Custom animated vector drawables are an excellent way to provide users with a visually appealing splash screen when launching an Android app. With Android 12 and newer versions, the SplashScreen API makes it convenient to integrate animations smoothly right from app startup. However, developers often run into unexpected issues like app crashes or continuous verbose log messages flooding the Logcat—a particularly common and frustrating situation.
Let’s look at the steps involved in creating an animated vector drawable and implementing it into your splash screen, the kind of errors you might encounter in Logcat, and how best to debug and fix this issue quickly and effectively.
Creating Your Animated Vector Drawable for a Splash Screen
Using animated vector drawables involves defining animations separately from graphical assets and then linking them together. First, start by defining animation resources.
1. animator Directory (res/animator)
Start by creating an XML file called rotate_star.xml under the res/animator/ directory. Here is an example:
<objectAnimator xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:duration="2000"
android:propertyName="rotation"
android:valueFrom="0"
android:valueTo="360"
android:valueType="floatType"
android:repeatCount="infinite"
android:repeatMode="restart" />
In the snippet above, the star will continuously rotate 360° indefinitely. Attributes like duration and repeatCount control animation speed and repetition.
2. drawable Directory (res/drawable)
Next, define the animated vector itself in your drawable directory. Let’s call this file avd_star.xml:
<animated-vector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:drawable="@drawable/ic_star">
<target
android:name="star_group"
android:animation="@animator/rotate_star" />
</animated-vector>
Notice that the drawable attribute references your vector graphic (ic_star.xml), and the target pairs the animator to the specific element you want to animate—identified by its name.
3. Creating Your Vector Graphic (ic_star.xml)
Now ensure that your vector drawable is clearly defined. The XML for your star graphic might look like this:
<vector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:width="64dp"
android:height="64dp"
android:viewportWidth="24"
android:viewportHeight="24">
<group android:name="star_group">
<path
android:fillColor="#FFC107"
android:pathData="M12,17.27L18.18,21 16.54,13.97 22,9.24 14.81,8.63
12,2 9.19,8.63 2,9.24 7.46,13.97 5.82,21z" />
</group>
</vector>
Here, we have critical attributes like viewport size, width and height, fill color, and detailed path data defining your star shape. Notice the named group which connects directly back to the animation target.
Adding Custom AVD to MainActivity.java
With animations and vectors set, incorporate this animated drawable into your splash screen via Java. Below is how your MainActivity might initialize it within an ImageView:
import android.graphics.drawable.AnimatedVectorDrawable;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.widget.ImageView;
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;
import androidx.vectordrawable.graphics.drawable.AnimatedVectorDrawableCompat;
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
private ImageView splashIcon;
private AnimatedVectorDrawableCompat avdCompat;
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
splashIcon = findViewById(R.id.splashIcon);
splashIcon.setImageDrawable(getDrawable(R.drawable.avd_star));
avdCompat = AnimatedVectorDrawableCompat.create(this, R.drawable.avd_star);
if (avdCompat != null) {
splashIcon.setImageDrawable(avdCompat);
avdCompat.start();
}
askNotificationPermission();
fetchFCMToken();
}
private void askNotificationPermission() {
// Your implementation to request notification permission
}
private void fetchFCMToken() {
// Your implementation to fetch Firebase Cloud Messaging token
}
}
Make sure your ImageView exists and references the right drawable resource identifier.
Encountering and Analyzing Logcat Errors
After running your app in Android 12+, you may notice the app crashing on launch—with continuous streams of errors popping up in your Logcat window. Logs usually look something like this:
2023-11-01 14:32:11 E AndroidRuntime: FATAL EXCEPTION: main
2023-11-01 14:32:11 E AnimatedDrawable: Error inflating animated vector drawable
...
2023-11-01 14:32:11 E gecko_adapter: invalid channel error at...
2023-11-01 14:32:12 E memoryError: Failed allocating memory...
These messages indicate specific causes—ranging from rendering issues (“Error inflating animated vector drawable”) to memory problems (“memoryError”) and unexpected adapters/events (“gecko_adapter invalid channel”).
How to Debug and Resolve Animated Vector Drawable Issues
Debugging these issues involves several straightforward steps:
- Check Drawable Definitions: Ensure paths in drawables are accurate, linking animator, animated vector, and vector drawable consistently. Syntax errors cause silent crashes easily.
- Ensure your targeted <group> referenced in animation exists properly in the vector XML.
- If the animation crashes immediately, ensure compatible API usage—AnimatedVectorDrawableCompat provides backward compatibility for pre-API 21.
- Verify reference names, drawable tags, and animation durations.
Next, address specific Logcat issues:
- “Invalid channel” or adapter errors typically relate to third-party libraries or connectivity. Check your network adapters, Firebase or browser components (like GeckoView or WebViews).
- “MemoryError” could indicate drawable memory leaks or unwanted recursion in animations. Reduce the drawable size or complexity and retry.
Managing Continuous Logcat Overflow
If you find Logcat becoming rapidly overwhelmed with logs (“Logcat overflow” or endless spamming):
- Filter Logcat by tags important to your debugging session, excluding unrelated messages—this helps focus on crucial logs faster.
- Check accidental loops or recursive animations infinite-looping unintentionally. Ensure finite repetitions unless infinite loops are intentional and necessary.
- Restart ADB or clear log buffers occasionally to keep the log manageable.
Remember, effective troubleshooting involves isolating problems methodically—create simplified examples separately to confirm individual aspects of your drawable, animators, or third-party library—but always link back to actively updated developer forums like Stack Overflow and official Android documentation.
Developers frequently encounter subtle bugs on Android 12+ due to stricter drawable rendering behavior and animation memory management—but thorough debugging and log analysis usually provide clear pathways to quick resolution.
Have you recently encountered similar issues implementing animated splash screens? What techniques have you found most effective in resolving them efficiently? Let us know in the comments!
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