Source code:

package com.android.effective;
import java.util.regex.Matcher;
import java.util.regex.Pattern;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.graphics.Color;
import android.graphics.Typeface;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.text.Spannable;
import android.text.SpannableString;
import android.text.SpannableStringBuilder;
import android.text.style.AbsoluteSizeSpan;
import android.text.style.BackgroundColorSpan;
import android.text.style.ForegroundColorSpan;
import android.text.style.QuoteSpan;
import android.text.style.RelativeSizeSpan;
import android.text.style.ScaleXSpan;
import android.text.style.StrikethroughSpan;
import android.text.style.StyleSpan;
import android.text.style.TypefaceSpan;
import android.text.style.URLSpan;
import android.text.util.Linkify;
import android.widget.TextView;
public class TextViewFontActivity extends Activity {
@Override
void onCreate(Bundle bundle) {
super.onCreate(bundle);
setContentView(R.layout.textview_font_1);
// Demonstration of basic SpannableString and spans usage
final TextView textWithString = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.text_view_font_1);
String w = "The quick fox jumps over the lazy dog";
int start = w.indexOf('q');
int end = w.indexOf('k') + 1;
Spannable word = new SpannableString(w);
word.setSpan(new AbsoluteSizeSpan(22),start,end,
Spannable.SPAN_INCLUSIVE_INCLUSIVE);
new StyleSpan(Typeface.BOLD),255); margin:0px; padding:0px; font-family:'Courier New'">new BackgroundColorSpan(Color.RED),51); margin:0px; padding:0px">textWithString.setText(word);
Demonstration of basic SpannableStringBuilder and spans usagefinal TextView textWithBuilder = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.text_view_font_2);
SpannableStringBuilder word2 = final String one = "Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better!";
final String two = "The quick fox jumps over the lazy dog!";
final String three = "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with " +
"the blood of patroits and tyrants!";
word2.append(one);
start = 0;
end = one.length();
word2.setSpan(new StyleSpan(Typeface.BOLD_ITALIC),Spannable.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
word2.append(two);
start = end;
end += two.length();
new ForegroundColorSpan(Color.CYAN),51); margin:0px; padding:0px">Spannable.SPAN_EXCLUSIVE_EXCLUSIVE);
word2.append(three);
end += three.length();
new URLSpan(three),51); margin:0px; padding:0px">textWithBuilder.setText(word2);
Troubleshooting when using SpannableStringBuilderfinal TextView textTroubles = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.text_view_font_3);
SpannableStringBuilder word3 = Caution: must first append or set text to SpannableStringBuilder or SpannableString
then set the spans to them,otherwise,IndexOutOfBoundException is thrown when setting spansword3.append(one);
For AbsoluteSizeSpan,the flag must be set to 0,it will apply this span to until end of textword3.setSpan(Spannable.SPAN_INCLUSIVE_INCLUSIVE);
For BackgroundColorSpanSpan,it will apply this span to end of textnew BackgroundColorSpan(Color.DKGRAY),0); Spannable.SPAN_INCLUSIVE_INCLUSIVE);word3.append(two);
new TypefaceSpan("sans-serif"),0); margin:0px; padding:0px; font-family:'Courier New'"> TODO: sometimes,flag must be set to 0,otherwise it will apply the span to until end of text
which MIGHT has nothing to do with specific span type.new ScaleXSpan(0.618f),Spannable.SPAN_INCLUSIVE_INCLUSIVE);
new StrikethroughSpan(),255); margin:0px; padding:0px; font-family:'Courier New'">new QuoteSpan(),51); margin:0px; padding:0px">word3.append(three);
new RelativeSizeSpan((float) Math.E),255); margin:0px; padding:0px; font-family:'Courier New'">new ForegroundColorSpan(Color.BLUE),51); margin:0px; padding:0px">textTroubles.setText(word3);
Highlight some patternsfinal String four = "The gap between the best software engineering " +
"practice and the average practice is very wide¡ªperhaps wider " +
" than in any other engineering discipline. A tool that disseminates " +
"good practice would be important.¡ªFred Brooks";
final Pattern highlight = Pattern.compile("the");
final TextView textHighlight = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.text_view_font_4);
SpannableString word4 = new SpannableString(four);
Matcher m = highlight.matcher(word4.toString());
while (m.find()) {
word4.setSpan(new ForegroundColorSpan(Color.RED),51); margin:0px; padding:0px">}
textHighlight.setText(word4);
Set numbers,URLs and E-mail address to be clickable with TextView#setAutoLinkMaskfinal TextView textClickable = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.text_view_font_5);
final String contact = "Email: mvp@microsoft.com\n" +
"Phone: +47-24885883\n" +
"Fax: +47-24885883\n" +
"HTTP: www.microsoft.com/mvp.asp";
Set the attribute first,then set the text. Otherwise,it won't worktextClickable.setAutoLinkMask(Linkify.ALL); or set 'android:autoLink' in layout xmltextClickable.setText(contact);
}