实例化片段时出现java.lang.VerifyError

Question

In android versions earlier than Lollipop, I keep getting the VerifyError while trying to instantiate a fragment, leading to an app crash. Can someone explain to me the cause of this error?

12-19 17:46:52.510  28238-28238/com.greeblu.tootl2 E/AndroidRuntime﹕ FATAL EXCEPTION: main
Process: com.greeblu.tootl2, PID: 28238
java.lang.VerifyError: com/greeblu/tootl2/fragment/ProfileGridFragment
        at com.greeblu.tootl2.activity.ProfileActivity.launchGridFragment(ProfileActivity.java:289)
        at com.greeblu.tootl2.fragment.ProfileOverlayFragment$3.onClick(ProfileOverlayFragment.java:123)
        at android.view.View.performClick(View.java:4438)
        at android.view.View$PerformClick.run(View.java:18439)
        at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:733)
        at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:95)
        at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:136)
        at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:5034)
        at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
        at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:515)
        at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:795)
        at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:611)
        at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)

This is how I'm calling the fragment for older android versions:

FragmentTransaction ft = getFragmentManager().beginTransaction();
        ft.replace(R.id.profileContainer, new ProfileGridFragment(),fragmentTag); //Replaces the Fragment C previously in the right_container with a new Fragment B
        ft.commit();

Edit: The code for the onClick call is as follows. It is called from another fragment in the same activity

picContainer.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        @Override
        public void onClick(View view) {
            ((ProfileActivity) getActivity()).launchGridFragment(overlayDp, "all");
        }
    });

Answer 1

I've encountered this exact error because I had a try-catch block with exception class that is unavailable on old android versions. The block wasn't even in the constructor, it was in one of the onClick methods so the code wasn't even executed, but nevertheless app was always crashing with VerifyError as soon as I was trying to create the fragment.

Solver it by changing clause block with instanceof check:

Crashing:

try {
    ...
} catch (FileUriExposedException e) {
    ...
}

Works ok:

try {
    ...
} catch (Exception e) {
    if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.N && e instanceof FileUriExposedException) {
        ...
    }
}

Answer 2

Are you using the support Fragment class from android.support.v4.app.Fragment? If so you need to be calling

getSupportFragmentManager()
instead of
getFragmentManager()

Note that the Fragment class from android.app.Fragment is now deprecated.