Issue
I have an old drawing app on Android, which stores drawings (.PNG files) out on a specific folder on external storage. With Scoped Storage in Android 11, I need to find a way to save files, but I can't seem to find a solution that meets my needs. My app has its own gallery UI, like many drawing apps, so that I can control the selection/view UX.
I've tried:
MediaStore: I inserted files with MediaStore. The issue I ran into here is that I couldn't figure out a way to query just the files that my app created. Querying mediastore always returns a bunch of stuff I don't want.
Storage Access Framework. My intuition with this framework, is that I would probably spend a lot of time and potentially regret going down that road. I don't like the idea of not controlling the file selector (gallery). I also don't like relying on intents for a critical part of my app.
MANAGE_EXTERNAL_FILES. Based on the criteria defined by Google, my app wouldn't qualify to use this, though it would be great (since I could keep my old code).
Use internal file storage. I coded this up, and it's really clean, but I hesitate to roll this out, because uninstalling would mean that users lose their documents. Note that i have a Share intent, so users can "export" files one at a time.
What I want:
- To write files where they aren't removed when the user uninstalls my app.
- To write my files somewhere that the user can back them up one way or another.
- Simplicity. I don't want to confuse existing users by changing things drastically.
Am I missing something regarding my options here? Can Mediastore effectively partition my files so that I can show them in the gallery? Does internal storage seem like the best option for me?
Solution
Just create your files in the old fashioned way in your apps sub folder in public Documents directory.
No special permissions needed.
Answered By - blackapps
