What is Fragment?

The fragment is a part of Activity by which we can display multiple screens on one activity.

In Android development, a fragment is a modular and reusable component that represents a portion of a user interface or behavior in an activity. Fragments were introduced to support the creation of flexible and responsive user interfaces for different screen sizes and orientations. They allow developers to build UI components that can be combined and reused across various activities.

Key characteristics and uses of fragments in Android development include:

  1. Reusability: Fragments can be reused in multiple activities, promoting modular design and code reuse.
  2. Lifecycle: Fragments have their own lifecycle, similar to activities, which includes methods like onCreate(), onStart(), onResume(), etc.
  3. UI Components: Fragments can contain UI components and handle their own UI logic, making them self-contained units.
  4. Dynamic UI: Fragments allow for the creation of dynamic and flexible user interfaces, especially useful for adapting to different screen sizes and orientations.
  5. Communication: Fragments can communicate with their host activity and other fragments through interfaces, enabling interaction and data sharing.
  6. Back Stack: Fragments can be added to a back stack, allowing for a more intuitive navigation experience, similar to how activities are managed in the back stack.

In summary, fragments provide a way to create flexible and modular user interfaces in Android, enabling developers to design applications that adapt well to different devices and screen configurations.