5 ms·

They still can, but app1 must use the Intents system to pass an access token to app2 to read its file(s).

LifeLiverTransp 8y ago
So summed up- there will soon be a app called file-system, which provides the expected behaviour through the Object-Orientated Cruft to every app needing it?
- Spivak 8y ago
  That's the intents system. You just declare that you want a file. A picker then opens up with every app that has files available, the user selects one, and you get a handle to it.
  - LifeLiverTransp 8y ago
    Sounds like a abstracted away filesystem to me.
    - m-p-3 8y ago
      With all the drawbacks and none of the benefits.
      - Spivak 8y ago
        Seems uncharitable. * Apps are only allowed to access only files that the user explicitly allows them access to. (No more Epic games launcher slurping up your Steam library information) * Apps can present file-like objects to the file picker and have them work transparently. (No more one-off filesystems to just forward an API call) * Apps don't have to know anything about permissions. You just get a blob of data.
        iggldiggl 8y ago
        While I get the thinking behind content://-URI and accept that their beneficial for some use cases, as currently implemented they still break a lot of things, too: > * Apps are only allowed to access only files that the user explicitly allows them access to. (No more Epic games launcher slurping up your Steam library information) This assumes that all content you possibly want to open in a different app always consists of a single atomic file. Unfortunately that's not always the case, though. If you open a HTML file from your storage, you'll likely want your browser to be able to access the accompanying images, style sheets, other locally linked files, etc., too, but under Google's file access model that's not possible. Or say you open a video file where you've also thrown some subtitles into the same directory - unfortunately your video player will only be able to open the video itself and never even learns about the subtitles. For a small demonstration, just copy some archived web pages to your storage and then try using the built-in file explorer (which uses the officially sanctioned way of content://-URIs for launching apps) to view one of those HTML files in either Android's mini HTML viewer app or else Chrome and marvel at the missing images, broken styles, non-working links... > * Apps can present file-like objects to the file picker and have them work transparently. (No more one-off filesystems to just forward an API call) > * Apps don't have to know anything about permissions. You just get a blob of data. Unfortunately it also completely hides the underlying file system, so even if the file in question is one that a) is actually sitting on the local storage and b) is stored somewhere where the receiving app would have access permissions itself anyway (because you've explicitly allowed that app to access that part of the storage), you still have no official way to get a reference to the original file. This is a problem because if the receiving app could open the file (and accordingly also its companion files) using its own permissions, it could in fact avoid the issues resulting from the first point. As it is, you're somewhat stuck, though.
  - altfredd 8y ago
    Unless the type of your file is unknown to system. Like, say, a new music format.
jimmaswell 8y ago
How do you even have a music or video playing app? You just don't? Never buying a new smartphone again if this happens.
- izacus 8y ago
  The same way you have it on macOS or Windows - you choose a directory or a file your music/video app has access to and then it works just fine.
bluecalm 8y ago
What if an app doesn't want its files read by other apps but I want to read its files with other apps? An app shouldn't own files, the user does.
- m-p-3 8y ago
  Depends if it's in the app storage or the user storage. I'm afraid they'll neuter the user storage, which would be the final nail in the coffin for me.
  - izacus 8y ago
    Which isn't what is happening at all.
kevin_thibedeau 8y ago
Who owns the files on an SD card or a USB stick connected via OTG?
- izacus 8y ago
  If you choose a file from SD/USB via SAF dialog, the app will get permanent permission to access it.

So summed up- there will soon be a app called file-system, which provides the expected behaviour through the Object-Orientated Cruft to every app needing it?

Spivak 8y ago
That's the intents system. You just declare that you want a file. A picker then opens up with every app that has files available, the user selects one, and you get a handle to it.
- LifeLiverTransp 8y ago
  Sounds like a abstracted away filesystem to me.
  - m-p-3 8y ago
    With all the drawbacks and none of the benefits.
    - Spivak 8y ago
      Seems uncharitable. * Apps are only allowed to access only files that the user explicitly allows them access to. (No more Epic games launcher slurping up your Steam library information) * Apps can present file-like objects to the file picker and have them work transparently. (No more one-off filesystems to just forward an API call) * Apps don't have to know anything about permissions. You just get a blob of data.
      - iggldiggl 8y ago
        While I get the thinking behind content://-URI and accept that their beneficial for some use cases, as currently implemented they still break a lot of things, too: > * Apps are only allowed to access only files that the user explicitly allows them access to. (No more Epic games launcher slurping up your Steam library information) This assumes that all content you possibly want to open in a different app always consists of a single atomic file. Unfortunately that's not always the case, though. If you open a HTML file from your storage, you'll likely want your browser to be able to access the accompanying images, style sheets, other locally linked files, etc., too, but under Google's file access model that's not possible. Or say you open a video file where you've also thrown some subtitles into the same directory - unfortunately your video player will only be able to open the video itself and never even learns about the subtitles. For a small demonstration, just copy some archived web pages to your storage and then try using the built-in file explorer (which uses the officially sanctioned way of content://-URIs for launching apps) to view one of those HTML files in either Android's mini HTML viewer app or else Chrome and marvel at the missing images, broken styles, non-working links... > * Apps can present file-like objects to the file picker and have them work transparently. (No more one-off filesystems to just forward an API call) > * Apps don't have to know anything about permissions. You just get a blob of data. Unfortunately it also completely hides the underlying file system, so even if the file in question is one that a) is actually sitting on the local storage and b) is stored somewhere where the receiving app would have access permissions itself anyway (because you've explicitly allowed that app to access that part of the storage), you still have no official way to get a reference to the original file. This is a problem because if the receiving app could open the file (and accordingly also its companion files) using its own permissions, it could in fact avoid the issues resulting from the first point. As it is, you're somewhat stuck, though.
- altfredd 8y ago
  Unless the type of your file is unknown to system. Like, say, a new music format.

jimmaswell 8y ago

How do you even have a music or video playing app? You just don't? Never buying a new smartphone again if this happens.

izacus 8y ago
The same way you have it on macOS or Windows - you choose a directory or a file your music/video app has access to and then it works just fine.

bluecalm 8y ago

What if an app doesn't want its files read by other apps but I want to read its files with other apps? An app shouldn't own files, the user does.

m-p-3 8y ago
Depends if it's in the app storage or the user storage. I'm afraid they'll neuter the user storage, which would be the final nail in the coffin for me.
- izacus 8y ago
  Which isn't what is happening at all.

kevin_thibedeau 8y ago

Who owns the files on an SD card or a USB stick connected via OTG?

izacus 8y ago
If you choose a file from SD/USB via SAF dialog, the app will get permanent permission to access it.