Android (Contacts): How to lookup and add contacts

This is how you can look-up for a specific contact in Android and do whatever you want if the contact is available or not.

The following code segment shows how the contact is programmatically added to contacts.

Check for an existing number in the Android contacts

Uri lookupUri = Uri.withAppendedPath(ContactsContract.PhoneLookup.CONTENT_FILTER_URI,
                                                                   Uri.encode(CommonVariables.merchantPhone));
String[] mPhoneNumberProjection = {
   ContactsContract.PhoneLookup._ID,
   ContactsContract.PhoneLookup.NUMBER,                  
   ContactsContract.PhoneLookup.DISPLAY_NAME
};

Cursor cur = context.getContentResolver().query(lookupUri,mPhoneNumberProjection, null, null, null);

if (cur != null && cur.moveToFirst()) {
   // The code to be executed if the phone number is available
}
else {
   // The code to be executed if the number is not available
}

Add a new number to the Android contacts

ArrayList op_list = new ArrayList();
op_list.add(ContentProviderOperation.newInsert(ContactsContract.RawContacts.CONTENT_URI)
.withValue(ContactsContract.RawContacts.ACCOUNT_TYPE, null)
.withValue(ContactsContract.RawContacts.ACCOUNT_NAME, null)
.build());
 
op_list.add(ContentProviderOperation.newInsert(ContactsContract.Data.CONTENT_URI)
.withValueBackReference(ContactsContract.Data.RAW_CONTACT_ID, 0)
.withValue(ContactsContract.Data.MIMETYPE,  ContactsContract.CommonDataKinds.StructuredName.CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE)
.withValue(ContactsContract.CommonDataKinds.StructuredName.DISPLAY_NAME, CommonVariables.merchantName)
.build());

op_list.add(ContentProviderOperation.newInsert(ContactsContract.Data.CONTENT_URI)
.withValueBackReference(ContactsContract.Data.RAW_CONTACT_ID, 0)  .withValue(ContactsContract.Data.MIMETYPE,ContactsContract.CommonDataKinds.Phone.CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE)
.withValue(ContactsContract.CommonDataKinds.Phone.NUMBER, CommonVariables.merchantPhone)
.build());
 
op_list.add(ContentProviderOperation.newInsert(ContactsContract.Data.CONTENT_URI)
 .withValueBackReference(ContactsContract.Data.RAW_CONTACT_ID, 0)
 .withValue(ContactsContract.Data.MIMETYPE,ContactsContract.CommonDataKinds.Email.CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE)
 .withValue(ContactsContract.CommonDataKinds.Email.DATA, getResources().getString(R.string.merchant_email))
    .build());

try {
  ContentProviderResult[] results = getContentResolver().applyBatch(ContactsContract.AUTHORITY, op_list);
  Toast.makeText(AmountSet.this, getResources().getString(R.string.msg_contact_added), Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
} catch(Exception e){
  Toast.makeText(AmountSet.this, getResources().getString(R.string.msg_contact_error_adding), Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
  e.printStackTrace();
}

Android: how to draw a horizontal ruler.

<View
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_marginTop="10dp"
android:layout_marginBottom="10dp"
android:layout_height="1dp"
android:background="?android:attr/listDivider" />

You can just enter the above code segment in the interested layout xml file and in the place where you want the horizontal ruler and change the android parameters according to your needs of the Android application.

Have fun.

Mac OS X Enable/Disable Dashboard

This is a quick way to enable or disable the mac os x's shining dashboard.

Enable:

defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES

killall Dock

Disable: 

defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean NO

killall Dock 

C# Format string with a number to two decimal places

formattedValueFrom =  String.Format("{0:0.00}", decimal.Parse(row["ValueFrom"].ToString().Trim()))

row - A DataRow in a DataTable
ValueFrom - A column in the DataRow

Gamai Pansalai, Nubai Daagabai...

A Bug's Life...

Not so far... (The Moon)