How to add Search Dialog to an Android app

Question

Here is my issue. I have a requirement to add a search dialog to an Android app. I have found the way to add a search view component, but not the search dialog. I know from the Android Developers docs that I am supposed to use onSearchRequested() to make it appear, but I don't quite understand what that means. Is the search dialog supposed to be tied to my own UI component that will invoke this method or am I missing something? I haven't managed to read all the docs on searching, but I was hoping someone may point me where I missed something important.

I am not well versed in Android development, only a few small projects. I am more of a Flutter dev when creating a mobile app, but I don't have the option this time around.

Below is the screenshot of what the Android Developers docs show as search dialog and the comparison to search view.

Answer 1

Based on the documentation , the steps for invoking a Search Dialog are:

1. create an Xml file (which you already did for search widget )

2. Declaring a searchable activity: create an actiivty and notify the Manifest that it gets the search results (you did that too)

3. At the Manifest , decalre some other activity (MainActivity for examlpe) to be able to invoke the search dialog. Add this line inside <activity> tag:

<meta-data android:name="android.app.default_searchable"
            android:value=".SearchableActivity" />

( android:value is the name of the Activity that gets the searcg results, which you defined at step 2)

4. At that Activity, create a search button etc and invoke the Serach Dialog like this:

onSearchRequested();

Very simple actually:)

The search words stored in intent.getStringExtra(SearchManager.QUERY) as a String, you get it at onCreate() of SearchableActivity class. From this point you should handle the search query and results logic...