How to generate unique integer values in Java (Android) at compile time

Question

I need lots of unique integers in my Android code, for example for intent request codes.

I don't want to have to worry about collisions, even if I move fragments between activities. So I want them to be globally unique.

At the moment, I am doing this manually.

    public static final int HTTP_ADD_OR_REMOVE_CALENDAR_REQUEST_CODE = 20001;

This is annoying and error prone. Is there a way to tell Android/Java:

"I want a unique integer here, please set it at compile time" ?

Of course I'd rather use an enum, but apparently that's not the Android way...

Answer 1

An ID resource will give you an integer that does not collide with any other ID resources used in your app (e.g., for widget IDs in a layout resource).

Answer 2

Create an enum. Then you just add a new item to the enum.

You don't want to assign these at compile time. Half the point of these ids is to make it easy when using a debugger to be able to tell what the id is and figure out what the matching constant is. Assigning at compile time makes that a nightmare. It will cost you a TON of time in maintenance down the line. You'd be trading seconds at time of writing for hours of time in maintenance.