Above The Status Bar, AOT; Always On Top

Like Omega Status Bar you can find Android Market I just happen to make the view which exist above the status bar. It's If you want to make a view that exist above the status bar, a lock screen, and any window, this post may help you.

  When you make view which exist above all other view(application), first thing to do is to make a service that has views. Second thing is make a view, a layout parameter and add them together to a window. When you add a view with layout parameter, it usually gets width, height, type(s), flag(s), and a format. To being above others, a view have to have this type and flag; WindowManager.LayoutParams.TYPE_SYSTEM_OVERLAY and
WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_LAYOUT_IN_SCREEN.

Refer this; http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9815901/display-view-above-status-bar

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A view created with TYPE_SYSTEM_ALERT and FLAG_LAYOUT_IN_SCREEN is covered by the status bar.

To get an overlay on top of the status bar you need to use TYPE_SYSTEM_OVERLAY instead of TYPE_SYSTEM_ALERT. 
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  If you use TYPE_SYSTEM_ALERT, the view will be mixed(I mean, alpha) with other views. So use TYPE_SYSTEM_OVERLAY  alone. It prior to other types such as TYPE_PHONE, TYPE_SYSTEM_ALERT, etc.. And, don't forget to add permission in your manifest. Add it outside of <application/> scope.

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

This may help you too.

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

So let me get straight all things(thanks to http://blog.daum.net/mailss/35)

1. Make a Service

public class CustomService extends Service {
    @Override
    public IBinder onBind(Intent arg0) { 
        return null; 
    }
    
    @Override
    public void onCreate() {
        super.onCreate();
    }

    @Override
    public void onDestroy() {
        super.onDestroy();
    }
}

2. Make a View and a Layout Parameter and Add them to the Top Window

    private TextView mView;
    private WindowManager.LayoutParams mLP;
    private WindowManager mWindowManager;

    @Override
    public void onCreate() {
        super.onCreate();

        mView= new TextView(this);                                      
        mView setText("Hello World. I am above other views");                      
        mView.setTextSize(TypedValue.COMPLEX_UNIT_SP, 20);
        mView setTextColor(Color.WHITE);                                
        mView.setBackgroundColor(Color.argb(125, 125, 255, 125));


        mLP = new WindowManager.LayoutParams(
            WindowManager.LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT,
            WindowManager.LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT,
            WindowManager.LayoutParams.TYPE_SYSTEM_OVERLAY,
            WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_NOT_FOCUSABLE,

           |WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_LAYOUT_IN_SCREEN,  

            PixelFormat.RGB_565);                                       

        mLP =  Gravity.TOP|Gravity.CENTER;                
   
        mWindowManager = (WindowManager) getSystemService(WINDOW_SERVICE);
        mWindowManager.addView(mView, mLP);//Need permissions
    }

3. Remove a view when a service is destroyed.

    @Override
    public void onDestroy() {
        if(mWindowManager != null) {        
            if(mPopupView != null) mWindowManager.removeView(mPopupView);        }
        super.onDestroy();
    }

That is all. It's done. :) Other parts are your remains like handling touch events, making an activity that trigger and killing a service and starting a service when boot is completed.

Extra information? refer these, although posts are written in Korean.

http://blog.daum.net/mailss/35

http://blog.daum.net/mailss/18

http://outliers.tistory.com/entry/Lock-%ED%99%94%EB%A9%B4-%EC%9C%84%EB%A1%9C-Activity-%EC%8B%A4%ED%96%89-%EC%8B%9C%ED%82%A4%EB%8A%94-%EB%B0%A9%EB%B2%95