How to show scrollbars on a TextView programmatically

Question

I have searched and searched to find an answer to how to add a vertical (or horizontal) scrollbar to a TextView without having to use the XML just to add the line: android:scrollbars="vertical".

There has to be a way to do this programmatically that doesn't require sticking this within another ScrollView.

I've just found out how and because I am way to excited about this and want to help anyone else who is stuck with the same question, here it is:

score 5 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 12:13

Rusian Yanchyshyn, posted the key in his answer at Android: Enable Scrollbars on Canvas-Based View

With the help of an anonmous class & an initializer block we can now do the following:

            TextView textViewWithScrollBars = new TextView(context)
            {
                {
                    setVerticalScrollBarEnabled(true);
                    setMovementMethod(ScrollingMovementMethod.getInstance());
                    setScrollBarStyle(View.SCROLLBARS_INSIDE_INSET);

                    // Force scrollbars to be displayed.
                    TypedArray a = this.getContext().getTheme().obtainStyledAttributes(new int[0]);
                    initializeScrollbars(a);
                    a.recycle();                        
                }
            }

Not sure if this will work with API level 21 and above as the initalizeScrollbars method has been removed.. — redspidermkv, Nov 12 '15 at 10:22

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 29 '13 at 04:18

// try this
activity_main.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:orientation="vertical">


</LinearLayout>

@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        TextView textView = new TextView(this);
        textView.setText("demotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotextdemotext");
        textView.setVerticalScrollBarEnabled(true);
        textView.setLines(3);
        textView.setMovementMethod(new ScrollingMovementMethod());

        addContentView(textView,new ViewGroup.LayoutParams(ViewGroup.LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT, ViewGroup.LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT));
}

Hi Haresh, the whole point of this is that "setVerticalScrollBarEnabled(true)" doesn't show the scrollbars on it's own. — Peter, Oct 29 '13 at 04:30
you have to also set this property setMovementMethod(new ScrollingMovementMethod()); — Haresh Chhelana, Oct 29 '13 at 04:42
@HareshChhelana Cool, How can we enable automatic scroll to the last line? User usually want to see updated message but not old one always. — lucky1928, Oct 02 '15 at 01:41

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Jan 06 '21 at 08:33

first - Make a style.xml

<style name="VerticalScrollableTextView">
    <item name="android:scrollbars">vertical</item>
    <item name="android:scrollbarFadeDuration">0</item>
</style>

second - use ContextWrapper

val textView = TextView(
        ContextThemeWrapper(context, R.style.VerticalScrollableTextView)
    )
    textView.movementMethod = ScrollingMovementMethod.getInstance()

That's All!

score -1 · Answer 4 · answered Dec 14 '20 at 16:10

-1

Show only when scroll

Xml (in textView element):

android:scrollbarAlwaysDrawVerticalTrack="true" 
android:scrollbars="vertical"

OnCreate:

textView.movementMethod = ScrollingMovementMethod()

answered Dec 14 '20 at 16:10

Fortran

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Did you read the question? The question is how to do this *without* using xml. – Peter Dec 15 '20 at 00:02
yeah, but all these xml elements have analog in programaticly! – Fortran Dec 15 '20 at 10:37

How to show scrollbars on a TextView programmatically

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