Day/Night theme for android app

Check this tutorial for a complete step by step example: click here

Add Auto Switching DayNight Theme using Appcompat v23.2 support library

Add following line in your build.gradle file

compile 'com.android.support:appcompat-v7:23.2.0'

Make your theme style in styles.xml as below

<resources>
    <!-- Base application theme. -->
    <style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.AppCompat.DayNight.DarkActionBar">
        <!-- Customize your theme here. -->
        <item name="colorPrimary">@color/colorPrimary</item>
        <item name="colorPrimaryDark">@color/colorPrimaryDark</item>
        <item name="colorAccent">@color/colorAccent</item>
        <item name="android:textColorPrimary">@color/textColorPrimary</item>
        <item name="android:textColorSecondary">@color/textColorSecondary</item>
    </style>
</resources>

Now add the following line code onCreate() method for setting theme for entire app.

For Setting Default Auto Switching Night Mode use

AppCompatDelegate.setDefaultNightMode(AppCompatDelegate.MODE_NIGHT_AUTO);

For Setting Default Night Mode use

AppCompatDelegate.setDefaultNightMode(AppCompatDelegate.MODE_NIGHT_YES);

For Setting Default Day Mode use

AppCompatDelegate.setDefaultNightMode(AppCompatDelegate.MODE_NIGHT_NO);

enter image description here


here is my solution:

  • I wanted to have automatic day/night features but not have to enable the cumbersome car mode in android.

-> From NOAA webpages one can find algorithms to calculate the sun height over the horizon given a certain position and date.

--> Using these algoritms I created a method that calculate the sun's height over the horizon given two doubles Latitude & Longitude and a Calendar

public class SolarCalculations {

    /**
     * Calculate height of the sun above horizon for a given position and date
     * @param lat Positive to N
     * @param lon Positive to E
     * @param cal Calendar containing current time, date, timezone, daylight time savings
     * @return height of the sun in degrees, positive if above the horizon
     */
    public static double CalculateSunHeight(double lat, double lon, Calendar cal){

        double adjustedTimeZone = cal.getTimeZone().getRawOffset()/3600000 + cal.getTimeZone().getDSTSavings()/3600000;

        double timeOfDay = (cal.get(Calendar.HOUR_OF_DAY) * 3600 + cal.get(Calendar.MINUTE) * 60 + cal.get(Calendar.SECOND))/(double)86400;

        double julianDay = dateToJulian(cal.getTime()) - adjustedTimeZone/24;

        double julianCentury = (julianDay-2451545)/36525;

        double geomMeanLongSun = (280.46646 + julianCentury * (36000.76983 + julianCentury * 0.0003032)) % 360;

        double geomMeanAnomSun = 357.52911+julianCentury*(35999.05029 - 0.0001537*julianCentury);

        double eccentEarthOrbit = 0.016708634-julianCentury*(0.000042037+0.0000001267*julianCentury);

        double sunEqOfCtr = Math.sin(Math.toRadians(geomMeanAnomSun))*(1.914602-julianCentury*(0.004817+0.000014*julianCentury))+Math.sin(Math.toRadians(2*geomMeanAnomSun))*(0.019993-0.000101*julianCentury)+Math.sin(Math.toRadians(3*geomMeanAnomSun))*0.000289;

        double sunTrueLong = geomMeanLongSun + sunEqOfCtr;

        double sunAppLong = sunTrueLong-0.00569-0.00478*Math.sin(Math.toRadians(125.04-1934.136*julianCentury));

        double meanObliqEcliptic = 23+(26+((21.448-julianCentury*(46.815+julianCentury*(0.00059-julianCentury*0.001813))))/60)/60;

        double obliqueCorr = meanObliqEcliptic+0.00256*Math.cos(Math.toRadians(125.04-1934.136*julianCentury));

        double sunDeclin = Math.toDegrees(Math.asin(Math.sin(Math.toRadians(obliqueCorr))*Math.sin(Math.toRadians(sunAppLong))));

        double varY = Math.tan(Math.toRadians(obliqueCorr/2))*Math.tan(Math.toRadians(obliqueCorr/2));

        double eqOfTime = 4*Math.toDegrees(varY*Math.sin(2*Math.toRadians(geomMeanLongSun))-2*eccentEarthOrbit*Math.sin(Math.toRadians(geomMeanAnomSun))+4*eccentEarthOrbit*varY*Math.sin(Math.toRadians(geomMeanAnomSun))*Math.cos(2*Math.toRadians(geomMeanLongSun))-0.5*varY*varY*Math.sin(4*Math.toRadians(geomMeanLongSun))-1.25*eccentEarthOrbit*eccentEarthOrbit*Math.sin(2*Math.toRadians(geomMeanAnomSun)));

        double trueSolarTime = (timeOfDay*1440+eqOfTime+4*lon-60*adjustedTimeZone) % 1440;

        double hourAngle;
        if(trueSolarTime/4<0)
            hourAngle = trueSolarTime/4+180;
        else
            hourAngle = trueSolarTime/4-180;

        double solarZenithAngle = Math.toDegrees(Math.acos(Math.sin(Math.toRadians(lat))*Math.sin(Math.toRadians(sunDeclin))+Math.cos(Math.toRadians(lat))*Math.cos(Math.toRadians(sunDeclin))*Math.cos(Math.toRadians(hourAngle))));

        double solarElevation = 90 - solarZenithAngle;

        double athmosphericRefraction;
        if(solarElevation>85)
            athmosphericRefraction = 0;
        else if(solarElevation>5)
            athmosphericRefraction = 58.1/Math.tan(Math.toRadians(solarElevation))-0.07/Math.pow(Math.tan(Math.toRadians(solarElevation)),3)+0.000086/Math.pow(Math.tan(Math.toRadians(solarElevation)),5);
        else if(solarElevation>-0.575)
            athmosphericRefraction = 1735+solarElevation*(-518.2+solarElevation*(103.4+solarElevation*(-12.79+solarElevation*0.711)));
        else
            athmosphericRefraction = -20.772/Math.tan(Math.toRadians(solarElevation));
        athmosphericRefraction /= 3600;

        double solarElevationCorrected = solarElevation + athmosphericRefraction;

        return solarElevationCorrected;

    }


    /**
     * Return Julian day from date
     * @param date
     * @return
     */
    public static double dateToJulian(Date date) {

        GregorianCalendar calendar = new GregorianCalendar();
        calendar.setTime(date);

        int a = (14-(calendar.get(Calendar.MONTH)+1))/12;
        int y = calendar.get(Calendar.YEAR) + 4800 - a;

        int m =  (calendar.get(Calendar.MONTH)+1) + 12*a;
        m -= 3;

        double jdn = calendar.get(Calendar.DAY_OF_MONTH) + (153.0*m + 2.0)/5.0 + 365.0*y + y/4.0 - y/100.0 + y/400.0 - 32045.0 + calendar.get(Calendar.HOUR_OF_DAY) / 24 + calendar.get(Calendar.MINUTE)/1440 + calendar.get(Calendar.SECOND)/86400;

        return jdn;
    } 
}

Then in the MainActivity I have a method that checks every 5 minutes for the sun's height at the given position:

 if(displayMode.equals("auto")){
        double sunHeight = SolarCalculations.CalculateSunHeight(lat, lon, cal);
        if(sunHeight > 0 && mThemeId != R.style.AppTheme_Daylight)
        {//daylight mode
            mThemeId = R.style.AppTheme_Daylight;   
            this.recreate();
        }
        else if (sunHeight < 0 && sunHeight >= -6 && mThemeId != R.style.AppTheme_Dusk)
        {//civil dusk
            mThemeId = R.style.AppTheme_Dusk;
            this.recreate();
        }
        else if(sunHeight < -6 && mThemeId != R.style.AppTheme_Night)
        {//night mode
            mThemeId = R.style.AppTheme_Night;
            this.recreate();
        }
    }

This methods sets the current style to be used and I have three of them. Two for daylight and night, one for dusk when sunlight begins to be refracted into the atmosphere

<!-- Application theme. -->
<style name="AppTheme.Daylight" parent="AppBaseTheme">
    <item name="android:background">@color/white</item>
    <item name="android:panelBackground">@color/gray</item>
    <item name="android:textColor">@color/black</item>
</style>

<style name="AppTheme.Dusk" parent="AppBaseTheme">
    <item name="android:background">@color/black</item>
    <item name="android:panelBackground">@color/gray</item>
    <item name="android:textColor">@color/salmon</item>
</style>

<style name="AppTheme.Night" parent="AppBaseTheme">
    <item name="android:background">@color/black</item>
    <item name="android:panelBackground">@color/gray</item>
    <item name="android:textColor">@color/red</item>
</style>

This has been working pretty well and take into account daylight saving time correction.

Sources:

NOAA Sunrise Sunset

Julian Day


I'd use -night as a resource set qualifier for night mode, putting your night-specific resources in there.

Android already has the notion of night mode, switching between night and daytime modes based upon time of day and sensors. Hence, you might consider using it.

For example, to have a different theme based on mode, create res/values/styles.xml and res/values-night/styles.xml. Have a theme with the same name in each file (e.g., AppTheme), but tailor the theme based upon whatever differences you want have between day and night modes. When you reference your theme by name (e.g., in the manifest), Android will automatically load in the right resources, and Android will automatically destroy and recreate your activities if the mode changes while those activities are running.

Now, if you want manual user control over whether to use a night-themed UI, -night will not help.