Tutorial how many days left until Christmas app in Android Studio 1.4

Learn from this tutorial how to make a Christmas Countdown, how many days till Christmas 2015, app in Android Studio version.1.4. Create New Project with Application name: Merry Christmas; Minimum SDK: API9 – Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Add 2 pictures, one for app background and one for countdown background, in res->drawable folder. Tutorial Christmas Countdown Complete code in res->values->strings.xml file with text you want to display in app: 
<resources>
    <string name="app_name">Merry Christmas</string>
    <string name="countdown">There are only</string>
    <string name="countdownleft">till Christmas!</string>
</resources>
Complete code in res->layout->activity_main.xml file: 
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:background="@drawable/background"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    tools:context=".MainActivity">

    <TextView
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="@string/countdown"
        android:textSize="25dp"
        android:textColor="#ffeeee"
        android:textStyle="bold"
        android:layout_above="@+id/relativeLayout"
        android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
        android:id="@+id/textView1" />


    <RelativeLayout
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_centerVertical="true"
        android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
        android:id="@+id/relativeLayout">

        <LinearLayout
            android:id="@+id/LinearLayout"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:gravity="center"
            android:orientation="horizontal">

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/tvhappyevent"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:paddingLeft="50dp"
            android:gravity="center"
            android:singleLine="true"
            android:text="Merry Christmas 2015!"
            android:textColor="#fff"
            android:textSize="24sp"
            android:textStyle="bold"
            android:visibility="gone" />

        <LinearLayout
            android:id="@+id/LinearLayout10"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_weight="1"
            android:background="@drawable/counter"
            android:gravity="center"
            android:orientation="vertical" >

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/txtTimerDay"
            android:layout_width="fill_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_weight="3"
            android:gravity="center"
            android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceLarge"
            android:textColor="#4a0000"
            android:textSize="35dp"
            android:textStyle="bold" />

            <TextView
                android:id="@+id/txt_TimerDay"
                android:layout_width="fill_parent"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_weight="1"
                android:gravity="center_horizontal"
                android:text="Days"
                android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceSmall"
                android:textColor="#fff"
                android:textStyle="bold" />
        </LinearLayout>

        <LinearLayout
            android:id="@+id/LinearLayout11"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_weight="1"
            android:background="@drawable/counter"
            android:gravity="center"
            android:orientation="vertical" >

            <TextView
                android:id="@+id/txtTimerHour"
                android:layout_width="fill_parent"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_weight="3"
                android:gravity="center"
                android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceLarge"
                android:textColor="#4a0000"
                android:textSize="35dp"
                android:textStyle="bold" />

            <TextView
                android:id="@+id/txt_TimerHour"
                android:layout_width="fill_parent"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_weight="1"
                android:gravity="center_horizontal"
                android:text="Hours"
                android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceSmall"
                android:textColor="#fff"
                android:textStyle="bold" />
        </LinearLayout>

        <LinearLayout
            android:id="@+id/LinearLayout12"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_weight="1"
            android:background="@drawable/counter"
            android:gravity="center"
            android:orientation="vertical" >

            <TextView
                android:id="@+id/txtTimerMinute"
                android:layout_width="fill_parent"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_weight="3"
                android:gravity="center"
                android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceLarge"
                android:textColor="#4a0000"
                android:textSize="35dp"
                android:textStyle="bold" />

            <TextView
                android:id="@+id/txt_TimerMinute"
                android:layout_width="fill_parent"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_weight="1"
                android:gravity="center_horizontal"
                android:text="Minutes"
                android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceSmall"
                android:textColor="#fff"
                android:textStyle="bold" />
        </LinearLayout>

            <LinearLayout
                android:id="@+id/LinearLayout13"
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_weight="1"
                android:background="@drawable/counter"
                android:gravity="center"
                android:orientation="vertical" >

                <TextView
                    android:id="@+id/txtTimerSecond"
                    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_weight="3"
                    android:gravity="center"
                    android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceLarge"
                    android:textColor="#4a0000"
                    android:textSize="35dp"
                    android:textStyle="bold" />

                <TextView
                    android:id="@+id/txt_TimerSecond"
                    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
                    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                    android:layout_weight="1"
                    android:gravity="center_horizontal"
                    android:text="Seconds"
                    android:textAppearance="?android:attr/textAppearanceSmall"
                    android:textColor="#fff"
                    android:textStyle="bold" />
            </LinearLayout>
        </LinearLayout>
    </RelativeLayout>

    <TextView
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="@string/countdownleft"
        android:textSize="35dp"
        android:textColor="#ffeeee"
        android:textStyle="bold"
        android:layout_below="@+id/relativeLayout"
        android:layout_centerHorizontal="true"
        android:id="@+id/textView2" />

</RelativeLayout>
Complete code in MainActivity.java file: 
import android.support.v7.app.ActionBarActivity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import java.util.Date;
import android.os.Handler;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.TextView;

public class MainActivity extends ActionBarActivity {

    private TextView txtTimerDay, txtTimerHour, txtTimerMinute, txtTimerSecond;
    private TextView tvEvent;
    private Handler handler;
    private Runnable runnable;

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

        txtTimerDay = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.txtTimerDay);
        txtTimerHour = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.txtTimerHour);
        txtTimerMinute = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.txtTimerMinute);
        txtTimerSecond = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.txtTimerSecond);
        tvEvent = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.tvhappyevent);

        countDownStart();
    }

    public void countDownStart() {
        handler = new Handler();
        runnable = new Runnable() {
            @Override
            public void run() {
                handler.postDelayed(this, 1000);
                try {
                    SimpleDateFormat dateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat(
                            "yyyy-MM-dd");
                    // Please here set your event date//YYYY-MM-DD
                    Date futureDate = dateFormat.parse("2015-12-25");
                    Date currentDate = new Date();
                    if (!currentDate.after(futureDate)) {
                        long diff = futureDate.getTime()
                                - currentDate.getTime();
                        long days = diff / (24 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
                        diff -= days * (24 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
                        long hours = diff / (60 * 60 * 1000);
                        diff -= hours * (60 * 60 * 1000);
                        long minutes = diff / (60 * 1000);
                        diff -= minutes * (60 * 1000);
                        long seconds = diff / 1000;
                        txtTimerDay.setText("" + String.format("%02d", days));
                        txtTimerHour.setText("" + String.format("%02d", hours));
                        txtTimerMinute.setText(""
                                + String.format("%02d", minutes));
                        txtTimerSecond.setText(""
                                + String.format("%02d", seconds));
                    } else {
                        tvEvent.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                        tvEvent.setText("The event started!");
                        textViewGone();
                    }
                } catch (Exception e) {
                    e.printStackTrace();
                }
            }
        };
        handler.postDelayed(runnable, 1 * 1000);
    }

    public void textViewGone() {
        findViewById(R.id.LinearLayout10).setVisibility(View.GONE);
        findViewById(R.id.LinearLayout11).setVisibility(View.GONE);
        findViewById(R.id.LinearLayout12).setVisibility(View.GONE);
        findViewById(R.id.LinearLayout13).setVisibility(View.GONE);
        findViewById(R.id.textView1).setVisibility(View.GONE);
        findViewById(R.id.textView2).setVisibility(View.GONE);
    }
}
Run app and see how many days left until Christmas 🙂 Watch the video tutorial Christmas Countdown app in Android Studio version 1.4: (Video is only the app presentation that shows the time left until Christmas, from the day of recording this movie.) Download free app ChristmasCountdown.apk from here and install it on your device to see.how many days left till Christmas. For further questions leave a message.

12 Comments

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Babyhuehnchen Youtube

Doesnt work for me i get “Cannot resolve symbol “R””. How do i fix that?

Reply
    Jon

    Press and hold alt then enter

    Reply
      metin sen

      was It worked after thıs mıne isn’t workıng..

      Reply
Ryan Harker

Does this program follow the times standards. So let’s say i used this app in new york and china at the same time, will the app account for the different time zones?

Reply
    Masood Khan

    Yes!
    This app has no clock but it will track your phone date and time.
    If Your phone is automatically connect with another country and time change the count down will also change

    Reply
k2milli

Thank you very much!!!
This was really helpful

Reply
Azriel Muhammad

I Need Help… If we want to set this to a specific time of a day.. say.. A Party held at 18.00 pm at night.. what should i do?

Reply
metin sen

Doesnt work for me i get “Cannot resolve symbol “R””. How do i fix that?

Reply
sateesh

Thank You!!!

Reply
Sajjad Ahmed

postDelayed is highlited with red corlor what i can do please tell me possible solution.

Reply
abdessatar

thank you very much

Reply
Roland

Thank you very much!!!
can you show how to make a toast notification for every 1 hour past in you code form currentDate until futureDate.

Reply

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