Android DialogFragment vs Dialog

Question

Google recommends that we use DialogFragment instead of a simple Dialog by using Fragments API, but it is absurd to use an isolated DialogFragment for a simple Yes-No confirmation message box. What is the best practice in this case?

Answer 1

Yes, use DialogFragment and in onCreateDialog you can simply use an AlertDialog builder anyway to create a simple AlertDialog with Yes/No confirmation buttons. Not very much code at all.

With regards handling events in your fragment there would be various ways of doing it but I simply define a message Handler in my Fragment, pass it into the DialogFragment via its constructor and then pass messages back to my fragment's handler as approprirate on the various click events. Again various ways of doing that but the following works for me.

In the dialog hold a message and instantiate it in the constructor:

private Message okMessage;
...
okMessage = handler.obtainMessage(MY_MSG_WHAT, MY_MSG_OK);

Implement the onClickListener in your dialog and then call the handler as appropriate:

public void onClick(.....
    if (which == DialogInterface.BUTTON_POSITIVE) {
        final Message toSend = Message.obtain(okMessage);
        toSend.sendToTarget();
    }
 }

Edit

And as Message is parcelable you can save it out in onSaveInstanceState and restore it

outState.putParcelable("okMessage", okMessage);

Then in onCreate

if (savedInstanceState != null) {
    okMessage = savedInstanceState.getParcelable("okMessage");
}