In this article, we will learn about android MultiAutoCompleteTextView using Kotlin. We will go through various example that demonstrates how to use different attributes of MultiAutoCompleteTextView. For example,

In this article, we will get answer to questions like –

• What is MultiAutoCompleteTextView?
• Why should we consider MultiAutoCompleteTextView while designing ui for any app?
• What are possibilities using MultiAutoCompleteTextView while designing ui? etc.

Let’s have a quick demo of things we want to cover in this tutorial –

Output

Tutorialwing Android MultiAutoCompleteTextView Output

Getting Started

We can define android MultiAutoCompleteTextView widget as below –

MultiAutoCompleteTextView is an editable textView, extending AutoCompleteTextView, that can show completion suggestions for the substring of the text where the user is typing instead of necessarily for the entire thing.

Now, how do we use MultiAutoCompleteTextView in android application ?

Creating New Project

At first, we will create an application.
So, follow steps below to create any android project in Kotlin –

Newbie in Android ?

Some very important concepts (Recommended to learn before you move ahead)

• Install Android Studio
• Create New Project in Android Studio
• Android Project Structure
• Run / Debug / Test Android App

Before we move ahead, we need to setup for viewBinding to access Android MultiAutoCompleteTextView Using Kotlin file without using findViewById() method.

Setup ViewBinding

Add viewBinding true in app/build.gradle file.

 
 android { 
 	// OTHER CODE... 
 	buildFeatures { 
 		viewBinding true 
 	} 
 } 
 

Now, set content in activity using view binding.
Open MainActivity.kt file and write below code in it.

 
 class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() { 
 	
 	private lateinit var binding: ActivityMainBinding 
 	
 	override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) { 
 		super.onCreate(savedInstanceState) 
 		binding = ActivityMainBinding.inflate(layoutInflater) 
 		val view = binding.root 
 		setContentView(view) 
 	} 
 } 
 

Now, we can access view in Kotlin file without using findViewById() method.

Using MultiAutoCompleteTextView in Kotlin

Follow steps below to use MultiAutoCompleteTextView in newly created project –

• Open res/values/strings.xml file. Then, add below code into it.

  <resources>
      <string name="app_name">MultiAutoCompleteTextView</string>
      <string name="hint">Please type something...</string>
      <string name="submit">Submit</string>
  
      <string-array name="countries_array">
          <item>India</item>
          <item>Albania</item>
          <item>Algeria</item>
          <item>American Samoa</item>
          <item>Andorra</item>
          <item>Angola</item>
          <item>Anguilla</item>
          <item>Antarctica</item>
      </string-array>
  </resources>
  

• Open res/layout/activity_main.xml file. Then, add below code in it –

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
  <androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
      xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
      xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
      android:layout_width="match_parent"
      android:layout_height="match_parent"
      tools:context=".MainActivity">
  
      <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
          android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView"
          android:layout_width="match_parent"
          android:layout_height="wrap_content"
          android:layout_margin="20dp"
          android:hint="@string/hint"
          app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
          app:layout_constraintLeft_toLeftOf="parent"
          app:layout_constraintRight_toRightOf="parent"
          app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" />
  
      <Button
          android:id="@+id/btnSubmit"
          android:layout_width="wrap_content"
          android:layout_height="wrap_content"
          android:text="@string/submit"
          app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent"
          app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent"
          app:layout_constraintTop_toBottomOf="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView" />
  
  </androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>
  

  In activity_main.xml file, we have defined MultiAutoCompleteTextView and Button widgets. Attributes android:hint=”” is used to set hint in the MultiAutoCompleteTextView.

• We can also access it in Kotlin File, MainActivity.kt, as below –

  package com.tutorialwing.multiautocompletetextview
  
  import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
  import android.os.Bundle
  import android.widget.ArrayAdapter
  import android.widget.MultiAutoCompleteTextView
  import android.widget.Toast
  import com.tutorialwing.multiautocompletetextview.databinding.ActivityMainBinding
  
  class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
  
  	private lateinit var binding: ActivityMainBinding
  
  	override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
  		super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
  		binding = ActivityMainBinding.inflate(layoutInflater)
  		val view = binding.root
  		setContentView(view)
  
  		setupMultiAutoCompleteTextView()
  	}
  
  	private fun setupMultiAutoCompleteTextView() {
  		// Get the string array
  		val countries = resources.getStringArray(R.array.countries_array)
  		// Create the adapter and set it to the MultiAutoCompleteTextView
  		val adapter = ArrayAdapter(this, android.R.layout.simple_list_item_1, countries)
  		binding.multiAutoCompleteTextView.setAdapter(adapter)
  
  		binding.multiAutoCompleteTextView.threshold = 1
  		binding.multiAutoCompleteTextView.setTokenizer(MultiAutoCompleteTextView.CommaTokenizer())
  
  		binding.btnSubmit.setOnClickListener {
  			val text = "Entered text:" + " " + binding.multiAutoCompleteTextView.text
  			Toast.makeText(this@MainActivity, text, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
  		}
  	}
  }
  

  We have accessed MultiAutoCompleteTextView using kotlin file i.e. in MainActivity.kt file. Then, we have defined an adapter using array of strings i.e. countries_array, defined in strings.xml file.Then, we have set this adapter in multiAutoCompleteTextView. This adapter is responsible to display completion suggestions when user starts typing in the View.

Now, run the application. We will get output as below –

Tutorialwing Android MultiAutoCompleteTextView Output

Different Attributes of MultiAutoCompleteTextView in XML

Now, we will see how to use different attributes of Android MultiAutoCompleteTextView using Kotlin to customise it –

Set Id of MultiAutoCompleteTextView

Many a time, we need id of View to access it in kotlin file or create ui relative to that view in xml file. So, we can set id of MultiAutoCompleteTextView using android:id attribute like below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        />

Here, we have set id of MultiAutoCompleteTextView as multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID using android:id=”” attribute. So, if we need to reference this MultiAutoCompleteTextView, we need to use this id – multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID.
Learn to Set ID of MultiAutoCompleteTextView Dynamically

Set Width of MultiAutoCompleteTextView

We use android:layout_width=”” attribute to set width of MultiAutoCompleteTextView.
We can do it as below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        />

Width can be either “MATCH_PARENT” or “WRAP_CONTENT” or any fixed value (like 20dp, 30dp etc.).
Learn to Set Width of MultiAutoCompleteTextView Dynamically

Set Height of MultiAutoCompleteTextView

We use android:layout_height=”” attribute to set height of MultiAutoCompleteTextView.
We can do it as below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        />

Height can be either “MATCH_PARENT” or “WRAP_CONTENT” or any fixed value.
Learn to Set Height of MultiAutoCompleteTextView Dynamically

Set Padding of MultiAutoCompleteTextView

We use android:padding=”” attribute to set padding of MultiAutoCompleteTextView.
We can do it as below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:padding="10dp"
        />

Here, we have set padding of 10dp in MultiAutoCompleteTextView using android:padding=”” attribute.
Learn to Set Padding of MultiAutoCompleteTextView Dynamically

Set Margin of MultiAutoCompleteTextView

We use android:layout_margin=”” attribute to set margin of MultiAutoCompleteTextView.
We can do it as below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_margin="10dp"
        />

Here, we have set margin of 10dp in MultiAutoCompleteTextView using android:layout_margin=”” attribute.
Learn to Set Margin of MultiAutoCompleteTextView Dynamically

Set Background of MultiAutoCompleteTextView

We use android:background=”” attribute to set background of MultiAutoCompleteTextView.
We can do it as below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:background="#ff0000"
        />

Here, we have set background of color #ff0000 in MultiAutoCompleteTextView using android:background=”” attribute.
Learn to Set Background of MultiAutoCompleteTextView Dynamically

Set Visibility of MultiAutoCompleteTextView

We use android:visibility=”” attribute to set visibility of MultiAutoCompleteTextView.
We can do it as below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:visibility="gone"
        />

Here, we have set visibility of MultiAutoCompleteTextView using android:visiblity=”” attribute. Visibility can be of three types – gone, visible and invisible
Learn to Set Visibility of MultiAutoCompleteTextView Dynamically

Set Text of MultiAutoCompleteTextView

We use android:text=”” attribute to set text of MultiAutoCompleteTextView.
We can do it as below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Hello Tutorialwing"
        />

Here, we have set text (“Hello Tutorialwing”) in MultiAutoCompleteTextView using android:text=”” attribute.
Similarly, we can set any text using this attribute.
Learn to Set Text of MultiAutoCompleteTextView Dynamically

Set Color of Text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView

We use android:textColor=”” attribute to set color of text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView.
We can do it as below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Hello Tutorialwing"
        android:textColor="#ffffff"     
        />

Here, we have set color (#ffffff i.e. white) of text (“Hello Tutorialwing”) in MultiAutoCompleteTextView using android:textColor=”” attribute. Similarly, we can set any color using this attribute.
Learn to Set Color of MultiAutoCompleteTextView Dynamically

Set Gravity of MultiAutoCompleteTextView

We use android:gravity=”” attribute to set gravity of text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView.
We can do it as below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Hello Tutorialwing"
        android:gravity="center_horizontal"
        />

Here, we have set gravity of text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView using android:gravity=”” attribute. Attribute value can be – “center_horizontal”, “center”, “center_vertical” etc.
Learn to Set Gravity of MultiAutoCompleteTextView Dynamically

Set Text in Uppercase, Lowercase

If we need to show text of MultiAutoCompleteTextView in uppercase or lowercase etc.

Set text in uppercase

We can use android:textAllCaps=”true” attribute to set text in uppercase. We can do it as below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Hello Tutorialwing"
        android:textAllCaps="true"
        />

Attribute android:textAllCaps=”true” sets text in uppercase. So, HELLO TUTORIALWING is set in MultiAutoCompleteTextView.

By default, false is set in this attribute. So, Whatever value is written in android:text=”” attribute, it will be set as it is. For example,

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Hello Tutorialwing"
        android:textAllCaps="false"
        />

Above code will set Hello Tutorialwing to MultiAutoCompleteTextView.

How do we set text in lowercase?

Answer –

• In xml file – write all the text in lowercase.
• In kotlin file – take text as string. Then, convert it in lowercase. Then, set it to MultiAutoCompleteTextView.

Learn to Set Text in Uppercase or Lowercase Dynamically

Set Size of Text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView

We use android:textSize=”” attribute to set size of text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView.
We can do it as below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Hello Tutorialwing"
        android:textSize="20sp"
        />

Here, we have set size of text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView using android:textSize=”” attribute.
Learn to Set Size of Text of MultiAutoCompleteTextView Dynamically

Set Style (Bold/italic) of Text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView

We use android:textStyle=”” attribute to set style (bold, italic etc.) of text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView.
We can do it as below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Hello Tutorialwing"
        android:textStyle="bold"
        />

Here, we have set style of text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView using android:textStyle=”” attribute. This attribute can take bold, italic or normal.
Learn to Set Style of Text of MultiAutoCompleteTextView Dynamically

Set Letter Spacing of Text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView

We use android:letterSpacing=”” attribute to set spacing between letters of text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView.
We can do it as below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Hello Tutorialwing"
        android:letterSpacing="1"
        />

Here, we have set spacing between letters of text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView using android:letterSpacing=”” attribute.
Learn to Set Letter Spacing of Text of MultiAutoCompleteTextView Dynamically

Set Typeface of Text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView

We use android:typeface=”” attribute to set typeface in MultiAutoCompleteTextView.
We can do it as below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Hello Tutorialwing"
        android:typeface="sans"
        />

Here, we have set typeface of text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView using android:typeface=”” attribute. This attribute can take values – “sans”, “normal”, “monospace” or “normal”.
Learn to Set Typeface of MultiAutoCompleteTextView Dynamically

Set fontFamily of Text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView

We use android:fontFamily=”” attribute to set fontFamily of text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView.
We can do it as below –

    <MultiAutoCompleteTextView
        android:id="@+id/multiAutoCompleteTextView_ID"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Hello Tutorialwing"
        android:fontFamily="sans-serif"
        />

Here, we have set fontFamily (Here, sans-serif) of text in MultiAutoCompleteTextView using android:fontFamily=”sans-serif” attribute.

Till now, we have see how to use android MultiAutoCompleteTextView using Kotlin. We have also gone through different attributes of MultiAutoCompleteTextView to perform certain task. Let’s have a look at list of such attributes and it’s related task.

Different Attributes of Android MultiAutoCompleteTextView Widget

Below are the various attributes that are used to customise android MultiAutoCompleteTextView Widget. However, you can check the complete list of attributes of MultiAutoCompleteTextView in it’s official documentation site. Here, we are going to list some of the important attributes of this widget –

Some of the popular attributes of MultiAutoCompleteTextView inherited from AutoCompleteTextView are –

Some of the popular attributes of MultiAutoCompleteTextView inherited from TextView are –

Some of the popular attributes of MultiAutoCompleteTextView inherited from View are –

We have seen different attributes of MultiAutoCompleteTextView and how to use it. If you wish to visit post to learn more about it

Thus, we have seen what is MultiAutoCompleteTextView, how can we use android MultiAutoCompleteTextView using Kotlin ? etc. We also went through different attributes of android MultiAutoCompleteTextView.