Android: Need Download folder Uri instead of path

Question

My first Android application and I seem to be complete lost in the Uri, path and Android file system structure maze. :-

My application allows users to export data into a file. I created a directory picker which allows the user to select a folder and stores the string converted uri in preferences, like so:

        case R.id.action_directoryPicker: {
            Intent i = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT_TREE);
            i.addCategory(Intent.CATEGORY_DEFAULT);
            startActivityForResult(Intent.createChooser(i, "Choose directory"), 9999);
            return true;
        }

    ....

    public void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data) {
    if (requestCode == 9999) {
        SharedPreferences sharedPref = PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(this);

        Uri treeUri = data.getData();
        if (treeUri == null) {
            return;
        }
        SharedPreferences.Editor editor = sharedPref.edit();
        editor.putString(SettingsActivity.KEY_PREF_IMPORT_EXPORT_LOCATION, treeUri.toString());
        editor.apply();
    }
}

This works fine! Now, I'd like to set the default to the downloads folder when the app is started for the first time, which is when things go wrong. I have the following code in mainActivity.onCreate()

        # Now some conversion madness: 
        # Convert environment string into a file
        # Convert file into a uri 
        # Convert uri into a string again so I can store it in preferences
        File f = Environment.getExternalStoragePublicDirectory(Environment.DIRECTORY_DOWNLOADS); 
        Uri u = Uri.fromFile(f);  
        SharedPreferences.Editor editor = sharedPref.edit();
        editor.putString(SettingsActivity.KEY_PREF_IMPORT_EXPORT_LOCATION, u.toString());
        editor.apply();
    }

Even though it's ugly, it works in principle. However, the string/uri I am getting from Environment.DIRECTORY_DOWNLOADS is different to what I would get when manually picking the Download folder via my filePicker routine.

What it should read to work: content://com.android.providers.downloads.documents/tree/downloads

What I get from Environment.DIRECTORY_DOWNLOADS and fails: file:///storage/emulated/0/Download

So after all this context, my question is what's the best way to get to the proper Uri reflecting a device download folder?

please see the link https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3004713/get-content-uri-from-file-path-in-android — Muhammad Yaseen, Mar 05 '20 at 11:00

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 05 '20 at 10:50

0

You can get uri like this

File newFile = new File(filePath);
Uri contentUri = getUriForFile(context, "com.packagename.www", newFile);

answered Mar 05 '20 at 10:50

suyash saurabh

365
6
17

Thanks! Need to look into this in more detail, right now it seems that getUriForFile reliably crashes the app. Might be because Environment.DIRECTORY_DOWNLOADS isn't actually a file but rather a folder. – TZ04 Mar 05 '20 at 15:27

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 05 '20 at 10:54

0

Not possible.

You should let the user choose the folder with your picker.

You could indeed construct the uri for the Download folder yourself but even if you did it would not make sense as you would not have the rigths to use it.

answered Mar 05 '20 at 10:54

blackapps

8,011
2
11
25

1

That is my fallback option, empty the path on first launch and ask the user to use the file picker whenever they try to run their first file export. I am stunned by how complicated all this file handling is on Android. – TZ04 Mar 05 '20 at 15:29
ridiculous system – Noor Hossain Dec 31 '20 at 22:54

Android: Need Download folder Uri instead of path

2 Answers2