NPE in 2.2.9

[frapontillo]

And then hell broke loose. As of 2.2.9 we are receiving plenty of NPEs:

java.lang.NullPointerException
at android.widget.RemoteViews$SetOnClickPendingIntent.writeToParcel(RemoteViews.java:147)
at android.widget.RemoteViews.writeToParcel(RemoteViews.java:1376)
at com.android.internal.appwidget.IAppWidgetService$Stub$Proxy.updateAppWidgetIds(IAppWidgetService.java:374)
at android.appwidget.AppWidgetManager.updateAppWidget(AppWidgetManager.java:246)
at android.appwidget.AppWidgetManager.updateAppWidget(AppWidgetManager.java:265)
at net.frakbot.FWeather.updater.UpdaterService.onHandleIntent(UpdaterService.java:164)
at android.app.IntentService$ServiceHandler.handleMessage(IntentService.java:59)
at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:99)
at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:130)
at android.os.HandlerThread.run(HandlerThread.java:60)

The affected devices are (wait for it... wait for it...) Samsung:

• Galaxy Y (GT-S5360B)
• Galaxy Ace (GT-S5830i)
• GT-I5510T (GT-I5510T)
• Galaxy Ace (GT-S5839i)
• Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100)
• Galaxy Y TV (GT-S5367)
• Galaxy Y Pro (GT-B5510)
• Galaxy Mini (GT-S5570)
• Galaxy Ace (GT-S5830B)
• Galaxy Y (GT-S5363)
• Galaxy Ace (GT-S5830C)
• Galaxy Y (GT-S5360)
• SGH-S959G (SGH-S959G)

We have also received 1-star feedbacks (...) and several emails of people who complained the widget always crashes.

[frapontillo]

The problem has started occuring since 2.2.4, that is since the introduction of the sharing function. It should be related to some PendingIntent being null or somehow invalid.

See http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6060181/android-widget-null-pointer-exception-when-using-setonclickpendingintent-on and http://www.blogosfera.co.uk/2013/09/unable-to-start-receiver-crash-for-widgets-on-android-4-0-4-device/.

UPDATE: This is the same issue as #105, that wasn't solved by 20468927e0bd1fedd8bc7905e709381ce63a18bc. Besides the refresh PendingIntent, there is the "share" PendingIntent as well.

Since it looks like there's no way to avoid the bug, we can either opt to:

• disregard the fact that there is no new data (or no data at all, for first start) and not set the PendingIntent, just like you did in 20468927e0bd1fedd8bc7905e709381ce63a18bc
• always go through the weather string generation, even with no data; this way the share function will give some error text, the same displayed by the widget

This needs to be fixed ASAP.

[rock3r]

I'd probably just hide the share button when we don't have data. Simple and makes perfect sense.

[frapontillo]

That'd be a valid option as well.

[rock3r]

Then go for it :)