CODEWITHSUNDEEP
androidandroid-external-storage
Aashis Shrestha
Aashis Shrestha

Reputation: 612

getExternalFilesDir () doesnot store file to mounted memory card

I am using Nougut 7.1.1 device

When I run the below given code, file is stored in device or internal storage "emulated/0..." but I want to store it in removable memory card.

I logged getExternalStorageState() and it shows mounted.
I tried using Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory() also,stored in "emulated/0...", no result

I have used permissions in manifest file too as below:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />

Note: However, both internal and external(memory card) storage consist of "Hello World" folder like:
Android/Data/com.example.myapplication/files/Hello World/

but stored file(myData2.txt) is present only in "Hello World" folder of internal storage

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
        Log.i("tag", Environment.getExternalStorageState().toString());
        Log.i("tag", getExternalFilesDir(null).toString());

        savePrivate();

    }

    public void savePrivate() {
        String info = "Written";
        File folder = getExternalFilesDir("Hello World");// Folder Name
        File myFile = new File(folder, "myData2.txt");// Filename
        writeData(myFile, info);
    }

    private void writeData(File myFile, String data) {
        FileOutputStream fileOutputStream = null;
        try {
            fileOutputStream = new FileOutputStream(myFile);
            fileOutputStream.write(data.getBytes());
            Toast.makeText(this, "Done" + myFile.getAbsolutePath(), Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
        } catch (Exception e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } finally {
            if (fileOutputStream != null) {
                try {
                    fileOutputStream.close();
                } catch (IOException e) {
                    e.printStackTrace();
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Upvotes: 0

Views: 3170

Answers (4)

Omkar Sawant
Omkar Sawant

Reputation: 423

This is a function in context where you could get all mounted storage's

ContextCompat.getExternalFilesDirs(context,Environment.YOUR_DIRECTORY);

So , First is your primary internal storage and second will be your mounted sd-card if mounted . You may use this function that returns the sd-card directory if sd-card mounted else the internal-storage directory

File getDir(Context context){
 File[] mountedStorage = ContextCompat.getExternalFilesDirs(context,Environment.DIRECTORY_PICTURES);
    return mountedStorage[mountedStorage.length-1];
}

With Kotlin

  val dir:File = ContextCompat.getExternalFilesDirs(context,Environment.YOUR_DIRECTORY).last()

Upvotes: 0

Mayank Bhatnagar
Mayank Bhatnagar

Reputation: 2191

Beginning with Android 4.4 (API level 19), reading or writing files in your app's private external storage directory—accessed using getExternalFilesDir()—does not require the READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE or WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permissions. So if your app supports Android 4.3 (API level 18) and lower, and you want to access only the private external storage directory, you should declare that the permission be requested only on the lower versions of Android by adding the maxSdkVersion attribute:

<manifest ...>
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"
                     android:maxSdkVersion="18" />
</manifest>

Select between multiple storage locations

Sometimes, a device that allocates a partition of the internal memory for use as the external storage also provides an SD card slot. This means that the device has two different external storage directories, so you need to select which one to use when writing "private" files to the external storage.

Beginning with Android 4.4 (API level 19), you can access both locations by calling getExternalFilesDirs(), which returns a File array with entries for each storage location. The first entry in the array is considered the primary external storage, and you should use that location unless it's full or unavailable.

If your app supports Android 4.3 and lower, you should use the support library's static method, ContextCompat.getExternalFilesDirs(). This always returns a File array, but if the device is running Android 4.3 and lower, then it contains just one entry for the primary external storage (if there's a second storage location, you cannot access it on Android 4.3 and lower).

Check official documentation for detailed description.

Hope this helps.

Upvotes: 1

Aashis Shrestha
Aashis Shrestha

Reputation: 612

Changed my savePrivate() method as below and it worked like a charm!!
As per @CommonsWare suggested,using getExternalFilesDirs() returned available array of locations from which I could select particular storage,In my case folder[0] pointed to "emulated/0.." and folder[1] pointed to removable storage (storage/15C8-119Z/...). 

    public void savePrivate() {
    String info = "Written";
    File[] folder = getExternalFilesDirs("backup");// Folder Name
    Log.i("tag", String.valueOf(folder[1]).toString());
    File myFile = new File(folder[1], "myData2.txt");// Filename
    writeData(myFile, info);
}

Upvotes: 2

CommonsWare
CommonsWare

Reputation: 1006614

but stored file(myData2.txt) is present only in "Hello World" folder of internal storage

It is stored in what the Android SDK refers to as external storage. External storage is not removable storage, nor is it what the Android SDK refers to as internal storage.

When I run the below given code, file is stored in device or internal storage "emulated/0..." but I want to store it in removable memory card.

First, you are passing an invalid value to getExternalFilesDir(). Please follow the documentation and pass in a valid value (e.g., Environment.DIRECTORY_MUSIC) or null.

To write to removable storage, replace getExternalFilesDir() with getExternalFilesDirs() and choose a location from the returned array of locations. If that array has 2+ entries, 1+ of them will be on removable storage.

Upvotes: 0

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