Chronometer is a widget in android which is used to display a timer-like view in the android application. We can use it like a timer where we can provide an up and down time counter. In this article, we will look at how to use Chronometer in an android application. A sample video is given below to get an idea about what we are going to do in this article.
Note: This Android article covered in both Java and Kotlin languages.Â
Step by Step Implementation
Step 1: Create a New Project in Android Studio
To create a new project in Android Studio please refer to How to Create/Start a New Project in Android Studio.
Step 2: Working with the activity_main.xml file
Navigate to app > res > layout > activity_main.xml and add the code below. Comments are added in the code to get to know in detail.Â
XML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><RelativeLayout    android:id="@+id/idRLContainer"    android:layout_width="match_parent"    android:layout_height="match_parent"    android:orientation="vertical"    tools:context=".MainActivity">Â
    <!--on below line we are creating a simple text view-->    <TextView        android:id="@+id/idTVHeading"        android:layout_width="match_parent"        android:layout_height="wrap_content"        android:layout_above="@id/idCMmeter"        android:layout_centerInParent="true"        android:layout_margin="20dp"        android:gravity="center"        android:padding="10dp"        android:text="Chronometer in Android"        android:textAlignment="center"        android:textColor="@color/black"        android:textSize="20sp"        android:textStyle="bold" />Â
    <!--on below line we are creating a chronometer-->    <Chronometer        android:id="@+id/idCMmeter"        android:layout_width="match_parent"        android:layout_height="wrap_content"        android:layout_centerInParent="true"        android:layout_margin="20dp"        android:gravity="center"        android:padding="10dp"        android:textAlignment="center"        android:textColor="@color/black"        android:textSize="20sp"        android:textStyle="bold" />Â
    <!--on below line we are creating a        button to create a chronometer-->    <Button        android:id="@+id/idBtnChronometer"        android:layout_width="match_parent"        android:layout_height="wrap_content"        android:layout_below="@id/idCMmeter"        android:layout_margin="20dp"        android:padding="4dp"        android:text="Start Chronometer"        android:textAllCaps="false" />Â
</RelativeLayout> |
Step 3: Working with the MainActivity fileÂ
Navigate to app > java > your app’s package name > MainActivity file and add the below code to it. Comments are added in the code to get to know in detail.Â
Kotlin
package com.gtappdevelopers.kotlingfgprojectÂ
import android.os.Bundleimport android.widget.Buttonimport android.widget.Chronometerimport androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivityÂ
class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {Â
    // on below line we are creating a variable.    lateinit var chronometer: Chronometer    lateinit var chronometerBtn: Button    var isRunning = falseÂ
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)Â
        // on below line we are initializing our variables.        chronometer = findViewById(R.id.idCMmeter)        chronometerBtn = findViewById(R.id.idBtnChronometer)Â
        // on below line we are adding click listener for our button        chronometerBtn.setOnClickListener {            // on below line we are checking            // if chronometer is running or not.            if (isRunning) {Â
                // in this condition chronometer is running                // on below line we are updating text for button                chronometerBtn.text = "Start Chronometer"Â
                // on below line we are updating boolean variable                isRunning = falseÂ
                // on below line we are stopping chronometer                chronometer.stop()            } else {Â
                // in this condition chronometer is running                // on below line we are updating text for button                chronometerBtn.text = "Stop Chronometer"Â
                // on below line we are updating boolean variable                isRunning = trueÂ
                // on below line we are starting chronometer                chronometer.start()            }        }    }} |
Java
package com.gtappdevelopers.kotlingfgproject;Â
import android.os.Bundle;import android.view.View;import android.widget.Button;import android.widget.Chronometer;import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;Â
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {Â
    // on below line we are creating variables.    private Chronometer chronometer;    private Button chronometerBtn;    boolean isRunning = false;Â
    @Override    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);Â
        // on below line we are initializing our variables.        chronometer = findViewById(R.id.idCMmeter);        chronometerBtn = findViewById(R.id.idBtnChronometer);Â
        // on below line we are adding click listener for our button        chronometerBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {            @Override            public void onClick(View v) {                // on below line we are checking if                // chronometer is running or not.                if (isRunning) {Â
                    // in this condition chronometer is running                    // on below line we are updating text for button                    chronometerBtn.setText("Start Chronometer");Â
                    // on below line we are updating boolean variable                    isRunning = false;Â
                    // on below line we are stopping chronometer                    chronometer.stop();                } else {Â
                    // in this condition chronometer is running                    // on below line we are updating text for button                    chronometerBtn.setText("Stop Chronometer");Â
                    // on below line we are updating boolean variable                    isRunning = true;Â
                    // on below line we are starting chronometer                    chronometer.start();                }            }        });    }} |
Now run your application to see the output of it.Â
Output:
