the variable convertView in getView of BaseAdapter . What is it for? when creating items should I always use convertView? What is the problem if I don't use it?
What is it for?
it an instance of the View
if you inflate, the first time its value is null. E.g.
if (convertView == null) {
convertView = inflate...
}
when creating items should I always use convertView?
yes, but try to implement the ViewHolder pattern around it. It will speed up the scroll's performance.
What is the problem if I don't use it?
it depends on the the number of items you have in your ListView
. We can go from laggy ux to crashes.