How to Change programmatically Edittext Cursor Color in android?

Question

In android we can change the cursor color via:

android:textCursorDrawable=\"@drawable/black_color_cursor\".

How can we do this dynamically?

Answer 1

We managed to do it by:

1. Creating a layout file with just an EditText and the cursor color set in xml on it.
2. Inflating it
3. Using the EditText as you would use a programmatically created one

Answer 2

Kotlin version, works from api 14 to api 29

fun setCursorDrawableColor(editText: TextView, @ColorInt color: Int) {
    if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.Q) {
        val gradientDrawable = GradientDrawable(GradientDrawable.Orientation.BOTTOM_TOP, intArrayOf(color, color))
        gradientDrawable.setSize(2.spToPx(editText.context).toInt(), editText.textSize.toInt())
        editText.textCursorDrawable = gradientDrawable
        return
    }

    try {
        val editorField = try {
            TextView::class.java.getDeclaredField("mEditor").apply { isAccessible = true }
        } catch (t: Throwable) {
            null
        }
        val editor = editorField?.get(editText) ?: editText
        val editorClass: Class<*> = if (editorField == null) TextView::class.java else editor.javaClass

        val tintedCursorDrawable = TextView::class.java.getDeclaredField("mCursorDrawableRes")
            .apply { isAccessible = true }
            .getInt(editText)
            .let { ContextCompat.getDrawable(editText.context, it) ?: return }
            .let { tintDrawable(it, color) }

        if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.P) {
            editorClass
                .getDeclaredField("mDrawableForCursor")
                .apply { isAccessible = true }
                .run { set(editor, tintedCursorDrawable) }
        } else {
            editorClass
                .getDeclaredField("mCursorDrawable")
                .apply { isAccessible = true }
                .run { set(editor, arrayOf(tintedCursorDrawable, tintedCursorDrawable)) }
        }
    } catch (t: Throwable) {
        t.printStackTrace()
    }
}

fun Number.spToPx(context: Context? = null): Float {
    val res = context?.resources ?: android.content.res.Resources.getSystem()
    return TypedValue.applyDimension(TypedValue.COMPLEX_UNIT_SP, this.toFloat(), res.displayMetrics)
}

fun tintDrawable(drawable: Drawable, @ColorInt color: Int): Drawable {
    (drawable as? VectorDrawableCompat)
        ?.apply { setTintList(ColorStateList.valueOf(color)) }
        ?.let { return it }

    if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.LOLLIPOP) {
        (drawable as? VectorDrawable)
            ?.apply { setTintList(ColorStateList.valueOf(color)) }
            ?.let { return it }
    }

    val wrappedDrawable = DrawableCompat.wrap(drawable)
    DrawableCompat.setTint(wrappedDrawable, color)
    return DrawableCompat.unwrap(wrappedDrawable)
}

Answer 3

Here is the solution for Xamarin based on John's answer

        public static void SetCursorDrawableColor(EditText editText, Color color)
        {
            try
            {
                if (Build.VERSION.SdkInt >= BuildVersionCodes.Q)
                {
                    var gradientDrawable = new GradientDrawable(GradientDrawable.Orientation.BottomTop, new[] { (int)color, color });
                    gradientDrawable.SetSize(SpToPx(2, editText.Context), (int)editText.TextSize);
                    editText.TextCursorDrawable = gradientDrawable;
                    return;
                }

                var fCursorDrawableRes =
                    Class.FromType(typeof(TextView)).GetDeclaredField("mCursorDrawableRes");
                fCursorDrawableRes.Accessible = true;
                int mCursorDrawableRes = fCursorDrawableRes.GetInt(editText);
                var fEditor = Class.FromType(typeof(TextView)).GetDeclaredField("mEditor");
                fEditor.Accessible = true;
                Java.Lang.Object editor = fEditor.Get(editText);
                Class clazz = editor.Class;

                if (Build.VERSION.SdkInt >= BuildVersionCodes.P)
                {
                    //TODO This solution no longer works in Android P because of reflection
                    // Get the drawable and set a color filter
                    Drawable drawable = ContextCompat.GetDrawable(editText.Context, mCursorDrawableRes);
                    drawable.SetColorFilter(color, PorterDuff.Mode.SrcIn);
                    var fCursorDrawable = clazz.GetDeclaredField("mDrawableForCursor");
                    fCursorDrawable.Accessible = true;
                    fCursorDrawable.Set(editor, drawable);
                }
                else
                {
                    Drawable[] drawables = new Drawable[2];
                    drawables[0] = ContextCompat.GetDrawable(editText.Context, mCursorDrawableRes).Mutate();
                    drawables[1] = ContextCompat.GetDrawable(editText.Context, mCursorDrawableRes).Mutate();
                    drawables[0].SetColorFilter(color, PorterDuff.Mode.SrcIn);
                    drawables[1].SetColorFilter(color, PorterDuff.Mode.SrcIn);

                    var fCursorDrawable = clazz.GetDeclaredField("mCursorDrawable");
                    fCursorDrawable.Accessible = true;
                    fCursorDrawable.Set(editor, drawables);
                }
            }
            catch (ReflectiveOperationException) { }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                Crashes.TrackError(ex);
            }
        }
        public static int SpToPx(float sp, Context context)
        {
            return (int)TypedValue.ApplyDimension(ComplexUnitType.Sp, sp, context.Resources.DisplayMetrics);
        }

Answer 4

You should change "colorAccent" and in order not to change this parameter for the whole application you can use ThemeOverlay. You can read more detailed in this article, the last section "Cursor and Selection"

Answer 5

Using some reflection did the trick for me

Java:

// https://github.com/android/platform_frameworks_base/blob/kitkat-release/core/java/android/widget/TextView.java#L562-564
Field f = TextView.class.getDeclaredField("mCursorDrawableRes");
f.setAccessible(true);
f.set(yourEditText, R.drawable.cursor);

XML:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:shape="rectangle" >

    <solid android:color="#ff000000" />

    <size android:width="1dp" />

</shape>

---

Here is a method that you can use that doesn't need an XML:

public static void setCursorColor(EditText view, @ColorInt int color) {
  try {
    // Get the cursor resource id
    Field field = TextView.class.getDeclaredField("mCursorDrawableRes");
    field.setAccessible(true);
    int drawableResId = field.getInt(view);

    // Get the editor
    field = TextView.class.getDeclaredField("mEditor");
    field.setAccessible(true);
    Object editor = field.get(view);

    // Get the drawable and set a color filter
    Drawable drawable = ContextCompat.getDrawable(view.getContext(), drawableResId);
    drawable.setColorFilter(color, PorterDuff.Mode.SRC_IN);
    Drawable[] drawables = {drawable, drawable};

    // Set the drawables
    field = editor.getClass().getDeclaredField("mCursorDrawable");
    field.setAccessible(true);
    field.set(editor, drawables);
  } catch (Exception ignored) {
  }
}

Answer 6

Inspired from @Jared Rummler and @Oleg Barinov I have crafted solution which works on API 15 also -

public static void setCursorColor(EditText editText, @ColorInt int color) {
    try {
        // Get the cursor resource id
        Field field = TextView.class.getDeclaredField("mCursorDrawableRes");
        field.setAccessible(true);
        int drawableResId = field.getInt(editText);

        // Get the drawable and set a color filter
        Drawable drawable = ContextCompat.getDrawable(editText.getContext(), drawableResId);
        drawable.setColorFilter(color, PorterDuff.Mode.SRC_IN);
        Drawable[] drawables = {drawable, drawable};

        if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT == 15) {
            // Get the editor
            Class<?> drawableFieldClass = TextView.class;
            // Set the drawables
            field = drawableFieldClass.getDeclaredField("mCursorDrawable");
            field.setAccessible(true);
            field.set(editText, drawables);

        } else {
            // Get the editor
            field = TextView.class.getDeclaredField("mEditor");
            field.setAccessible(true);
            Object editor = field.get(editText);
            // Set the drawables
            field = editor.getClass().getDeclaredField("mCursorDrawable");
            field.setAccessible(true);
            field.set(editor, drawables);
        }
    } catch (Exception e) {
        Log.e(LOG_TAG, "-> ", e);
    }
}