nostra13/Android-Universal-Image-Loader · error · IllegalArgumentException

decodingOptions can't be null

Error message

decodingOptions can't be null

What it means

DisplayImageOptions.Builder.decodingOptions(BitmapFactory.Options) rejects a null Options object because the builder stores it and the decoders dereference it (inPreferredConfig, inSampleSize) for every image load. Note the documented caveat: the library overrides inSampleSize itself according to imageScaleType, and decodingOptions() overlaps bitmapConfig(); passing null would leave decoding undefined.

Source

Thrown at library/src/main/java/com/nostra13/universalimageloader/core/DisplayImageOptions.java:391

		}

		/** Sets {@link Bitmap.Config bitmap config} for image decoding. Default value - {@link Bitmap.Config#ARGB_8888} */
		public Builder bitmapConfig(Bitmap.Config bitmapConfig) {
			if (bitmapConfig == null) throw new IllegalArgumentException("bitmapConfig can't be null");
			decodingOptions.inPreferredConfig = bitmapConfig;
			return this;
		}

		/**
		 * Sets options for image decoding.<br />
		 * <b>NOTE:</b> {@link Options#inSampleSize} of incoming options will <b>NOT</b> be considered. Library
		 * calculate the most appropriate sample size itself according yo {@link #imageScaleType(ImageScaleType)}
		 * options.<br />
		 * <b>NOTE:</b> This option overlaps {@link #bitmapConfig(android.graphics.Bitmap.Config) bitmapConfig()}
		 * option.
		 */
		public Builder decodingOptions(Options decodingOptions) {
			if (decodingOptions == null) throw new IllegalArgumentException("decodingOptions can't be null");
			this.decodingOptions = decodingOptions;
			return this;
		}

		/** Sets delay time before starting loading task. Default - no delay. */
		public Builder delayBeforeLoading(int delayInMillis) {
			this.delayBeforeLoading = delayInMillis;
			return this;
		}

		/** Sets auxiliary object which will be passed to {@link ImageDownloader#getStream(String, Object)} */
		public Builder extraForDownloader(Object extra) {
			this.extraForDownloader = extra;
			return this;
		}

		/** Sets whether ImageLoader will consider EXIF parameters of JPEG image (rotate, flip) */
		public Builder considerExifParams(boolean considerExifParams) {

View on GitHub (pinned to ba33ec64d0)

Solutions

1. Pass a constructed Options: .decodingOptions(new BitmapFactory.Options())
2. If you only wanted the bitmap config, use .bitmapConfig(Bitmap.Config.RGB_565) instead of decodingOptions
3. Initialize settings fields at declaration so they can never be null

Example fix

// before
BitmapFactory.Options o = maybeInitOptions(); // returns null by default
builder.decodingOptions(o);

// after
builder.decodingOptions(new BitmapFactory.Options());
// or, if only config matters:
builder.bitmapConfig(Bitmap.Config.RGB_565);

BitmapFactory.Options o = decodingOptions != null
        ? decodingOptions : new BitmapFactory.Options();
options.decodingOptions(o);

static boolean isUsableDecodingOptions(BitmapFactory.Options o) {
    return o != null;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling .decodingOptions(null) in an options builder chain; passing a BitmapFactory.Options field of a settings object that was never initialized; creating options lazily and forgetting the branch that leaves it null.

Common situations: Optional decoding settings modeled as null meaning 'default'; copy-pasted sample code where the Options variable was removed but the call stayed; proguard/stripping issues are NOT the cause here, it is always an explicit null argument.

Related errors

• bitmapConfig can't be null
• displayer can't be null
• key == null
• key == null || value == null
• ImageLoader configuration can not be initialized with null

AI-assisted analysis of nostra13/Android-Universal-Image-Loader@ba33ec64d0 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/42d422be9a059021. Report an issue: GitHub.