Set color of TextView span in Android
Here is a little help function. Great for when you have multiple languages!
private void setColor(TextView view, String fulltext, String subtext, int color) {
view.setText(fulltext, TextView.BufferType.SPANNABLE);
Spannable str = (Spannable) view.getText();
int i = fulltext.indexOf(subtext);
str.setSpan(new ForegroundColorSpan(color), i, i + subtext.length(), Spannable.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
}
Another answer would be very similar, but wouldn't need to set the text of the TextView
twice
TextView TV = (TextView)findViewById(R.id.mytextview01);
Spannable wordtoSpan = new SpannableString("I know just how to whisper, And I know just how to cry,I know just where to find the answers");
wordtoSpan.setSpan(new ForegroundColorSpan(Color.BLUE), 15, 30, Spannable.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
TV.setText(wordtoSpan);
I always find visual examples helpful when trying to understand a new concept.
Background Color
SpannableString spannableString = new SpannableString("Hello World!");
BackgroundColorSpan backgroundSpan = new BackgroundColorSpan(Color.YELLOW);
spannableString.setSpan(backgroundSpan, 0, spannableString.length(), Spannable.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
textView.setText(spannableString);
Foreground Color
SpannableString spannableString = new SpannableString("Hello World!");
ForegroundColorSpan foregroundSpan = new ForegroundColorSpan(Color.RED);
spannableString.setSpan(foregroundSpan, 0, spannableString.length(), Spannable.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
textView.setText(spannableString);
Combination
SpannableString spannableString = new SpannableString("Hello World!");
ForegroundColorSpan foregroundSpan = new ForegroundColorSpan(Color.RED);
BackgroundColorSpan backgroundSpan = new BackgroundColorSpan(Color.YELLOW);
spannableString.setSpan(foregroundSpan, 0, 8, Spannable.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
spannableString.setSpan(backgroundSpan, 3, spannableString.length(), Spannable.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
textView.setText(spannableString);
Further Study
- Explain the meaning of Span flags like SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE
- Android Spanned, SpannedString, Spannable, SpannableString and CharSequence
If you want more control, you might want to check the TextPaint
class. Here is how to use it:
final ClickableSpan clickableSpan = new ClickableSpan() {
@Override
public void onClick(final View textView) {
//Your onClick code here
}
@Override
public void updateDrawState(final TextPaint textPaint) {
textPaint.setColor(yourContext.getResources().getColor(R.color.orange));
textPaint.setUnderlineText(true);
}
};