Retrieve String out of addValueEventListener Firebase

I want to receive a string from addValueEventListener() method I use to resell the data from the database Firebase. The data arrive correctly.

But when certain to get the string out of that method to use it in another, it returns nothing.

You have tips?

I already tried putExtras and also create a method on purpose but it did not work.

final DatabaseReference mPostReference = FirebaseDatabase.getInstance().getReference().child("user-daily").child(getUid()).child("2017-Year");
mPostReference.addValueEventListener(new ValueEventListener() {
    @Override
    public void onDataChange(DataSnapshot dataSnapshot) {
        final ArrayList<String> labels = new ArrayList<String>();
        for (DataSnapshot data : dataSnapshot.getChildren()){
            final DailyItem dailyItem = data.getValue(DailyItem.class);
            labels.add(dailyItem.mese);



        }
        title.setText(labels.get(position));

        a = title.getText().toString();
    }

    @Override
    public void onCancelled(DatabaseError databaseError) {
        Toast.makeText(view.getContext(),"database error",
                Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
    }
});

//this return null... why?
String title = a;

Solution 1:

The data is loaded from Firebase asynchronously. By the time you run title = a, the onDataChange method hasn't been called yet. Set some breakpoints in a debugger to verify this, it's key to understanding how asynchronous loading works.

The solution is to reframe your problem from "first get the object, then do blabla with the title" to "start getting the object; once the object is available, do blabla with the title".

In code this translates to:

final DatabaseReference mPostReference = FirebaseDatabase.getInstance().getReference().child("user-daily").child(getUid()).child("2017-Year");
mPostReference.addValueEventListener(new ValueEventListener() {
    @Override
    public void onDataChange(DataSnapshot dataSnapshot) {
        final ArrayList<String> labels = new ArrayList<String>();
        for (DataSnapshot data : dataSnapshot.getChildren()){
            final DailyItem dailyItem = data.getValue(DailyItem.class);
            labels.add(dailyItem.mese);



        }
        title.setText(labels.get(position));

        // Do blabla with the title
        String title = title.getText().toString();
    }

    @Override
    public void onCancelled(DatabaseError databaseError) {
        Toast.makeText(view.getContext(),"database error",
                Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
    }
});

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