# Creating a player instance

This article is a brief introduction to the player API to help you get quickly started.

## Add a player to an Activity

There are two ways to add a player to an Activity:

* **Option 1**: Use `FlowplayerView`.
* **Option 2**: Use either `FlowplayerSupportFragment` or `FlowplayerFragment`, depending on whether or not your Activity inherits (directly or indirectly) from AndroidX's `FragmentActivity`.


The second method is recommended since these two Fragments wrap `FlowplayerView` and handle its lifecycle automatically.

Optionally, both these Fragments can also handle orientation changes and toggle fullscreen.

### Option 1: Add FlowplayerView

The `FlowplayerView` is the core of the Wowza Flowplayer Android SDK. It can load a video/audio, control the playback, and subscribe to player related callbacks.

It extends `FrameLayout` and can, therefore, be added either via xml or programmatically in an ordinary fashion:


```xml
<RelativeLayout
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent">
    
    <com.flowplayer.android.player.FlowplayerView
        android:id="@+id/player_view"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent" />
</RelativeLayout>
```

Adding `FlowplayerView` gives you more control over its lifecycle. However, if you don't need this control, we recommend using either `FlowplayerFragment` or `FlowplayerSupportFragment` instead.

If you decide to use `FlowplayerView` instead of `FlowplayerFragment` or `FlowplayerSupportFragment`, then you must manage its lifecycle. There are two ways to achieve this:

1. If your Activity or Fragment inherits (directly or indirectly) from AndroidX's FragmentActivity or Fragment, respectively, then it implements `LifecycleOwner`. In this case, you can simply register your Activity's or Fragment's lifecycle by adding the following line in its `onCreate()` method:

```js
FlowplayerLifecycleObserver.registerLifecycle(lifecycle)
```
2. If your Activity or Fragment does not implement `LifecycleOwner`, then you must call the `FlowplayerView`'s lifecycle methods manually by putting the following code inside the parent Activity or Fragment:

```js
override fun onStart() {
    super.onStart()
    flowplayerView.onStart()
}

override fun onResume() {
    super.onResume()
    flowplayerView.onResume()
}

override fun onPause() {
    flowplayerView.onPause()
    super.onPause()
}

override fun onStop() {
    flowplayerView.onStop()
    super.onStop()
}

override fun onDestroy() {
    flowplayerView.onDestroy()
    super.onDestroy()
}
```


### Option 2: Add FlowplayerFragment or FlowplayerSupportFragment

Both `FlowplayerFragment` and `FlowplayerSupportFragment` can be added in the same way as any other Fragment, either via xml:


```xml
<RelativeLayout
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent">

    <fragment
        android:id="@+id/player_fragment"
        class="com.flowplayer.android.player.FlowplayerFragment"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent" />
</RelativeLayout>
```

or programmatically:


```js
val playerFragment = FlowplayerFragment.newInstance()

fragmentManager.beginTransaction()
        .replace(R.id.player_holder, playerFragment)
        .commit()
```

You can then get the instance of the `FlowplayerView` by calling:


```js
playerFragment.getPlayer()
```

Info
If you add the Fragment programmatically and you want to immediately get the player's instance,
then before `playerFragment.getPlayer()` you first need to call `fragmentManager.executePendingTransactions()`.
That's because the `.commit()` that you called earlier, will commit the transaction asynchronously.

## Prepare the player

`FlowplayerView` can play media directly from a media URL that you specify.

The player can be prepared with a local or remote media URL. This is possible by preparing the player with an `ExternalMedia` instance as shown below. An `ExternalMedia` may optionally contain an ad schedule as well.


```js
val externalMedia = ExternalMedia("https://link.to.a.media.file")
flowplayerView.prepare(externalMedia, true)
```