Action Launcher API

A simple API live wallpaper developers can use to allow Action Launcher 3 to theme itself based on the current colors of your wallpaper.

Note: use of this API is only necessary for live wallpapers (not status wallpapers). This is due to Android not providing any APIs for apps to fetch Bitmap data about the current live wallpaper.

Usage

1. Integrate the Action 3 API code into the dependencies section of your build.gradle file:

   compile 'com.actionlauncher:action3-api:1.+'
   
   If you're not using Android Studio/gradle, you can add the action3-api.jar to your /libs folder, or copy the API code directly into your project.
   
   

2. Add this code to your AndroidManifest.xml (inside the Application entry):

   <service android:name="com.actionlauncher.api.LiveWallpaperSource"
       android:label="LiveWallpaperSource"
       android:exported="true">
       <intent-filter>
           <action android:name="com.actionlauncher.api.action.LiveWallpaperSource" />
       </intent-filter>
   </service>
   

3. In your application code, you will need a Bitmap instance of your live wallpaper. At the point in your code where you have this Bitmap instance, add the following:

   Bitmap myBitmap = ...
   try {
       LiveWallpaperSource.with(context)
           .setBitmapSynchronous(myBitmap)
           .run();
   } catch (OutOfMemoryError outOfMemoryError) {
       // Palette generation was unable to process the Bitmap passed in to
       // setBitmapSynchronous(). Consider using a smaller image.
       // See ActionPalette.DEFAULT_RESIZE_BITMAP_MAX_DIMENSION
   } catch (IllegalArgumentException illegalArgumentEx) {
       // Raised during palette generation. Check your Bitmap.
   } catch (IllegalStateException illegalStateException) {
       // Raised during palette generation. Check your Bitmap.
   }
   

To test it all works:

• Load Action Launcher 3 (you must be using version 3.3 or later).
• Ensure your wallpaper is set as the live wallpaper.
• Ensure Action Launcher's wallpaper extraction mode is enabled (Settings -> Quicktheme -> Theme -> Wallpaper).
• As you're integrating the API, be sure to turn on Settings -> Help -> Advanced -> Live wallpaper API debug in Action Launcher 3. By doing so, you will enable a debug mode where pressing the voice search button on the search bar will trigger a request to your app for the latest LiveWallpaperInfo data.

Demo

The main app in this repository demonstrates the live wallpaper functionality. It is basically the main app from the Android Live Wallpaper Hello World project. If you double-tap empty space on Action Launcher 3's home screen, the wallpaper image will change, and you items such as the search bar will have their colors updated as per the current wallpaper image in Action Launcher 3.

Check out the LiveWallpaperSource.with() call in MuzeiBlurRenderer.java.

Notes

• Keep in mind that each time you call LiveWallpaperSource.setBitmapSynchronous(), a new palette will be generated. In order to not waste battery, you only want to make this call when you know there has been a meaninful visual change in your wallpaper app and Action Launcher's Quicktheme feature should be updated.
• This API includes a copy of API 22's Palette library from Support Library named ActionPalette4. It has been integrated directly into the ActionLauncherApi rather than as a dependency because:
• Many live-wallpaper developers are still using Eclipse, which has seemingly isn't well set up to use AARs.
• Makes the dependencies easier.
• It doesn't take much code size, so there's little harm in it.

3rd party examples

The following Android apps make use of this API:

• Minima Pro Live Wallpaper
• TapDeck - Wallpaper Discovery

License

Copyright 2015 Chris Lacy

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at

    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.