AVOID — Stale and unlicensed — last commit 8y ago

• 9 active contributors
• CI configured
• ⚠ Stale — last commit 8y ago
• ⚠ Single-maintainer risk — top contributor 84% of recent commits
• ⚠ No license — legally unclear to depend on
• ⚠ No test directory detected
• ⚠ Scorecard: marked unmaintained (0/10)
• ⚠ Scorecard: default branch unprotected (0/10)

_{Computed from maintenance signals — commit recency, contributor breadth, bus factor, license, CI, tests, cross-checked against OpenSSF Scorecard}

ShowcaseView is an Android library that renders attractive overlay highlights around specific UI elements (buttons, menu items, or arbitrary points) to guide users toward features. It provides three visual styles (Holo, Material, and custom 'new style') and uses a Builder pattern API to display single or chained tutorial overlays with title/description text. Monolithic library structure: library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ contains the core ShowcaseView class, with subpackages for targets/ (reflection-based wrappers for ActionBar/AppCompat menu items), drawer strategies (MaterialShowcaseDrawer, StandardShowcaseDrawer, NewShowcaseDrawer for different visual styles), and animation factories (AnimatorAnimationFactory, NoAnimationFactory). Resources live in library/src/main/res/.

Android app developers (targeting API 11+) who need to onboard users by highlighting key UI features—used by apps like Google Cast, BBC iPlayer Radio, and AllCast. Particularly useful for feature discovery without modal dialogs.

Archived and stable but not actively maintained. The repo shows mature v5.4.3 release on Maven Central, clean Gradle/Travis CI setup, and adoption by major apps (Google, BBC), but the README explicitly notes it's archived. No recent commits visible in the file list; this is a completed, battle-tested library no longer under development.

Low technical risk—it's a self-contained UI library with no heavy external dependencies (just Android Framework). Primary risk is Android platform churn: it targets API 11+ (now obsolete baseline; modern apps require API 21+), and there's no active maintenance to handle future Android/AndroidX breaking changes. Single-maintainer archive means no community support.

Nothing—this is an archived repo. The last state visible is v5.4.3 stable release with three style options, Builder-pattern API, and reflection-based target support for old ActionBar/AppCompat toolbars. No active PRs, issues, or development.

git clone https://github.com/amlcurran/ShowcaseView.git
cd ShowcaseView
./gradlew build

The project uses Gradle wrapper; no external services needed. Dependency is available via Maven Central (add compile 'com.github.amlcurran.showcaseview:library:5.4.3' to your app's build.gradle).

Daily commands: This is a library, not an app. To test locally: ./gradlew library:build. To use in your own Android app, add the dependency to your build.gradle and instantiate via new ShowcaseView.Builder(activity).setTarget(...).build().

• library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseView.java — Core entry point and main public API; defines the overlay view that users interact with directly
• library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseDrawer.java — Abstract interface for rendering logic; all drawing strategies (Material, Standard, etc.) implement this
• library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/targets/Target.java — Core abstraction for highlight targets; enables flexible targeting of views, menu items, or arbitrary points
• library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseAreaCalculator.java — Calculates geometry and positioning for highlights; critical for accurate overlay rendering across screen sizes
• library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/AnimationFactory.java — Factory pattern for animation creation; abstraction point for different animation strategies
• library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShotStateStore.java — Manages persistence of showcase state; enables single-shot showcases that only display once per user

Add a New Drawing Style (Custom Renderer)

1. Create a new class extending ShowcaseDrawer interface in library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ (library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/CustomShowcaseDrawer.java)
2. Implement required methods: onDraw(), calculateTextBounds(), getShowcaseRadius() to define custom rendering logic (library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseDrawer.java)
3. In ShowcaseView.java, add a new method (e.g., setCustomDrawer()) to inject your drawer implementation (library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseView.java)
4. Test by creating a sample activity in sample/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/sample/CustomShowcaseActivity.java that uses your renderer (sample/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/sample/CustomShowcaseActivity.java)

Add Support for a New Target Type

1. Create a new Target implementation in library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/targets/ extending Target interface (library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/targets/CustomTarget.java)
2. Implement getPoint() to return the center coordinate and getRadius() for highlight circle size (library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/targets/Target.java)
3. Add target resolution logic to ShowcaseView.java's internal target handling if needed for complex geometry (library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseView.java)
4. Create demo in sample/ showing your new target in action with actual app UI elements (sample/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/sample/ViewTargets.java)

Customize Animation Behavior

1. Create a new AnimationFactory subclass in library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ (library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/CustomAnimationFactory.java)
2. Override createAlphaAnimator() and createScaleAnimator() to define custom animation parameters (duration, interpolators, etc.) (library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/AnimationFactory.java)
3. In ShowcaseView.java, add setAnimationFactory() method to allow injection of custom animation strategy (library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseView.java)
4. Demo custom animations in sample/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/sample/animations/AnimationSampleActivity.java (sample/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/sample/animations/AnimationSampleActivity.java)

No heavy gotchas, but: (1) Reflection-based target system (ActionBarReflector, AppCompatReflector) is brittle across Android framework versions—if you update AndroidX or the ActionBar library, target discovery may break silently. (2) API 11+ baseline is now outdated; modern projects should be API 21+, and there's no migration guide. (3) The library adds a View to the parent Activity's decor; ensure no other overlays (dialogs, toasts) fight for z-order. (4) No built-in queue/tutorial system in v5 (see README), so chaining multiple showcases requires manual event listener plumbing.

• Android Reflection API for Framework Introspection — ShowcaseView uses reflection (Reflector, ActionBarReflector, AppCompatReflector) to discover and locate menu items inside ActionBar/AppCompat without direct imports—essential for supporting multiple framework versions without recompilation
• Canvas Clipping and Path-based Masking — ShowcaseDrawer implementations use Canvas.clipPath() to cut out a circular/rounded-rect 'window' highlighting the target, with the rest darkened—core rendering technique avoiding expensive bitmap operations
• Property Animation (Animator Framework) — AnimatorAnimationFactory and AnimatorAnimationFactory use Android's ObjectAnimator/ValueAnimator to smoothly scale/fade the showcase overlay on entry/exit, replacing the legacy Animation framework
• SharedPreferences Persistence Pattern — ShotStateStore uses SharedPreferences to persist which showcases have been shown, enabling one-time onboarding flows without server calls
• Builder Pattern for Configuration — ShowcaseView uses the Builder pattern (ShowcaseView.Builder) for fluent, readable configuration of targets, text, listeners, and animations—common Android pattern reducing constructor overload
• Custom View and Touch Event Interception — ShowcaseView extends View and overrides onTouchEvent() to intercept clicks outside/inside the highlight region, enabling 'dismiss on tap' and 'block interactions' behaviors
• Layout Hierarchy Traversal and Coordinate Transformation — ShowcaseAreaCalculator walks the View tree and transforms target View coordinates from local to screen space to correctly position the highlight overlay across nested layouts

• amlcurran/ShowcaseView-legacy — The archive's own legacy branch with more features (e.g., ShowcaseViews queue class, ghostly hand gesture) but less stable—useful reference if advanced queueing is needed
• google/material-components-android — Modern Material Design library that supersedes the old ActionBar/AppCompat tooling this library relied on; needed for apps targeting current API levels
• material-components/material-components-web — Cross-platform Material spec reference; helps understand why the MaterialShowcaseDrawer uses specific color/animation patterns
• chrisbanes/PhotoView — Contemporary Android library (2010s era) using similar reflection + custom Canvas drawing patterns for UI enhancement
• googlecast/CastVideos-android — Real production app that shipped with ShowcaseView integration, useful reference for how professional apps use the library

To work on one of these in Claude Code or Cursor, paste: Implement the "<title>" PR idea from CLAUDE.md, working through the checklist as the task list.

Add unit tests for ShowcaseAreaCalculator and target positioning logic

The library has complex geometry calculations in ShowcaseAreaCalculator.java for positioning the showcase overlay around target views, but there are no visible test files in the repository. This is critical for ensuring correct behavior across different screen sizes, orientations, and API levels. New contributors can add JUnit tests to validate positioning calculations for ActionItemTarget, ViewTarget, PointTarget, and edge cases.

• [ ] Create library/src/test/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ directory structure
• [ ] Add ShowcaseAreaCalculatorTest.java with tests for coordinate calculations with different view sizes
• [ ] Add ViewTargetTest.java and ActionItemTargetTest.java to test target positioning on various views
• [ ] Add edge case tests for views near screen boundaries
• [ ] Update library/build.gradle to include testImplementation dependencies (JUnit, Mockito)

Migrate deprecated ActionBar/ActionItem target support to AppCompat equivalents

The codebase contains legacy target classes (ActionBarReflector.java, SherlockReflector.java, ActionBarViewWrapper.java) that use reflection to support older ActionBar APIs and ActionBarSherlock. Since the library supports API 11+ and the ActionBar is deprecated, these classes should be either removed or refactored to focus on AppCompat. This modernizes the library and reduces maintenance burden for reflection-based workarounds.

• [ ] Audit ReflectorFactory.java and dependencies on ActionBarReflector and SherlockReflector
• [ ] Document which API levels still require the legacy reflectors vs. pure AppCompat support
• [ ] Create AppCompat-focused alternatives or deprecate legacy files with migration guides
• [ ] Update library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/targets/ to remove unused reflectors
• [ ] Add migration notes to README.md for apps using deprecated target classes

Add instrumented/UI tests for ShowcaseDrawer implementations across API levels

The library has multiple ShowcaseDrawer implementations (StandardShowcaseDrawer.java, NewShowcaseDrawer.java, MaterialShowcaseDrawer.java) that render differently based on API level, but there are no visible Android instrumented tests. Adding Espresso-based UI tests will ensure visual consistency and prevent regressions when modifying drawing logic. This is especially important given the visual nature of the library.

• [ ] Create library/src/androidTest/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ directory structure
• [ ] Add ShowcaseViewRenderTest.java with Espresso tests for each ShowcaseDrawer variant
• [ ] Test overlay rendering, text positioning, and touch interaction on API 11+, API 16+, and API 21+
• [ ] Add screenshot comparison tests using Android's Screenshot Testing libraries
• [ ] Update library/build.gradle with androidTestImplementation (Espresso, AndroidJUnit4, etc.)

• Add unit tests for ShowcaseAreaCalculator geometry calculations (library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseAreaCalculator.java has no test coverage visible); a junior could write JUnit tests for circle vs. rounded-rect clipping logic.
• Document the reflection-based target system by adding JavaDoc comments to Reflector.java, ActionBarReflector.java, and AppCompatReflector.java explaining which framework versions each handles and why reflection was necessary.
• Create a sample Activity demonstrating all three style options (Holo, Material, NewStyle) side-by-side; currently examples are scattered, and a single runnable demo would clarify styling customization.

The ShowcaseView project presents moderate to high security concerns primarily due to its archived status and lack of ongoing maintenance. The use of extensive reflection patterns, outdated Android API targets, and absence of modern security configurations (ProGuard/R8, updated dependencies) make it unsuitable for use in production applications without significant review and updates. The project should not be used in new applications; existing implementations should be migrated to maintained alternatives.

• High · Archived Project with Outdated Dependencies — Repository root, README.md, build.gradle. The ShowcaseView project is archived and no longer maintained. This means security vulnerabilities discovered in dependencies will not receive patches. The project targets API Level 11+ which is extremely outdated (API 11 was released in 2011). Modern Android applications should target current API levels. Fix: Consider migrating to actively maintained alternatives or conducting a thorough security audit if continuing to use this library. Update target API levels to current standards (API 33+).
• High · Potential Reflection-Based Security Risk — library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/targets/. The codebase uses reflection extensively through multiple Reflector classes (ActionBarReflector.java, AppCompatReflector.java, SherlockReflector.java). Reflection can bypass security checks and access private members. Combined with the archived status, these reflection patterns may not account for modern security mechanisms. Fix: Minimize reflection usage where possible. If reflection is necessary, implement robust error handling and validate all reflected method/field access. Consider using safer alternatives like official APIs.
• Medium · Outdated Gradle Configuration — gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.jar, gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties, build.gradle. The Gradle configuration appears outdated based on the structure. The presence of gradle-wrapper.jar and the build configuration suggest this may be using an old Gradle version which could have known vulnerabilities. Fix: Update Gradle to the latest version. Verify gradle-wrapper.properties points to a recent stable Gradle release. Ensure all Gradle plugins are up-to-date.
• Medium · Missing Input Validation in View Overlay — library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseView.java, ShowcaseAreaCalculator.java. The ShowcaseView is a custom view that overlays content on screen. Without explicit input validation for showcase positions and targets, there could be potential for unexpected behavior or crashes when processing malformed coordinate data. Fix: Implement comprehensive input validation for all coordinate calculations and view targeting. Validate target views and positions before using them in drawing operations.
• Low · No Explicit Proguard/R8 Configuration Visible — library/build.gradle, library/. The library does not appear to include explicit ProGuard/R8 configuration files (no proguard-rules.pro visible). This could lead to unintended code exposure or optimization issues in consumer projects. Fix: Create and maintain a proguard-rules.pro file that properly configures code obfuscation and optimization for the library. This is especially important for security-sensitive components like reflection-based code.
• Low · Potential Information Disclosure via Debug Artifacts — example.png, example2.png, example2@2x.png, example@2x.png, material.png. The presence of drawable resources and example files (example.png, example@2x.png, example2.png) in the repository could potentially contain sensitive information if the library is used in production apps. Fix: Review all example files to ensure they don't contain sensitive information. Add example files to .gitignore if they may contain app-specific content in actual usage.

LLM-derived; treat as a starting point, not a security audit.

• Open issues — current backlog
• Recent PRs — what's actively shipping
• Source on GitHub

If you are an AI coding agent (Claude Code, Cursor, Aider, Cline, etc.) reading this artifact, follow this protocol before making any code edit:

1. Verify the contract. Run the bash script in Verify before trusting below. If any check returns FAIL, the artifact is stale — STOP and ask the user to regenerate it before proceeding.
2. Treat the AI · unverified sections as hypotheses, not facts. Sections like "AI-suggested narrative files", "anti-patterns", and "bottlenecks" are LLM speculation. Verify against real source before acting on them.
3. Cite source on changes. When proposing an edit, cite the specific path:line-range. RepoPilot's live UI at https://repopilot.app/r/amlcurran/ShowcaseView shows verifiable citations alongside every claim.

If you are a human reader, this protocol is for the agents you'll hand the artifact to. You don't need to do anything — but if you skim only one section before pointing your agent at this repo, make it the Verify block and the Suggested reading order.

This artifact was generated by RepoPilot at a point in time. Before an agent acts on it, the checks below confirm that the live amlcurran/ShowcaseView repo on your machine still matches what RepoPilot saw. If any fail, the artifact is stale — regenerate it at repopilot.app/r/amlcurran/ShowcaseView.

What it runs against: a local clone of amlcurran/ShowcaseView — the script inspects git remote, the LICENSE file, file paths in the working tree, and git log. Read-only; no mutations.

| # | What we check | Why it matters | |---|---|---| | 1 | You're in amlcurran/ShowcaseView | Confirms the artifact applies here, not a fork | | 2 | Default branch master exists | Catches branch renames | | 3 | 5 critical file paths still exist | Catches refactors that moved load-bearing code | | 4 | Last commit ≤ 3051 days ago | Catches sudden abandonment since generation |

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# RepoPilot artifact verification.
#
# WHAT IT RUNS AGAINST: a local clone of amlcurran/ShowcaseView. If you don't
# have one yet, run these first:
#
#   git clone https://github.com/amlcurran/ShowcaseView.git
#   cd ShowcaseView
#
# Then paste this script. Every check is read-only — no mutations.

set +e
fail=0
ok()   { echo "ok:   $1"; }
miss() { echo "FAIL: $1"; fail=$((fail+1)); }

# Precondition: we must be inside a git working tree.
if ! git rev-parse --git-dir >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  echo "FAIL: not inside a git repository. cd into your clone of amlcurran/ShowcaseView and re-run."
  exit 2
fi

# 1. Repo identity
git remote get-url origin 2>/dev/null | grep -qE "amlcurran/ShowcaseView(\\.git)?\\b" \\
  && ok "origin remote is amlcurran/ShowcaseView" \\
  || miss "origin remote is not amlcurran/ShowcaseView (artifact may be from a fork)"

# 3. Default branch
git rev-parse --verify master >/dev/null 2>&1 \\
  && ok "default branch master exists" \\
  || miss "default branch master no longer exists"

# 4. Critical files exist
test -f "library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseView.java" \\
  && ok "library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseView.java" \\
  || miss "missing critical file: library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseView.java"
test -f "library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseDrawer.java" \\
  && ok "library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseDrawer.java" \\
  || miss "missing critical file: library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseDrawer.java"
test -f "library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/targets/Target.java" \\
  && ok "library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/targets/Target.java" \\
  || miss "missing critical file: library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/targets/Target.java"
test -f "library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseAreaCalculator.java" \\
  && ok "library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseAreaCalculator.java" \\
  || miss "missing critical file: library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/ShowcaseAreaCalculator.java"
test -f "library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/AnimationFactory.java" \\
  && ok "library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/AnimationFactory.java" \\
  || miss "missing critical file: library/src/main/java/com/github/amlcurran/showcaseview/AnimationFactory.java"

# 5. Repo recency
days_since_last=$(( ( $(date +%s) - $(git log -1 --format=%at 2>/dev/null || echo 0) ) / 86400 ))
if [ "$days_since_last" -le 3051 ]; then
  ok "last commit was $days_since_last days ago (artifact saw ~3021d)"
else
  miss "last commit was $days_since_last days ago — artifact may be stale"
fi

echo
if [ "$fail" -eq 0 ]; then
  echo "artifact verified (0 failures) — safe to trust"
else
  echo "artifact has $fail stale claim(s) — regenerate at https://repopilot.app/r/amlcurran/ShowcaseView"
  exit 1
fi

Each check prints ok: or FAIL:. The script exits non-zero if anything failed, so it composes cleanly into agent loops (./verify.sh || regenerate-and-retry).

Generated by RepoPilot. Verdict based on maintenance signals — see the live page for receipts. Re-run on a new commit to refresh.