shouldOverrideUrlLoading return method

Question

I am using this method - and returning true or super.shouldOverrideUrlLoading(view,url); my apologies for being naive but I didn't understand what is the difference in returning true or the super class method?

 @Override
        public boolean shouldOverrideUrlLoading(WebView view, String url) {
            UltimatixTouchWebView webView = (UltimatixTouchWebView) view;

            if (null != url && ((url.endsWith(".js") || url.endsWith(".css")))
                    && (checkResource(url))) {
                return true;
            } else {
                return super.shouldOverrideUrlLoading(view, url);
            }
        }

Asked this question after discussing with three different resources, going through documentation, but found it ambiguous and yet couldn't understand it. I have put enough efforts before asking the question. — Darpan, May 22 '13 at 14:45
Read this http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4907045/how-to-make-links-open-within-webview-or-open-by-default-browser-depending-on-do — IliaEremin, Sep 17 '14 at 09:51

Darpan · Accepted Answer · 2015-07-20T13:29:03.987

I spent some time and did some permutation on all the scenerios. This is what I found -

return false -> if you use this, you don't even need to load the url, ie no need to put loadUrl(url). WebView will automatically load url.
return true -> Current URL will not be loaded in WebView, Quoting the Android site

If WebViewClient is provided, return true means the host application handles the url

So, your app will handle it. ie. your app has to have some functionality to work on that url. Even if you only want to load the page back in your WebView, you will have to write webView.loadUrl(URL);. Otherwise it will not load your page.

In this example, suppose you want to go to second.html from first page.

public boolean shouldOverrideUrlLoading(WebView view, String url) {
                if(url.contains("second.html")){
                    Toast.makeText(con, "Second Page", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
                    view.loadUrl(url);
                    }
                return true;
}

Here, if you click any link on second page, it will not go anywhere. Because in this function your if condition does not fulfill, it returns true so it will see if app has implemented something. Since we have not, so it will stay there only.

I tried to simplify it to help out new developers.

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered May 22 '13 at 14:10

1

If you return true it means you handled the event and the OS won't do anything with that event.
If you called the super function, you let the OS handle the event (open it in browser).

answered May 22 '13 at 14:10

Royi

745
8
22

1

I returned super function, but didn't see browser loading it anywhere.. may be I am missing a smallpoint.. – Darpan May 22 '13 at 14:15

shouldOverrideUrlLoading return method

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