Android - how to run a socket in a long lives background thread
I've created a similar app and I used a Service which runs in the background.
- I've copied the code from the IntentService clas and updated
handleMessage(Message msg)
method and removedstopSelf(msg.arg1);
line. In this way you have a service that runs in the background. After it I used a Thread for the connection. - You have two choices here. Store the data into the database and the GUI refreshes itself. Or use LocalBroadcastManager.
- Here you can also store the data into the db or Start the service with a special intent.
Here is my implementation. I hope you will understand the code.
public class KeepAliveService extends Service {
/**
* The source of the log message.
*/
private static final String TAG = "KeepAliveService";
private static final long INTERVAL_KEEP_ALIVE = 1000 * 60 * 4;
private static final long INTERVAL_INITIAL_RETRY = 1000 * 10;
private static final long INTERVAL_MAXIMUM_RETRY = 1000 * 60 * 2;
private ConnectivityManager mConnMan;
protected NotificationManager mNotifMan;
protected AlarmManager mAlarmManager;
private boolean mStarted;
private boolean mLoggedIn;
protected static ConnectionThread mConnection;
protected static SharedPreferences mPrefs;
private final int maxSize = 212000;
private Handler mHandler;
private volatile Looper mServiceLooper;
private volatile ServiceHandler mServiceHandler;
private final class ServiceHandler extends Handler {
public ServiceHandler(final Looper looper) {
super(looper);
}
@Override
public void handleMessage(final Message msg) {
onHandleIntent((Intent) msg.obj);
}
}
public static void actionStart(final Context context) {
context.startService(SystemHelper.createExplicitFromImplicitIntent(context, new Intent(IntentActions.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_START)));
}
public static void actionStop(final Context context) {
context.startService(SystemHelper.createExplicitFromImplicitIntent(context, new Intent(IntentActions.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_STOP)));
}
public static void actionPing(final Context context) {
context.startService(SystemHelper.createExplicitFromImplicitIntent(context, new Intent(IntentActions.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_PING_SERVER)));
}
@Override
public void onCreate() {
Log.i(TAG, "onCreate called.");
super.onCreate();
mPrefs = getSharedPreferences("KeepAliveService", MODE_PRIVATE);
mConnMan = (ConnectivityManager) getSystemService(CONNECTIVITY_SERVICE);
mNotifMan = (NotificationManager) getSystemService(NOTIFICATION_SERVICE);
mAlarmManager = (AlarmManager) getSystemService(ALARM_SERVICE);
mHandler = new Handler();
final HandlerThread thread = new HandlerThread("IntentService[KeepAliveService]");
thread.start();
mServiceLooper = thread.getLooper();
mServiceHandler = new ServiceHandler(mServiceLooper);
// If our process was reaped by the system for any reason we need to
// restore our state with merely a
// call to onCreate.
// We record the last "started" value and restore it here if necessary.
handleCrashedService();
}
@Override
public void onDestroy() {
Log.i(TAG, "Service destroyed (started=" + mStarted + ")");
if (mStarted) {
stop();
}
mServiceLooper.quit();
}
private void handleCrashedService() {
Log.i(TAG, "handleCrashedService called.");
if (isStarted()) {
// We probably didn't get a chance to clean up gracefully, so do it now.
stopKeepAlives();
// Formally start and attempt connection.
start();
}
}
/**
* Returns the last known value saved in the database.
*/
private boolean isStarted() {
return mStarted;
}
private void setStarted(final boolean started) {
Log.i(TAG, "setStarted called with value: " + started);
mStarted = started;
}
protected void setLoggedIn(final boolean value) {
Log.i(TAG, "setLoggedIn called with value: " + value);
mLoggedIn = value;
}
protected boolean isLoggedIn() {
return mLoggedIn;
}
public static boolean isConnected() {
return mConnection != null;
}
@Override
public void onStart(final Intent intent, final int startId) {
final Message msg = mServiceHandler.obtainMessage();
msg.arg1 = startId;
msg.obj = intent;
mServiceHandler.sendMessage(msg);
}
@Override
public int onStartCommand(final Intent intent, final int flags, final int startId) {
Log.i(TAG, "Service started with intent : " + intent);
onStart(intent, startId);
return START_NOT_STICKY;
}
private void onHandleIntent(final Intent intent) {
if (IntentActions.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_STOP.equals(intent.getAction())) {
stop();
stopSelf();
} else if (IntentActions.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_START.equals(intent.getAction())) {
start();
} else if (IntentActions.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_PING_SERVER.equals(intent.getAction())) {
keepAlive(false);
}
}
@Override
public IBinder onBind(final Intent intent) {
return null;
}
private synchronized void start() {
if (mStarted) {
Log.w(TAG, "Attempt to start connection that is already active");
setStarted(true);
return;
}
try {
registerReceiver(mConnectivityChanged, new IntentFilter(ConnectivityManager.CONNECTIVITY_ACTION));
} catch (final Exception e) {
Log.e(TAG, "Exception occurred while trying to register the receiver.", e);
}
if (mConnection == null) {
Log.i(TAG, "Connecting...");
mConnection = new ConnectionThread(Config.PLUGIN_BASE_HOST, Config.PLUGIN_BASE_PORT);
mConnection.start();
}
}
private synchronized void stop() {
if (mConnection != null) {
mConnection.abort(true);
mConnection = null;
}
setStarted(false);
try {
unregisterReceiver(mConnectivityChanged);
} catch (final Exception e) {
Log.e(TAG, "Exception occurred while trying to unregister the receiver.", e);
}
cancelReconnect();
}
/**
* Sends the keep-alive message if the service is started and we have a
* connection with it.
*/
private synchronized void keepAlive(final Boolean forced) {
try {
if (mStarted && isConnected() && isLoggedIn()) {
mConnection.sendKeepAlive(forced);
}
} catch (final IOException e) {
Log.w(TAG, "Error occurred while sending the keep alive message.", e);
} catch (final JSONException e) {
Log.w(TAG, "JSON error occurred while sending the keep alive message.", e);
}
}
/**
* Uses the {@link android.app.AlarmManager} to start the keep alive service in every {@value #INTERVAL_KEEP_ALIVE} milliseconds.
*/
private void startKeepAlives() {
final PendingIntent pi = PendingIntent.getService(this, 0, new Intent(IntentActions.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_PING_SERVER), PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT);
mAlarmManager.setRepeating(AlarmManager.RTC_WAKEUP, System.currentTimeMillis() + INTERVAL_KEEP_ALIVE, INTERVAL_KEEP_ALIVE, pi);
}
/**
* Removes the repeating alarm which was started by the {@link #startKeepAlives()} function.
*/
private void stopKeepAlives() {
final PendingIntent pi = PendingIntent.getService(this, 0, new Intent(IntentActions.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_PING_SERVER), PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT);
mAlarmManager.cancel(pi);
}
public void scheduleReconnect(final long startTime) {
long interval = mPrefs.getLong("retryInterval", INTERVAL_INITIAL_RETRY);
final long now = System.currentTimeMillis();
final long elapsed = now - startTime;
if (elapsed < interval) {
interval = Math.min(interval * 4, INTERVAL_MAXIMUM_RETRY);
} else {
interval = INTERVAL_INITIAL_RETRY;
}
Log.i(TAG, "Rescheduling connection in " + interval + "ms.");
mPrefs.edit().putLong("retryInterval", interval).apply();
final PendingIntent pi = PendingIntent.getService(this, 0, new Intent(IntentActions.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_RECONNECT), PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT);
mAlarmManager.set(AlarmManager.RTC_WAKEUP, now + interval, pi);
}
public void cancelReconnect() {
final PendingIntent pi = PendingIntent.getService(this, 0, new Intent(IntentActions.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_RECONNECT), PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT);
mAlarmManager.cancel(pi);
}
private synchronized void reconnectIfNecessary() {
if (mStarted && !isConnected()) {
Log.i(TAG, "Reconnecting...");
mConnection = new ConnectionThread(Config.PLUGIN_BASE_HOST, Config.PLUGIN_BASE_PORT);
mConnection.start();
}
}
private final BroadcastReceiver mConnectivityChanged = new BroadcastReceiver() {
@Override
public void onReceive(final Context context, final Intent intent) {
final NetworkInfo info = mConnMan.getActiveNetworkInfo(); // (NetworkInfo) intent.getParcelableExtra(ConnectivityManager.EXTRA_NETWORK_INFO);
final boolean hasConnectivity = info != null && info.isConnected();
Log.i(TAG, "Connecting changed: connected=" + hasConnectivity);
if (hasConnectivity) {
reconnectIfNecessary();
} else if (mConnection != null) {
mConnection.abort(false);
mConnection = null;
}
}
};
protected class ConnectionThread extends Thread {
private final Socket mSocket;
private final String mHost;
private final int mPort;
private volatile boolean mAbort = false;
public ConnectionThread(final String host, final int port) {
mHost = host;
mPort = port;
mSocket = new Socket();
}
/**
* Returns whether we have an active internet connection or not.
*
* @return <code>true</code> if there is an active internet connection.
* <code>false</code> otherwise.
*/
private boolean isNetworkAvailable() {
final NetworkInfo info = mConnMan.getActiveNetworkInfo();
return info != null && info.isConnected();
}
@Override
public void run() {
final Socket s = mSocket;
final long startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
try {
// Now we can say that the service is started.
setStarted(true);
// Connect to server.
s.connect(new InetSocketAddress(mHost, mPort), 20000);
Log.i(TAG, "Connection established to " + s.getInetAddress() + ":" + mPort);
// Start keep alive alarm.
startKeepAlives();
final DataOutputStream dos = new DataOutputStream(s.getOutputStream());
final BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(s.getInputStream(), "UTF-8"));
// Send the login data.
final JSONObject login = new JSONObject();
// Send the login message.
dos.write((login.toString() + "\r\n").getBytes());
// Wait until we receive something from the server.
String receivedMessage;
while ((receivedMessage = in.readLine()) != null) {
Log.i(TAG, "Received data: " + receivedMessage);
processMessagesFromServer(dos, receivedMessage);
}
if (!mAbort) {
Log.i(TAG, "Server closed connection unexpectedly.");
}
} catch (final IOException e) {
Log.e(TAG, "Unexpected I/O error.", e);
} catch (final Exception e) {
Log.e(TAG, "Exception occurred.", e);
} finally {
setLoggedIn(false);
stopKeepAlives();
if (mAbort) {
Log.i(TAG, "Connection aborted, shutting down.");
} else {
try {
s.close();
} catch (final IOException e) {
// Do nothing.
}
synchronized (KeepAliveService.this) {
mConnection = null;
}
if (isNetworkAvailable()) {
scheduleReconnect(startTime);
}
}
}
}
/**
* Sends the PING word to the server.
*
* @throws java.io.IOException if an error occurs while writing to this stream.
* @throws org.json.JSONException
*/
public void sendKeepAlive(final Boolean forced) throws IOException, JSONException {
final JSONObject ping = new JSONObject();
final Socket s = mSocket;
s.getOutputStream().write((ping.toString() + "\r\n").getBytes());
}
/**
* Aborts the connection with the server.
*/
public void abort(boolean manual) {
mAbort = manual;
try {
// Close the output stream.
mSocket.shutdownOutput();
} catch (final IOException e) {
// Do nothing.
}
try {
// Close the input stream.
mSocket.shutdownInput();
} catch (final IOException e) {
// Do nothing.
}
try {
// Close the socket.
mSocket.close();
} catch (final IOException e) {
// Do nothing.
}
while (true) {
try {
join();
break;
} catch (final InterruptedException e) {
// Do nothing.
}
}
}
}
public void processMessagesFromServer(final DataOutputStream dos, final String receivedMessage) throws IOException {
}
}
You can start the service by calling KeepAliveService.actionStart()
and you can also define custom functions.
Please note that the service will be stopped only if you call KeepAliveService.actionStop()
. Otherwise it will run forever. If you call e.g. KeepAliveService.actionSendMessage(String message)
then the intent will be passed to the service and you can handle it easily.
EDIT:
The SystemHelper
class is only a utility class which contains static methods.
public class SystemHelper {
/**
* Android Lollipop, API 21 introduced a new problem when trying to invoke implicit intent,
* "java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Service Intent must be explicit"
*
* If you are using an implicit intent, and know only 1 target would answer this intent,
* This method will help you turn the implicit intent into the explicit form.
*
* Inspired from SO answer: http://stackoverflow.com/a/26318757/1446466
* @param context the application context
* @param implicitIntent - The original implicit intent
* @return Explicit Intent created from the implicit original intent
*/
public static Intent createExplicitFromImplicitIntent(Context context, Intent implicitIntent) {
Log.i(TAG, "createExplicitFromImplicitIntent ... called with intent: " + implicitIntent);
// Retrieve all services that can match the given intent
PackageManager pm = context.getPackageManager();
List<ResolveInfo> resolveInfo = pm.queryIntentServices(implicitIntent, 0);
// Make sure only one match was found
if (resolveInfo == null || resolveInfo.size() != 1) {
Log.i(TAG, "createExplicitFromImplicitIntent ... resolveInfo is null or there are more than one element.");
return null;
}
// Get component info and create ComponentName
ResolveInfo serviceInfo = resolveInfo.get(0);
String packageName = serviceInfo.serviceInfo.packageName;
String className = serviceInfo.serviceInfo.name;
ComponentName component = new ComponentName(packageName, className);
Log.i(TAG, "createExplicitFromImplicitIntent ... found package name:" + packageName + ", class name: " + className + ".");
// Create a new intent. Use the old one for extras and such reuse
Intent explicitIntent = new Intent(implicitIntent);
// Set the component to be explicit
explicitIntent.setComponent(component);
return explicitIntent;
}
}
The Config
class.
public class Config {
public static final String PACKAGE_NAME = "com.yourapp.package";
public static final String PLUGIN_BASE_HOST = "test.yoursite.com";
public static final int PLUGIN_BASE_PORT = 10000;
}
And the IntentActions
class.
public class IntentActions {
public static final String KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_START = Config.PACKAGE_NAME + ".intent.action.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_START";
public static final String KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_STOP = Config.PACKAGE_NAME + ".intent.action.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_STOP";
public static final String KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_PING_SERVER = Config.PACKAGE_NAME + ".intent.action.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_PING_SERVER";
}
In the AndroidManifest file the service is defined in the following way:
<service android:name="com.yourapp.package.services.KeepAliveService"
android:exported="false">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="com.yourapp.package.intent.action.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_START" />
<action android:name="com.yourapp.package.intent.action.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_STOP" />
<action android:name="com.yourapp.package.intent.action.KEEP_ALIVE_SERVICE_PING_SERVER" />
</intent-filter>
</service>