PhilJay/MPAndroidChart · error · ParcelFormatException

Cannot parcel an Entry with non-parcelable data

Error message

Cannot parcel an Entry with non-parcelable data

What it means

Thrown during Entry.writeToParcel() when an Entry has non-null data that does not implement android.os.Parcelable. Parceling an Entry serializes x, y, and an optional data payload; only Parcelable data can be written through writeParcelable, so any other object type causes a ParcelFormatException. The data field is set via Entry.setData(Object) and is opaque to the chart.

Source

Thrown at MPChartLib/src/main/java/com/github/mikephil/charting/data/Entry.java:149

    public String toString() {
        return "Entry, x: " + x + " y: " + getY();
    }

    @Override
    public int describeContents() {
        return 0;
    }

    @Override
    public void writeToParcel(Parcel dest, int flags) {
        dest.writeFloat(this.x);
        dest.writeFloat(this.getY());
        if (getData() != null) {
            if (getData() instanceof Parcelable) {
                dest.writeInt(1);
                dest.writeParcelable((Parcelable) this.getData(), flags);
            } else {
                throw new ParcelFormatException("Cannot parcel an Entry with non-parcelable data");
            }
        } else {
            dest.writeInt(0);
        }
    }

    protected Entry(Parcel in) {
        this.x = in.readFloat();
        this.setY(in.readFloat());
        if (in.readInt() == 1) {
            this.setData(in.readParcelable(Object.class.getClassLoader()));
        }
    }

    public static final Parcelable.Creator<Entry> CREATOR = new Parcelable.Creator<Entry>() {
        public Entry createFromParcel(Parcel source) {
            return new Entry(source);
        }

View on GitHub (pinned to 9c7275a059)

Solutions

1. Make the data object implement android.os.Parcelable (override writeToParcel and provide a CREATOR).
2. If you only need an id, store a primitive/String (wrap a small Parcelable) instead of a POJO.
3. Call entry.setData(null) before parceling if the payload is non-essential.
4. Use a separate lookup map keyed by x/y instead of stuffing non-parcelable data onto the Entry.

Example fix

// before
entry.setData(myBusinessObject); // not Parcelable -> throws on saveInstanceState

// after
public class ChartMeta implements Parcelable {
    public final long id;
    protected ChartMeta(Parcel in){ this.id = in.readLong(); }
    public void writeToParcel(Parcel dest, int flags){ dest.writeLong(id); }
    public static final Creator<ChartMeta> CREATOR = ...;
}
entry.setData(new ChartMeta(42L));

if (entry.getData() == null || entry.getData() instanceof android.os.Parcelable) {
    // safe to parcel this Entry
} else {
    entry.setData(null); // strip non-parcelable payload before state save
}

boolean isEntryDataParcelable(Entry e) {
    return e.getData() == null || e.getData() instanceof android.os.Parcelable;
}

try {
    out.writeParcelable(entry, 0);
} catch (android.os.ParcelFormatException e) {
    entry.setData(null);
    Log.w(TAG, "Stripped non-parcelable Entry data", e);
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling entry.setData(myPojo) where myPojo does not implement Parcelable, then saving the chart state to a Bundle/Parcel (e.g. onSaveInstanceState, passing across activities via intent). Putting an Entry list into a Bundle on a config change.

Common situations: Attaching arbitrary business objects to entries for tap-handling then relying on Android state restoration; serializing chart data across process boundaries; storing entries in savedInstanceState without making the payload Parcelable.

AI-assisted analysis of PhilJay/MPAndroidChart@9c7275a059 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c43db780cceaf5f4. Report an issue: GitHub.