Extending ArrayAdapter in android

Update:

You should override the toString() method in your T class and return the filter criterion string.

For example,

class T {

    String firstName;
    String lastName;
    ...
    ...
    @override
    String toString() {
        return firstName + lastName;
    }
}

By default, the toString() implementation of the Object class returns getClass().getName() + '@' + Integer.toHexString(hashCode())

Original:

The array list reference should be passed to the ArrayAdapter constructor. I think you are not doing this and hence its not able to get a list for filtering.

In this sample code objects array reference is passed to the super constructor.

public CustomAdapter(Context context, int tvResId, ArrayList<String> objects) {
    super(context, textViewResourceId, objects);
    this.objects = objects;
}

If your filtering is based on the simple strings in the list items, then you can implement TextWatcher as suggested by @Iiorry. But if the filtering is bit complex than that, then you need to implement Filterable as well.

You don't need to implement your own filter... just override getFilter as @Waqas suggested.

Here's what I did and it works. Feel free to adjust it to your needs...

Hope it'll help.

The EditText (searchFilder):

searchFilter.addTextChangedListener(mOnSearchBoxTextChanged);
private TextWatcher mOnSearchBoxTextChanged = new TextWatcher() {

        public void afterTextChanged(Editable s) {
        }

        public void beforeTextChanged(CharSequence s, int start, int count,
                int after) {
        }

        public void onTextChanged(CharSequence s, int start, int before,
                int count) {
            mAdapter.getFilter().filter(s.toString());
        }

    };

The Adapter getFilter():

    class MyAdapter extends BaseAdapter implements Filterable {

            //the rest of the adapter....

            @Override
            public Filter getFilter() {
                if (newFilter == null) {
                    newFilter = new Filter() {
                        @Override
                        protected void publishResults(CharSequence prefix,
                                FilterResults results) {

                            CLog.logD( "Friends list filtered");

                            mAdapter.notifyDataSetChanged();
                        }

                        @Override
                protected FilterResults performFiltering(CharSequence constraint) {
                    constraint = constraint.toString().toLowerCase();

                    filteredFriendList = new ArrayList<FriendsListItemView>();

                    if (constraint!= null && constraint.toString().length() > 0) {
                        for (int i = 0; i < friendsList.size(); i++) {
                            FriendsListItemView newFriend = friendsList.get(i);
                            String name = newFriend.userName.getText().toString();

                            if (name.toLowerCase().contains(constraint)) {
                                filteredFriendList.add(newFriend);
                            } 
                        }

                    } else {
                        if (filteredFriendList.size() == 0) {
                            filteredFriendList = friendsList;
                        }
                    }

                    FilterResults newFilterResults = new FilterResults();
                    newFilterResults.count = filteredFriendList.size();
                    newFilterResults.values = filteredFriendList;
                    return newFilterResults;
                }
            };
                }
                return newFilter;
            }
        }

Perhaps this may help you:

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.List;
import android.content.Context;
import android.util.Log;
import android.widget.ArrayAdapter;
import android.widget.Filter;

public class CustomAdapter<T> extends ArrayAdapter<T> {

    private final ArrayList<T> mOriginalValues;
    private List<T> mObjects;
    private CustomFilter mFilter;
    private final Object mLock = new Object();
    public CustomAdapter(Context context, int textViewResourceId, T[] objects) {
        super(context, textViewResourceId, objects);

        mObjects = Arrays.asList(objects);
        mOriginalValues = (ArrayList<T>) Arrays.asList(objects);
        // TODO Auto-generated constructor stub
    }

    @Override
    public Filter getFilter() {
        // TODO Auto-generated method stub
        if (mFilter == null) {
            mFilter = new CustomFilter();
        }
        return mFilter;
    }


    private class CustomFilter extends Filter {
        @Override
        protected FilterResults performFiltering(CharSequence prefix) {
            FilterResults results = new FilterResults();
            Log.d("bajji", "its ---> " + prefix);

            if (prefix == null || prefix.toString().trim().length() == 0) {
                ArrayList<T> list;
                synchronized (mLock) {
                    list = new ArrayList<T>(mOriginalValues);
                }
                results.values = list;
                results.count = list.size();
            } else {
                String prefixString = prefix.toString().toLowerCase();

                ArrayList<T> values;
                synchronized (mLock) {
                    values = new ArrayList<T>(mOriginalValues);
                }

                final int count = values.size();
                final ArrayList<T> newValues = new ArrayList<T>();
                final ArrayList<T> approxValues = new ArrayList<T>();
                final ArrayList<T> secondApproxValues = new ArrayList<T>();


                for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
                    final T value = values.get(i);
                    final String valueText = value.toString().toLowerCase();
                    boolean flag = true;
                    // First match against the whole, non-splitted value
                    if (valueText.startsWith(prefixString)) {
                        newValues.add(value);
                        flag = false;
                    } else {
                        final String[] words = valueText.split(" ");
                        final int wordCount = words.length;

                        // Start at index 0, in case valueText starts with space(s)
                        for (int k = 0; k < wordCount; k++) {
                            if (words[k].startsWith(prefixString)) {
                                newValues.add(value);
                                flag = false;
                                break;
                            } 
                        }
                    }

                    if(flag) {
                        if(approxMatch(valueText, prefixString) <= 3) { //change the stuff and do a levi work
                            approxValues.add(value);
                        }
                        else {
                            final String[] words = valueText.split(" ");
                            final int wordCount = words.length;

                            // Start at index 0, in case valueText starts with space(s)
                            for (int k = 0; k < wordCount; k++) {
                                if(approxMatch(words[k], prefixString) <= 3) {
                                    //leve work
                                    secondApproxValues.add(value);
                                    break;
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
                newValues.addAll(approxValues);
                newValues.addAll(secondApproxValues);
                results.values = newValues;
                results.count = newValues.size();
            }
            return results;
        }
        @Override
        protected void publishResults(CharSequence constraint, FilterResults results) {
            //noinspection unchecked
            mObjects = (List<T>) results.values;
            notifyDataSetChanged();
            clear();
            for(T tmp : mObjects){
                add(tmp);
            }

            notifyDataSetChanged();
        }
    }

    private int approxMatch (String s, String t) {
          // an approxmimate string matching algo
          return p;
    }
}

Now in getView method of adapter, you need to refer to mObjects object to get recent available values for ListView