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Event bus for Android and Java that simplifies communication between Activities, Fragments, Threads, Services, etc. Less code, better quality.
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Quick Overview
Butterknife is a view binding library for Android that uses annotation processing to generate boilerplate code for you. It simplifies the process of finding and interacting with views in your Android layouts, reducing the amount of repetitive code you need to write.
Pros
- Reduces boilerplate code, making your Android activities and fragments cleaner and more readable
- Improves performance by generating code at compile-time rather than using reflection at runtime
- Provides additional features like view lists, resource binding, and listener binding
- Easy to integrate into existing projects and has a gentle learning curve
Cons
- No longer actively maintained (as of 2021, the project is in maintenance mode)
- With the introduction of view binding in Android, some of its advantages have become less significant
- Adds an extra step to the build process, which can slightly increase compilation time
- Requires annotation processing, which may not be supported in all build environments
Code Examples
- Binding a view:
class ExampleActivity extends Activity {
@BindView(R.id.title) TextView title;
@BindView(R.id.subtitle) TextView subtitle;
@Override public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.simple_activity);
ButterKnife.bind(this);
// TODO Use fields...
}
}
- Binding a click listener:
@OnClick(R.id.submit)
public void submit() {
// TODO submit data to server...
}
- Binding multiple views:
@BindViews({ R.id.first_name, R.id.middle_name, R.id.last_name })
List<EditText> nameViews;
Getting Started
- Add Butterknife to your project's
build.gradle
:
dependencies {
implementation 'com.jakewharton:butterknife:10.2.3'
annotationProcessor 'com.jakewharton:butterknife-compiler:10.2.3'
}
- In your Activity or Fragment, bind the views:
public class MyActivity extends Activity {
@BindView(R.id.title) TextView title;
@BindView(R.id.subtitle) TextView subtitle;
@Override protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.simple_activity);
ButterKnife.bind(this);
}
}
- Use the bound views in your code without needing to call
findViewById()
.
Competitor Comparisons
A fast dependency injector for Android and Java.
Pros of Dagger
- More powerful dependency injection framework, offering compile-time safety and runtime performance
- Supports constructor injection, which is considered a best practice in DI
- Provides a more comprehensive solution for managing dependencies in large-scale applications
Cons of Dagger
- Steeper learning curve and more complex setup compared to Butterknife
- Requires more boilerplate code for configuration and setup
- Can be overkill for smaller projects or simpler use cases
Code Comparison
Butterknife:
class ExampleActivity extends Activity {
@BindView(R.id.title) TextView title;
@BindView(R.id.subtitle) TextView subtitle;
@Override protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.simple_activity);
ButterKnife.bind(this);
}
}
Dagger:
@Component(modules = AppModule.class)
public interface AppComponent {
void inject(MainActivity activity);
}
@Module
class AppModule {
@Provides
@Singleton
SharedPreferences provideSharedPreferences(Application application) {
return PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(application);
}
}
Event bus for Android and Java that simplifies communication between Activities, Fragments, Threads, Services, etc. Less code, better quality.
Pros of EventBus
- Decouples components, allowing for easier event-driven architecture
- Supports sticky events for late subscribers
- Offers thread switching capabilities
Cons of EventBus
- Can lead to less explicit code and harder-to-follow event flows
- Requires manual event registration and unregistration
- May introduce performance overhead for complex event hierarchies
Code Comparison
EventBus:
@Subscribe(threadMode = ThreadMode.MAIN)
public void onMessageEvent(MessageEvent event) {
// Handle event
}
Butterknife:
@BindView(R.id.title) TextView title;
@OnClick(R.id.submit) void submit() {
// Handle click
}
EventBus focuses on event-based communication between components, while Butterknife simplifies view binding and click handling in Android applications. EventBus is more suitable for complex, decoupled architectures, whereas Butterknife excels at reducing boilerplate code for UI-related tasks.
EventBus requires explicit event registration and unregistration, which can be error-prone if not managed properly. Butterknife, on the other hand, generates code at compile-time, reducing runtime overhead.
Both libraries have their strengths, and the choice between them depends on the specific needs of the project. EventBus is better for loosely coupled, event-driven designs, while Butterknife is ideal for streamlining Android UI code.
RxJava – Reactive Extensions for the JVM – a library for composing asynchronous and event-based programs using observable sequences for the Java VM.
Pros of RxJava
- Powerful reactive programming paradigm for handling asynchronous data streams
- Extensive set of operators for composing and transforming observables
- Supports backpressure handling for managing data flow
Cons of RxJava
- Steeper learning curve due to its complex nature and concepts
- Can lead to overengineering for simple tasks
- Potential performance overhead for small-scale operations
Code Comparison
RxJava:
Observable.just("Hello, World!")
.map(String::toUpperCase)
.subscribe(System.out::println);
Butterknife:
@BindView(R.id.title) TextView title;
@OnClick(R.id.submit) void submit() { ... }
Key Differences
- RxJava focuses on reactive programming and handling asynchronous data streams
- Butterknife simplifies view binding and event handling in Android applications
- RxJava is more versatile and can be used in various Java/Android scenarios
- Butterknife is specifically designed for Android view injection and event binding
Use Cases
- Choose RxJava for complex asynchronous operations, event-driven programming, and managing data streams
- Opt for Butterknife when you need a lightweight solution for view binding and reducing boilerplate code in Android UI development
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Butter Knife
Attention: This tool is now deprecated. Please switch to view binding. Existing versions will continue to work, obviously, but only critical bug fixes for integration with AGP will be considered. Feature development and general bug fixes have stopped.
Field and method binding for Android views which uses annotation processing to generate boilerplate code for you.
- Eliminate
findViewById
calls by using@BindView
on fields. - Group multiple views in a list or array. Operate on all of them at once with actions, setters, or properties.
- Eliminate anonymous inner-classes for listeners by annotating methods with
@OnClick
and others. - Eliminate resource lookups by using resource annotations on fields.
class ExampleActivity extends Activity {
@BindView(R.id.user) EditText username;
@BindView(R.id.pass) EditText password;
@BindString(R.string.login_error) String loginErrorMessage;
@OnClick(R.id.submit) void submit() {
// TODO call server...
}
@Override public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.simple_activity);
ButterKnife.bind(this);
// TODO Use fields...
}
}
For documentation and additional information see the website.
Remember: A butter knife is like a dagger, only infinitely less sharp.
Download
android {
...
// Butterknife requires Java 8.
compileOptions {
sourceCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
targetCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
}
}
dependencies {
implementation 'com.jakewharton:butterknife:10.2.3'
annotationProcessor 'com.jakewharton:butterknife-compiler:10.2.3'
}
If you are using Kotlin, replace annotationProcessor
with kapt
.
Snapshots of the development version are available in Sonatype's snapshots
repository.
Library projects
To use Butter Knife in a library, add the plugin to your buildscript
:
buildscript {
repositories {
mavenCentral()
google()
}
dependencies {
classpath 'com.jakewharton:butterknife-gradle-plugin:10.2.3'
}
}
and then apply it in your module:
apply plugin: 'com.android.library'
apply plugin: 'com.jakewharton.butterknife'
Now make sure you use R2
instead of R
inside all Butter Knife annotations.
class ExampleActivity extends Activity {
@BindView(R2.id.user) EditText username;
@BindView(R2.id.pass) EditText password;
...
}
License
Copyright 2013 Jake Wharton
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at
http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.
Top Related Projects
A fast dependency injector for Android and Java.
Event bus for Android and Java that simplifies communication between Activities, Fragments, Threads, Services, etc. Less code, better quality.
RxJava – Reactive Extensions for the JVM – a library for composing asynchronous and event-based programs using observable sequences for the Java VM.
Convert designs to code with AI
Introducing Visual Copilot: A new AI model to turn Figma designs to high quality code using your components.
Try Visual Copilot