Tag Archives: intents

Picking a Contact photo with Motorola Cliq

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Some Motorola Cliq phones are having issues trying to pick a contact photo using something other than the Gallery app that comes with the phone. Motorola is aware of the issue, but I am trying out a workaround for it in my File Browser app. Basically, the problem is that an OutOfMemoryError could result from attempting to pick a large photo because the Intent being used does not specify the size to be returned. Normally, I would just use getIntExtra(“outputX”,defX) and getIntExtra(“outputY”,defY) in order to get what the caller wanted as a size, but since Motorola’s contact app does not provide those Intent Extras, it would return the full sized photo.

Instead of waiting for Motorola to modify their app, I decided to check the name of the caller and provide a default size for that particular app.

if (myActivity.getCallingPackage().equals("com.motorola.blur.contacts")) {
    outputX = outputY = 48;
}

File Browser Intents and Providers

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I have finally put together a comprehensive list of Intents and Providers published by my File Browser app. You can find that list over on the File Browser Intents & Providers page.

As a convenience, I will post what is currently listed there:
Intent & Provider List

  1. Pick File
  2. Pick Multiple Files
  3. Pick Folder
  4. Save To New File
  5. Save To New Folder
  6. Playlist Creator
  7. Create Zip File
  8. Unpack Zip File
  9. MIME Type Provider

 

Pick Folder Intent

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One of the powerful features about Android vs other mobile operating systems is the ability to create and Intent and ask the system if there are other activities that might be able to respond, even if they are in some other app. Why reinvent the wheel with every app if there is already one much more capable already out there? By apps working together, we can create an ecosystem of apps that inter-operate without requiring explicit code shared between them. Intents are powerful in that they are open ended and can carry a vast array of data and filters between apps. However, since there is no strict definition on how to create intents for all kinds of purposes, one must follow published guidelines from the authors of apps or rely on a site like OpenIntents.org that register Intents so others may use them correctly. Continue reading →

FileBrowser Send / Receive Intents

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Blackmoon File Browser app has grown from a simple browser to a full fledged file manager and able to launch apps based on the given file name so that you don’t have to launch the app and then open the file. Expanding on this idea, FileBrowser grew arms with which to pass off data to other apps in singles or multiples. FileBrowser then grew ears to listen for other apps that wish to use it’s functionality to pick files or folders. Most of these Intents are discoverable, but any good dev knows that getting information directly from the source trumps whatever else is available. In this article, I will specify what Intents FileBrowser uses and how you can use them in your own app. Continue reading →