How do I capture information from EditText view in a dialog box?

Question

To summarize, I made a custom layout for my dialog box, and there is an EditText inside it, from which I want to capture entered information. But I am not sure how to both:

1) instantiate a "new" EditText (to prevent null exception), AND

2) associate this new EditText with its ID in the layout (R.id.edit_name) so android knows to get info from the EditText INSIDE the dialogbox

The 4 lines of COMMENTED code is where I'm not sure which ones to use...

Any help is appreciated, thanks!

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
     private Button button;
     private Context context = this;

@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.content_inventory);

}

public void onClickAddItem(View view) {
    final Dialog dialog = new Dialog(this);

    dialog.setContentView(R.layout.dialog_layout);
    // final EditText nameInput = new EditText(this);
    // nameInput.findViewById(R.id.edit_name);
    // EditText nameInput = new EditText(context);
    // final EditText nameInput = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.edit_name);


    final LinearLayout wholelist = (LinearLayout) findViewById (R.id.wholelist);

    button = (Button) findViewById(R.id.Adder);

    button.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
        @Override
        public void onClick(View view) {

            Button OKbutton = (Button) dialog.findViewById(R.id.OK);
            OKbutton.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
                @Override
                public void onClick(View view) {
                                         wholelist.addView(createNewTextView(nameInput.getText().toString()));



                    dialog.dismiss();
                }
            });

            dialog.show();
        }
    });
}

    private TextView createNewTextView(String text) {
        final TextView textView = new TextView(this);
        textView.setText(text);
        return textView;
    }

}

Answer 1

Define your edit text as a global variable (out side your functions), so that you can use it where ever you want. Then initialize (introduce) it inside the onCreate function.

EditText nameInput; // define your edit text

protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.content_inventory);

    nameInput = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.edit_name); // initialize your edit text
.
.
.

nameInput.getText().toString() // get data inside your edit text

When ever you need to read the information inside it just use this: nameInput.getText().toString() to read the data in it.