[android] Android EditText Max Length

I set up a max length of text in an EditText field.

<EditText
            android:id="@+id/courseDescriptionField"
            android:layout_width="fill_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:inputType="textMultiLine"
            android:lines="5"
            android:maxLength="@integer/max_course_description_limit"
            android:gravity="left|top" >
        </EditText>

The problem for me however is, that, text STOPS appearing after 140 characters, but it still continues to type, except that text just doesn't appear, but however, it does appear in the "buffer" (meaning the suggestion thing) if that's what you would call it.

As a side note, I am using a TextWatcher to keep track of the limit. Is there any way to completely limit the amount of text, so that when there are 140 characters, nothing happens when something other than backspace/delete is pressed?

This question is related to android android-edittext

The answer is


For me this solution works:

edittext.setInputType(InputType.TYPE_TEXT_FLAG_NO_SUGGESTIONS | InputType.TYPE_TEXT_VARIATION_VISIBLE_PASSWORD);

I had the same problem.

Here is a workaround

android:inputType="textNoSuggestions|textVisiblePassword"
android:maxLength="6"

Thx to How can I turnoff suggestions in EditText?


You may try this

 EditText et = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.myeditText);
    et.setFilters(new InputFilter[]{ new InputFilter.LengthFilter(140) }); // maximum length is 140

I had the same problem. It works perfectly fine when you add this:

android:inputType="textFilter"

to your EditText.


EditText editText= ....;
InputFilter[] fa= new InputFilter[1];
fa[0] = new InputFilter.LengthFilter(8);
editText.setFilters(fa);

If you want to see a counter label you can use app:counterEnabled and android:maxLength, like:

<android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout
  android:layout_width="match_parent"
  android:layout_height="wrap_content"
  app:counterEnabled="true">

  <EditText
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:maxLength="420" />

</android.support.design.widget.TextInputLayout>

DO NOT set app:counterMaxLength on TextInputLayout because it will conflict with android:maxLength resulting into the issue of invisible chars after the text hits the size limit.


If you used maxLength = 6 , some times what you are entering those characters are added in top of the keyboard called suggestions. So when you deleting entered letters that time it will delete suggestions first and then actual text inside EditText. For that you need to remove the suggestions.just add

android:inputType="textNoSuggestions"` 

or

android:inputType="textFilter"

It will remove those suggestions.