Get formatted resource string from xml layout

Question

How can get a formatted string from res\values\strings.xml in xml layout file? Eg: Have a res\values\strings.xml like this:

<resources>
    <string name="review_web_url"><a href="%1$s">Read online</a></string>
</resources>

and an xml layout file like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<layout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools">

    <data>
        <variable name="model" type="com.example.model.MyModel" />
    </data>

    <TextView android:text="@string/review_web_url"/>
</layout>

How can I get the resource string review_web_url passing/formatted with the value @{model.anchorHtml} ?

There is a way to get this formatted string like I do in java code:

String anchorString = activity.getString(R.string.review_web_url, model.getAnchorHtml());

but from xml layout?

Gregorio Palamà · Answer 1 · 2018-03-01T15:42:42.897

You can use a BindingAdapter!

Take a look at this link, that'll introduce you to BindingAdapters: https://developer.android.com/reference/android/databinding/BindingAdapter.html

You will have to make something like this:

@BindingAdapter(values={"textToFormat", "value"})
public static void setFormattedValue(TextView view, int textToFormat, String value) 
{
    view.setText(String.format(view.getContext().getResources().getString(textToFormat), value));
}

Then, in your xml, you can do something like this:

<layout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools">

    <data>
        <variable name="model" type="com.example.model.MyModel" />
    </data>

    <TextView 
        ...
        app:textToFormat="@string/review_web_url"
        app:value="@{model.anchorHtml}"/>
</layout>

The BindingAdapter will do the hard work for you! Note that you need to make it static and public, so you can put it inside an Utils class.

Get formatted resource string from xml layout

1 Answers1