How to load an URL inside a WebView using Android Kotlin?

In Android development, the WebView component enables you to easily display web pages within your application. Here are the steps and examples for loading a URL in Android's WebView using Kotlin:

1. Add WebView to the layout file

First, add a WebView component to your layout file. For example, add the following code to res/layout/activity_main.xml:

xml
<WebView
    android:id="@+id/webview"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent" />

2. Configure WebView settings

In your Activity, obtain an instance of WebView and configure it to ensure proper page display. For example, enable JavaScript support, as many modern web pages depend on JavaScript:

kotlin
class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {

    private lateinit var webView: WebView

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)

        webView = findViewById(R.id.webview)
        val webSettings = webView.settings
        webSettings.javaScriptEnabled = true  // Enable JavaScript
    }
}

3. Load a URL

Next, use the loadUrl method to load a web page URL:

kotlin
webView.loadUrl("https://www.example.com")

4. Handle web navigation

To enhance user experience, handle web navigation cases, such as opening new links within the current WebView instead of navigating to the browser:

kotlin
webView.webViewClient = object : WebViewClient() {
    override fun shouldOverrideUrlLoading(view: WebView?, request: WebResourceRequest?): Boolean {
        view?.loadUrl(request?.url.toString())
        return true
    }
}

With this configuration, all web navigation will occur within the WebView.

5. Add network permissions

Remember to add the network permission in AndroidManifest.xml, as loading web pages requires network access:

xml
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />

Example project structure:

Here is a simple example project structure demonstrating how to load a web page using WebView in an Android application:

• AndroidManifest.xml: Add Internet permission.
• res/layout/activity_main.xml: Layout file containing the WebView component.
• MainActivity.kt: Initialize WebView, configure, and load URL.

By following these steps and examples, you can successfully load and display web page content in your Android application using Kotlin.