Yes, you definitely want to use a database. If you use a database local to the phone, you need to use an SQLite database. Here is a good place to start.
If you want a database that is preloaded in the phone, put it in your assets folder. Here is an example of a database helper class with the database packaged with the phone:
import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.OutputStream;
import java.text.DateFormat;
import java.util.Calendar;
import java.util.Date;
import java.util.Vector;
import android.content.ContentValues;
import android.content.Context;
import android.database.Cursor;
import android.database.SQLException;
import android.database.sqlite.SQLiteDatabase;
import android.database.sqlite.SQLiteException;
import android.database.sqlite.SQLiteOpenHelper;
import android.util.Log;
public class DataBaseHelper extends SQLiteOpenHelper{
private static final String TAG = "DataBaseHelper";
//The Androids default system path of your application database.
private static String DB_PATH = "/data/data/yourpackage/databases/";
private static String DB_NAME = "DatabaseName";
public SQLiteDatabase myDataBase;
private final Context myContext;
/**
* Constructor
* Takes and keeps a reference of the passed context in order to access to the application assets and resources.
* @param context
*/
public DataBaseHelper(Context context) {
super(context, DB_NAME, null, 1);
this.myContext = context;
}
/**
* Creates a empty database on the system and rewrites it with your own database.
* */
public void createDataBase() throws IOException{
boolean dbExist = checkDataBase();
if(dbExist){
//do nothing - database already exist
}else{
//By calling this method and empty database will be created into the default system path
//of your application so we are gonna be able to overwrite that database with our database.
this.getWritableDatabase();
try {
copyDataBase();
} catch (IOException e) {
throw new Error("Error copying database");
}
}
}
/**
* Check if the database already exist to avoid re-copying the file each time you open the application.
* @return true if it exists, false if it doesnt
*/
private boolean checkDataBase(){
SQLiteDatabase checkDB = null;
try{
String myPath = DB_PATH + DB_NAME;
checkDB = SQLiteDatabase.openDatabase(myPath, null, SQLiteDatabase.OPEN_READWRITE);
}catch(SQLiteException e){
//database doest exist yet.
}
if(checkDB != null){
checkDB.close();
}
return checkDB != null ? true : false;
}
/**
* Copies your database from your local assets-folder to the just created empty database in the
* system folder, from where it can be accessed and handled.
* This is done by transfering bytestream.
* */
private void copyDataBase() throws IOException{
//Open your local db as the input stream
InputStream myInput = myContext.getAssets().open(DB_NAME);
Log.d(TAG, "found the database");
// Path to the just created empty db
String outFileName = DB_PATH + DB_NAME;
//Open the empty db as the output stream
OutputStream myOutput = new FileOutputStream(outFileName);
//transfer bytes from the inputfile to the outputfile
byte[] buffer = new byte[2048];
int length;
while ((length = myInput.read(buffer))>0){
myOutput.write(buffer, 0, length);
}
//Close the streams
myOutput.flush();
myOutput.close();
myInput.close();
}
public void openDataBase() throws SQLException{
//Open the database
String myPath = DB_PATH + DB_NAME;
myDataBase = SQLiteDatabase.openDatabase(myPath, null, SQLiteDatabase.OPEN_READWRITE);
}
@Override
public synchronized void close() {
if(myDataBase != null)
myDataBase.close();
super.close();
}
@Override
public void onCreate(SQLiteDatabase db) {
}
@Override
public void onUpgrade(SQLiteDatabase db, int oldVersion, int newVersion) {
}
// Add your public helper methods to access and get content from the database.
// You could return cursors by doing "return myDataBase.query(....)" so itd be easy
// to you to create adapters for your views.
