Why can't I use getBaseContext() here?

Question

I want to try getting some value from my Setting using the following code:

import android.content.SharedPreferences;
import android.preference.PreferenceManager;
import android.content.*;
public class TCPdumpHandler {

    public void getPreference() {

        SharedPreferences prefs = PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(getBaseContext());
        Boolean checkboxPreference = prefs.getBoolean("checkboxPref", true);
    }
}

But the error is : The method getBaseContext() is undefined for the type TCPdumpHandler

Can you tell me the reason why?

[You shouldn't use `getBaseContext()` at all](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1026973/android-whats-the-difference-between-the-various-methods-to-get-a-context) if you don't know why you need exactly that context *(given that this is a beginner question, you probably don't know)*. Rather stick with the activity context. — , Dec 21 '11 at 18:17

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 21 '11 at 18:10

5

Because TCPdumphandler does not extend from Activity. getBaseContext() is a method of that class (technically, of the ContextWrapper class). You need to pass the context to the constructor of TCPdumphandler.

answered Dec 21 '11 at 18:10

dmon

29,903
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score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 21 '11 at 18:45

0

The getContext() methods can be called only from classes that extends Activities and Services (and, but I'm not sure, Application). To use context in other classes you should pass a context as a parameter.

answered Dec 21 '11 at 18:45

Yury

19,958
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Why can't I use getBaseContext() here?

2 Answers2