Chronometer in Android

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Chronometer is a widget in android which is used to display a timer-like view in the android application. We can use it like a timer where we can provide an up and down time counter. In this article, we will look at how to use Chronometer in an android application. A sample video is given below to get an idea about what we are going to do in this article.

Note: This Android article covered in both Java and Kotlin languages.

Step by Step Implementation

Step 1: Create a New Project in Android Studio

To create a new project in Android Studio please refer to How to Create/Start a New Project in Android Studio.

Step 2: Working with the activity_main.xml file

Navigate to app > res > layout > activity_main.xml and add the code below. Comments are added in the code to get to know in detail.

XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RelativeLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:id="@+id/idRLContainer"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    tools:context=".MainActivity">
 
    <!--on below line we are creating a simple text view-->
    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/idTVHeading"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_above="@id/idCMmeter"
        android:layout_centerInParent="true"
        android:layout_margin="20dp"
        android:gravity="center"
        android:padding="10dp"
        android:text="Chronometer in Android"
        android:textAlignment="center"
        android:textColor="@color/black"
        android:textSize="20sp"
        android:textStyle="bold" />
 
    <!--on below line we are creating a chronometer-->
    <Chronometer
        android:id="@+id/idCMmeter"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_centerInParent="true"
        android:layout_margin="20dp"
        android:gravity="center"
        android:padding="10dp"
        android:textAlignment="center"
        android:textColor="@color/black"
        android:textSize="20sp"
        android:textStyle="bold" />
 
    <!--on below line we are creating a
        button to create a chronometer-->
    <Button
        android:id="@+id/idBtnChronometer"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_below="@id/idCMmeter"
        android:layout_margin="20dp"
        android:padding="4dp"
        android:text="Start Chronometer"
        android:textAllCaps="false" />
 
</RelativeLayout>

Step 3: Working with the MainActivity file

Navigate to app > java > your app’s package name > MainActivity file and add the below code to it. Comments are added in the code to get to know in detail.

Kotlin

package com.gtappdevelopers.kotlingfgproject
 
import android.os.Bundle
import android.widget.Button
import android.widget.Chronometer
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
 
class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
 
    // on below line we are creating a variable.
    lateinit var chronometer: Chronometer
    lateinit var chronometerBtn: Button
    var isRunning = false
 
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
 
        // on below line we are initializing our variables.
        chronometer = findViewById(R.id.idCMmeter)
        chronometerBtn = findViewById(R.id.idBtnChronometer)
 
        // on below line we are adding click listener for our button
        chronometerBtn.setOnClickListener {
            // on below line we are checking
            // if chronometer is running or not.
            if (isRunning) {
 
                // in this condition chronometer is running
                // on below line we are updating text for button
                chronometerBtn.text = "Start Chronometer"
 
                // on below line we are updating boolean variable
                isRunning = false
 
                // on below line we are stopping chronometer
                chronometer.stop()
            } else {
 
                // in this condition chronometer is running
                // on below line we are updating text for button
                chronometerBtn.text = "Stop Chronometer"
 
                // on below line we are updating boolean variable
                isRunning = true
 
                // on below line we are starting chronometer
                chronometer.start()
            }
        }
    }
}

Java

package com.gtappdevelopers.kotlingfgproject;
 
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.Chronometer;
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;
 
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
 
    // on below line we are creating variables.
    private Chronometer chronometer;
    private Button chronometerBtn;
    boolean isRunning = false;
 
    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
 
        // on below line we are initializing our variables.
        chronometer = findViewById(R.id.idCMmeter);
        chronometerBtn = findViewById(R.id.idBtnChronometer);
 
        // on below line we are adding click listener for our button
        chronometerBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            @Override
            public void onClick(View v) {
                // on below line we are checking if
                // chronometer is running or not.
                if (isRunning) {
 
                    // in this condition chronometer is running
                    // on below line we are updating text for button
                    chronometerBtn.setText("Start Chronometer");
 
                    // on below line we are updating boolean variable
                    isRunning = false;
 
                    // on below line we are stopping chronometer
                    chronometer.stop();
                } else {
 
                    // in this condition chronometer is running
                    // on below line we are updating text for button
                    chronometerBtn.setText("Stop Chronometer");
 
                    // on below line we are updating boolean variable
                    isRunning = true;
 
                    // on below line we are starting chronometer
                    chronometer.start();
                }
            }
        });
    }
}