[android-developers] Re: getExternalFilesDir may not be the SD card!
Yes, it is another stupid thing we have to deal with. This one though I don't think is Google's fault, it's the device manufacturers that decided to remap this. The only way around it is to allow users to browse to the external sdcard in some way. I actually had to add a menu item to my app to allow users to type in the path to the external sd since if they transferred their sdcard to a new device, and that device now had *internal* sd as well, then my app would not even see the external card because the API was giving me the internal one. So I added a menu item where they can type in the *real* path to the external sdcard. It's like writing for windows ! -niko On Dec 13, 7:46 am, RLScott fixthatpi...@yahoo.com wrote: I need to write to the SD card so the user can transfer data files created by my app to other devices. getExternalFilesDir() does not always point to the SD card, even when there is one. As the developer docs say: Quote: Note: don't be confused by the word external here. This directory can better be thought as media/shared storage. It is a filesystem that can hold a relatively large amount of data and that is shared across all applications (does not enforce permissions). Traditionally this is an SD card, but it may also be implemented as built-in storage in a device that is distinct from the protected internal storage and can be mounted as a filesystem on a computer. In devices with multiple external storage directories (such as both secure app storage and mountable shared storage), this directory represents the primary external storage that the user will interact with. and indeed my testing confirms this. On 2 out of 3 Android tablets I have for testing, getExternalFilesDir() directs me to built- in memory, not the removable SD card. And this posting on Stackoverflow indicates that there is no general solution for this problem: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5524105/how-could-i-get-the-correc... How can this be? Is it truly impossible to write a generic Android app that for sure will access the SD card? -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Android Developers group. To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
[android-developers] Re: getExternalFilesDir may not be the SD card!
And that's doable by starting with what? Environment.getRootDirectory() ? On Dec 13, 9:10 am, niko20 nikolatesl...@yahoo.com wrote: Yes, it is another stupid thing we have to deal with. This one though I don't think is Google's fault, it's the device manufacturers that decided to remap this. The only way around it is to allow users to browse to the external sdcard in some way. I actually had to add a menu item to my app to allow users to type in the path to the external sd since if they transferred their sdcard to a new device, and that device now had *internal* sd as well, then my app would not even see the external card because the API was giving me the internal one. So I added a menu item where they can type in the *real* path to the external sdcard. It's like writing for windows ! -niko On Dec 13, 7:46 am, RLScott fixthatpi...@yahoo.com wrote: I need to write to the SD card so the user can transfer data files created by my app to other devices. getExternalFilesDir() does not always point to the SD card, even when there is one. As the developer docs say: Quote: Note: don't be confused by the word external here. This directory can better be thought as media/shared storage. It is a filesystem that can hold a relatively large amount of data and that is shared across all applications (does not enforce permissions). Traditionally this is an SD card, but it may also be implemented as built-in storage in a device that is distinct from the protected internal storage and can be mounted as a filesystem on a computer. In devices with multiple external storage directories (such as both secure app storage and mountable shared storage), this directory represents the primary external storage that the user will interact with. and indeed my testing confirms this. On 2 out of 3 Android tablets I have for testing, getExternalFilesDir() directs me to built- in memory, not the removable SD card. And this posting on Stackoverflow indicates that there is no general solution for this problem: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5524105/how-could-i-get-the-correc... How can this be? Is it truly impossible to write a generic Android app that for sure will access the SD card? -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Android Developers group. To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
