Difference between getContext() , getApplicationContext() , getBaseContext() and "this"

android this android-context
iCurious picture iCurious · May 17, 2012 · Viewed 295.3k times · Source

What is the difference between getContext() , getApplicationContext() , getBaseContext() , and "this"?

Though this is simple question I am unable to understand the basic difference between them. Please give some easy examples if possible.

Answer

Alexander Lucas picture Alexander Lucas · May 17, 2012

  • View.getContext(): Returns the context the view is currently running in. Usually the currently active Activity.

  • Activity.getApplicationContext(): Returns the context for the entire application (the process all the Activities are running inside of). Use this instead of the current Activity context if you need a context tied to the lifecycle of the entire application, not just the current Activity.

  • ContextWrapper.getBaseContext(): If you need access to a Context from within another context, you use a ContextWrapper. The Context referred to from inside that ContextWrapper is accessed via getBaseContext().

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