Show GIF with glide in android notification

3 min read 06-10-2024

Show GIF with glide in android notification

Adding a Touch of Animation: Displaying GIFs in Android Notifications with Glide

Android notifications are a powerful tool for keeping users informed, but sometimes a static image just doesn't cut it. Imagine a notification showcasing a short animated GIF, capturing attention and conveying information in a more engaging way. With the help of Glide, a popular image loading library, you can achieve this and elevate your notifications to a new level of visual appeal.

Understanding the Challenge:

Displaying GIFs directly in Android notifications isn't a straightforward process. The notification system primarily deals with static images and text. We need a clever workaround to incorporate the dynamic nature of GIFs.

Building the Solution:

Let's dive into a practical example. Suppose we want to display a GIF animation in a notification whenever a new message arrives in our app. We'll use Glide to handle the GIF loading and display.

1. Add Glide to your Project:

First, include the Glide dependency in your app's build.gradle file (Module:app):

dependencies {
    // ... other dependencies
    implementation 'com.github.bumptech.glide:glide:4.14.2'
    annotationProcessor 'com.github.bumptech.glide:glide-compiler:4.14.2'
}

2. Create a Notification Builder:

Here's a basic code snippet for creating a notification with a GIF:

NotificationCompat.Builder builder = new NotificationCompat.Builder(context, "your_notification_channel_id")
    .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.notification_icon)
    .setContentTitle("New Message!")
    .setContentText("You have a new message.")
    .setPriority(NotificationCompat.PRIORITY_HIGH);

// Create a RemoteViews object to handle GIF display
RemoteViews contentView = new RemoteViews(context.getPackageName(), R.layout.notification_layout);
contentView.setImageViewResource(R.id.notification_icon, R.drawable.placeholder_image); // Placeholder for initial display
contentView.setTextViewText(R.id.notification_text, "Loading GIF..."); 

// Create a PendingIntent to trigger the GIF download
PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(context, 0, new Intent(context, MainActivity.class), 0);

// Set the notification content and intent
builder.setCustomContentView(contentView)
       .setContentIntent(pendingIntent);

NotificationManagerCompat notificationManager = NotificationManagerCompat.from(context);
notificationManager.notify(1, builder.build());

// Trigger GIF loading in the background
new Handler(Looper.getMainLooper()).post(() -> {
    Glide.with(context)
        .asGif()
        .load(gifUrl)
        .into(new CustomRemoteViewsTarget<>(context, contentView, R.id.notification_icon));
});

3. The Notification Layout:

You need a custom layout (notification_layout.xml) for the notification, containing an ImageView (with ID notification_icon) to hold the GIF.

4. The Custom RemoteViewsTarget:

This class is the key to displaying the GIF within the RemoteViews object. We create a new RemoteViewsTarget that extends ImageViewTarget to work specifically with RemoteViews.

public class CustomRemoteViewsTarget<Z> extends ImageViewTarget<Z> {
    private final Context context;
    private final RemoteViews remoteViews;
    private final int imageViewId;

    public CustomRemoteViewsTarget(Context context, RemoteViews remoteViews, int imageViewId) {
        super(remoteViews, imageViewId);
        this.context = context;
        this.remoteViews = remoteViews;
        this.imageViewId = imageViewId;
    }

    @Override
    public void onResourceReady(Z resource, Transition<? super Z> transition) {
        // Load the GIF into the RemoteViews object
        if (resource instanceof Bitmap) {
            remoteViews.setImageViewBitmap(imageViewId, (Bitmap) resource);
        } else if (resource instanceof Drawable) {
            remoteViews.setImageViewBitmap(imageViewId, ((Drawable) resource).toBitmap());
        }

        // Update the notification
        NotificationManagerCompat notificationManager = NotificationManagerCompat.from(context);
        notificationManager.notify(1, new NotificationCompat.Builder(context, "your_notification_channel_id")
                .setCustomContentView(remoteViews)
                .build());
    }
}

Explaining the Code:

The notification_layout.xml holds the layout structure of our notification with an ImageView to display the GIF.
We initially display a placeholder image in the ImageView and load the actual GIF in the background using Glide.
CustomRemoteViewsTarget is a custom class that interacts with the RemoteViews object, setting the GIF content for the notification.
Glide.with(context).asGif().load(gifUrl).into(new CustomRemoteViewsTarget<>(context, contentView, R.id.notification_icon)) loads the GIF from the provided gifUrl and displays it in the ImageView within the RemoteViews object.

Optimizing the Notification:

Use a placeholder image initially to avoid a blank notification before the GIF is loaded.
Use a smaller GIF to reduce loading time and data usage.
Consider using a library like Lottie to display more complex animations.

Conclusion:

Adding GIFs to your Android notifications can enhance their visual appeal and engagement. Using Glide, you can seamlessly incorporate animated content into your notifications, enriching the user experience and delivering information in a more engaging way. Remember to optimize the size and complexity of your GIFs to ensure a smooth and efficient experience for your users.

References: