In an Android XML layout, how can you let the user select more than one option from a ListView, and which attribute enables multiple selection?

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: By using a ListView with android:choiceMode set to multipleChoice and a row layout such as CheckedTextView.

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This question examines how to implement multiple selection in an Android list control. Developers often need to allow users to choose several items, such as multiple contacts or files. Android provides built in support for this in ListView through specific layout choices and attributes, and understanding these tools leads to clean and accessible user interfaces.


Given Data / Assumptions:

    • The user interface uses a ListView widget defined in an XML layout file.
    • The requirement is to allow the user to select more than one item at a time.
    • We may use built in row layouts such as CheckedTextView or custom layouts.


Concept / Approach:
ListView supports different choice modes that control how selection works. The android:choiceMode attribute can be set to none, singleChoice, multipleChoice, or multipleChoiceModal. For simple multiple selection, multipleChoice is appropriate. When using multipleChoice, each row layout typically includes a CheckedTextView or a compound view with a CheckBox so that the list can display checked state for each item. The ListView then keeps track of which positions are checked.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Define a ListView in XML and set its android:choiceMode attribute to multipleChoice so that the framework knows multiple selections are allowed.Step 2: Use a row layout that can display checked state, such as the built in layout simple_list_item_multiple_choice, which uses CheckedTextView.Step 3: In code, supply an adapter that binds your data items to this row layout.Step 4: The ListView now lets the user tap multiple rows to toggle their checked state, and you can query which items are selected using methods such as getCheckedItemPositions.Step 5: This pattern matches option A, which correctly names both ListView and the choiceMode attribute.


Verification / Alternative check:
Reviewing Android documentation for ListView shows examples that set android:choiceMode to multipleChoice and use layouts with CheckedTextView for multi selection. No official sources describe using Spinner for multi select or adding a separate ListView for each item, which confirms that those options are incorrect representations of standard practice.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B is incorrect because the default Spinner presents a single selected value; it is not designed for multi selection without custom work. Option C uses RadioButton widgets, which are intended for mutually exclusive choices and not for selecting many items simultaneously. Option D is impractical and goes against the design of list controls by creating multiple ListView instances instead of using the built in multipleChoice support.


Common Pitfalls:
Developers sometimes forget to match the choiceMode with the row layout, causing the ListView to fail to display check marks correctly. Another mistake is handling selections manually with booleans in an adapter when ListView already manages this state. Using multipleChoice or multipleChoiceModal with appropriate row layouts produces consistent behavior with minimal custom code.


Final Answer:
By using a ListView with android:choiceMode set to multipleChoice and a row layout such as CheckedTextView.

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