Send uri to text editor app and have it save

Question

Conceptually what I'm looking to do is send a resource uri (which references my content provider (CP)) from my app (A) to a text editor app (B) (which the user picks) such that the text editor accesses the uri as a text stream and has the ability to edit and save the file. Some notification back from the text editor (B) would be desirable but I may be able to use the CP to become aware of "writes" for example.

Do intents and CPs support this level of interaction?

Essentially, I don't want to have to write my own text editor in my app - my app manages the data (via content provider) and the text editor manipulates.

Perhaps sending the data to a temporary external storage location and send the file path to the editor - but that seems more complicated than is needed.

score 0 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 10:29

Well I ended up using FileProvider class and walked through the supporting documentation resulting in the below code. Not quite what I was originally intending on doing but conceptually the result is the same (user presses button - edits file/saves - user returns back to app):

(in AndroidManifest.xml>

    <provider
        android:name="android.support.v4.content.FileProvider"
        android:authorities="my.package.name.fileprovider"
        android:exported="false"
        android:grantUriPermissions="true">
        <meta-data
            android:name="android.support.FILE_PROVIDER_PATHS"
            android:resource="@xml/file_paths" />
    </provider>

and in res/xml/file_paths.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <paths xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <files-path name="notes" path="notes/"/>
</paths>

and in a button listener (which the user would expect to see/edit their notes):

private class AddNoteListener implements View.OnClickListener {

    @Override
    public void onClick(View v) {
        File notesPath = new File(context.getFilesDir(), "notes");
        if (notesPath.exists() == false) {
            notesPath.mkdir();
        }
        File newFile = new File(notesPath, "my_note.txt");
        try {
            if (newFile.exists() == false) {
                newFile.createNewFile();
            }
            Uri contentUri = FileProvider.getUriForFile(context, "my.package.name.fileprovider", newFile);
            Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_EDIT);
            intent.setDataAndType(contentUri, "text/plain");
            intent.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_GRANT_READ_URI_PERMISSION | Intent.FLAG_GRANT_WRITE_URI_PERMISSION);

            List<ResolveInfo> resInfoList = context.getPackageManager().queryIntentActivities(intent,  PackageManager.MATCH_DEFAULT_ONLY);
            for (ResolveInfo resolveInfo : resInfoList) {
                String packageName = resolveInfo.activityInfo.packageName;
                context.grantUriPermission(packageName, contentUri, Intent.FLAG_GRANT_WRITE_URI_PERMISSION | Intent.FLAG_GRANT_READ_URI_PERMISSION);
            }
            context.startActivity(Intent.createChooser(intent,"Title"));
        } catch (IOException ioe) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

References:

Granting permissions
Proper mime type
FileProvider

Send uri to text editor app and have it save

1 Answers1