initializeClickListener(): void {
    if (ClickListener) {
        return;
    }

    @Interfaces([android.view.View.OnClickListener])
    class ClickListenerImpl extends java.lang.Object implements android.view.View.OnClickListener {
        constructor() {
            super();

            // necessary when extending TypeScript constructors
            return global.__native(this);
        }

        onClick(view: android.view.View): void {
            // Perform action on click
        }
    }

    ClickListener = ClickListenerImpl;
}

// [...]

{
    // [...]

    initializeClickListener();
    nativeView.setOnClickListener(new ClickListener());
}

Implementing multiple interfaces in NativeScript

Suppose you have the following interfaces in Java/Kotlin:

public interface Printer {
    void print(String content);
    void print(String content, int offset);
}

public interface Copier {
    String copy(String content);
}

public interface Writer {
    void write(Object[] arr);
    void writeLine(Object[] arr)
}

interface Printer {
    fun print(content: String)
    fun print(content: String, offset: Int)
}

interface Copier {
    fun copy(content: String): String
}

interface Writer {
    fun write(arr: Array<Any>)
    fun writeLine(arr: Array<Any>)
}

Implementing the interfaces is as easy in Java as writing:

public class MyVersatileCopywriter implements Printer, Copier, Writer {
    public void print(String content) { ... }

    public void print(String content, int offset) { ... }

    public String copy(String content) { ... }

    public void write(Object[] arr) { ... }

    public void writeLine(Object[] arr) { ... }
}

class MyVersatileCopywriter: Printer, Copier, Writer{

    override fun print(content: String) { ... }

    override fun print(content: String, offset: Int) { ... }

    override fun copy(content: String): String { ... }

    override fun write(arr: Array<Any>) { ... }

    override fun writeLine(arr: Array<Any>) { ... }
}

The same result can be achieved in NativeScript by extending any valid object that inherits Java Object.

  • In JavaScript - Declare an interfaces array in the implementation
  • Using Typescript syntax - apply a decorator to the extended class (note @Interfaces([...]))

Using Javascript syntax - attach interfaces array to implementation object of the extend call 

let MyVersatileCopyWriter = java.lang.Object.extend({
    interfaces: [com.a.b.Printer, com.a.b.Copier, com.a.b.Writer], /* the interfaces that will be inherited by the resulting class */
    print: function() { ... }, /* implementing the 'print' methods from Printer */
    copy: function() { ... }, /* implementing the 'copy' method from Copier */
    write: function() { ... }, /* implementing the 'write' method from Writer */
    writeLine: function() { ... }, /* implementing the 'writeLine' method from Writer */
    toString: function() { ... } /* override `java.lang.Object's` `toString */
});

@Interfaces([com.a.b.Printer, com.a.b.Copier, com.a.b.Writer]) /* the interfaces that will be inherited by the resulting MyVersatileCopyWriter class */
class MyVersatileCopyWriter extends java.lang.Object { 
    constructor() {
        super();
        return global.__native(this);
    }

    print() { ... }
    copy() { ... }
    write() { ... }
    writeLine() { ... }
}

Limitations

  • Implementing two interfaces with the same method signature will generate just 1 method. It is the implementor's responsibility to define how the method will behave for both interfaces
  • Implementing two interfaces with the same method name, parameter number, but different return type (void a() vs boolean a()) will result in a compilation error

Notes

Java/Kotlin method overloads are handled by the developer by explicitly checking the arguments count of the invoked function 

let MyVersatileCopyWriter = ...extend({
    ...
    print: function() {
        let content = "";
        let offset = 0;

        if (arguments.length == 2) {
            offset = arguments[1];
        }

        content = arguments[0];

        // do stuff
    }
    ...
})

class MyVersatileCopyWriter extends ... {
    constructor() {
        super();
        return global.__native(this);
    }
    ...
    print() {
        let content = "";
        let offset = 0;

        if (arguments.length == 2) {
            offset = arguments[1];
        }

        content = arguments[0];

        // do stuff
    }
    ...
}

In addition to implementing interface methods, you can override methods of the extended class, and also declare your own methods that the new class should have.

See Also

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