How to Build Interactive Custom Snackbars for Android App

Snackbars are an essential UI element in Android development, providing users with brief feedback about an action or a process. They typically appear at the bottom of the screen and disappear after a short period, making them an effective way to inform users without interrupting their flow. In this article, we will walk through the process of building interactive custom snackbars in Android using Kotlin.

Introduction

Snackbars in Android are a great way to display short messages at the bottom of the screen. They are used to show feedback to users, such as confirming an action (like “Item deleted”) or showing an error message. While the default Snackbar component provides a simple and functional way to display messages, sometimes you might need a more tailored solution. This is where custom snackbars come into play, allowing you to build more interactive, visually appealing, and functional notifications.

In this guide, we will cover both normal and custom snackbars, and how to make them interactive, engaging, and useful for your app’s users. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, learning how to customize snackbars will add a professional touch to your Android app. If you’re looking to hire Android developers to help with your app development, this guide will also give you insight into what to expect when building this feature.

Using Normal Snackbar

The default Snackbar component in Android comes with basic functionality. It allows you to display a message and optionally include an action like a button (e.g., “Undo”). Below is a simple example of how to use the standard Snackbar in Android:

Snackbar.make(view, “This is a normal snackbar”, Snackbar.LENGTH_SHORT).show()

Here’s a breakdown of the method:

view: The view that will anchor the Snackbar. This is typically a root view of the activity or fragment.
"This is a normal snackbar": The message to display in the Snackbar.
Snackbar.LENGTH_SHORT: This is the duration for which the Snackbar will be displayed. It can be either LENGTH_SHORT, LENGTH_LONG, or LENGTH_INDEFINITE.

The normal Snackbar is simple and effective for showing basic messages. However, if you want more control over the appearance and functionality of the Snackbar, you will need to create a custom Snackbar.

Custom Snackbar

Custom snackbars allow you to go beyond the default design and interaction capabilities. With custom snackbars, you can:

Change the layout (such as adding custom icons or buttons).
Modify the background color, text color, and font.
Add interactive elements like buttons with custom actions.
Include animations for entry and exit.

Step 1: Create a Custom Layout for the Snackbar

To build a custom Snackbar, you first need to create a custom layout for it. The layout can include text, buttons, images, or anything else that suits your needs. Here’s an example of a custom layout for a Snackbar:

<!– res/layout/snackbar_custom.xml –>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android=”http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android”
android:layout_width=”match_parent”
android:layout_height=”wrap_content”
android:orientation=”horizontal”
android:padding=”16dp”
android:background=”@drawable/snackbar_background”>
<ImageView
android:id=”@+id/snackbar_icon”
android:layout_width=”24dp”
android:layout_height=”24dp”
android:src=”@drawable/ic_success” />
<TextView
android:id=”@+id/snackbar_message”
android:layout_width=”wrap_content”
android:layout_height=”wrap_content”
android:text=”Custom Snackbar”
android:textColor=”#FFFFFF”
android:layout_marginLeft=”8dp” />
<Button
android:id=”@+id/snackbar_action”
android:layout_width=”wrap_content”
android:layout_height=”wrap_content”
android:text=”Action”
android:textColor=”#FF4081″ />
</LinearLayout>

In this layout, we define a LinearLayout that includes an ImageView, a TextView, and a Button. The ImageView could represent an icon, the TextView holds the message, and the Button can represent an action, like “Undo” or “Retry.”

Step 2: Implement the Custom Snackbar in Kotlin

Now that you have your custom layout, you can create a Snackbar using this layout and display it to the user. Here’s the Kotlin code to do that:

val customView = layoutInflater.inflate(R.layout.snackbar_custom, null)
val snackbar = Snackbar.make(view, “”, Snackbar.LENGTH_LONG)
val snackbarLayout = snackbar.view as Snackbar.SnackbarLayout
snackbarLayout.addView(customView, 0)
val actionButton = customView.findViewById<Button>(R.id.snackbar_action)
actionButton.setOnClickListener {
// Define the action when the button is clicked
snackbar.dismiss()
// Perform your action here, e.g., undoing the last action
}
snackbar.show()

In this code:

We inflate the custom layout snackbar_custom.xml using layoutInflater.inflate().
A standard Snackbar is created with an empty message (""), as we’ll use the custom layout instead of a simple text message.
The custom layout is added to the SnackbarLayout of the Snackbar.
We get a reference to the action button inside the custom layout and set a click listener on it.
Finally, we show the Snackbar with snackbar.show().

This approach allows you to completely customize the appearance and functionality of the Snackbar.

Step 3: Adding Custom Animations (Optional)

If you want your custom Snackbar to have more personality, you can add animations. For example, you can animate the Snackbar sliding in or fading in when it appears and sliding out when it disappears.

To do this, you can use the ViewPropertyAnimator for custom animations:

snackbar.view.apply {
translationY = -height.toFloat()
animate().translationY(0f).setDuration(300).start()
}

This code ensures the Snackbar slides in from the top of the screen.

Step 4: Handling Multiple Snackbars (Optional)

If your app displays multiple snackbars at once (for example, for different messages in different parts of the screen), you can create a mechanism to handle stacking snackbars. This can be achieved by creating a manager that tracks currently displayed snackbars and dismisses the oldest one when a new one is shown.

object SnackbarManager {
private val snackbars = mutableListOf<Snackbar>()
fun showSnackbar(snackbar: Snackbar) {
snackbars.forEach { it.dismiss() }
snackbars.clear()
snackbars.add(snackbar)
snackbar.show()
}
}

This will ensure that only one Snackbar is shown at a time, keeping the user experience clean and uncluttered.

Conclusion

Custom snackbars are a powerful tool for enhancing the user interface of your Android app. By customizing the layout, adding interactive buttons, and even implementing animations, you can make snackbars that are not only informative but also visually appealing and interactive.

If you’re looking to hire Kotlin developers or Android developers to assist with building custom snackbars and other Android app features, make sure they are familiar with these techniques. Custom snackbars can significantly improve your app’s user experience, and having the right developer on your team can help you build the best solution for your project.

By following the steps outlined in this article, you should now have the knowledge to implement both normal and custom snackbars in your Android app. Whether you’re looking for a simple message or an advanced interactive feature, snackbars are versatile and easy to implement, making them an excellent choice for many use cases. Additionally, if you’re working on an iOS app and need similar functionality, you can always hire iOS developers to ensure seamless integration. Snackbars, with their flexibility, are an essential tool in modern app development.