the docs on setRetainInstance say :
This can only be used with fragments not in the back stack.
so I started playing with it.
I have one Activity with adds first frag A
FragmentManager fm = getSupportFragmentManager();
FragmentTransaction ft = fm.beginTransaction();
ft.replace(R.id.content, new PackageFragment());
ft.commit
then from this frag I run a method from parent Activity which adds frag B to backstack
FragmentManager fm = getSupportFragmentManager();
FragmentTransaction ft = fm.beginTransaction();
ft.replace(R.id.content, new OrderFragment());
ft.addToBackStack(null);
ft.commit();
then I create log msg from onCreate,onDestroy,onSaveInstanceState,onActivityCreated…etc
I try two versions of this process. Rotating the device on each fragment.
- default
Everything is as expected. onCreate, onDestroy on fragments fire
- setRetainInstance(true)
Everything is as expected?. onCreate, onDestroy on fragments dont fire
and all seems to work while fragments are in the backstack.. so why the docs say I shouldnt use it?
What are the scenarios where I might get in trouble?
thanks
Best Answer
Updated answer:
When adding a
Fragment
to the back stack and passing aBundle
in theFragment
fromonSaveInstanceState()
toonCreateView()
on configuration change. CallingsetRetainInstance(true)
will set theBundle
to null on configuration change.(I'm not sure a developer would actually attempt this since using
setRetainInstance(true)
makesonSaveInstanceState()
kind of redundant, but I didn't see the behaviour documented in the API docs so I wrote up this answer).If both
addToBackStack()
andsetRetainInstance(true)
are called,setRetainInstance()
partly alters theFragment
lifecycle method calls and parameter values on configuration changes, compared to calling onlyaddToBackStack()
.Specifically, in the test below, looking a differences between calling only
addToBackStack()
and callingsetRetainInstance(true)
as well, and seeing what happens on configuration change:Calling
addToBackStack()
but notsetRetainInstance(true)
;onCreate()
andonDestroy()
are called.onSaveInstanceState()
is received as a parameter inonCreateView()
.Calling both
addToBackStack()
andsetRetainInstance(true)
:onCreate()
andonDestroy()
are not called. This is metioned in the API docs.onSaveInstanceState()
is not received inonCreateView()
. The passed-inBundle
is null.A test with logged method calls and parameters tested for null:
In the
Activity
:In the
Fragment
:and
Test 1: Fragment lifecycle when
addToBackStack()
is called , andsetRetainInstance(true)
is not called[Device rotated from portrait to landscape]
Test 2 & 3: Fragment lifecycle calls with
setRetainInstance(true)
called,addToBackStack()
called / not called (same result):[Device rotated from portrait to landscape]