I'm developing an Android app as a "proof of concept" for our company. If they like it and think it's worth investing, then we'll move on to bigger things. I'm trying to figure out the best/most practical approach for this.....the basics of the app will connect to our DB and display information regarding a specific customer. For now, let's say we will only pull data from 3-4 tables (but there could be 10+ in the future). If the app doesn't have an internet connection then it should use the local DB. What is the best approach for this? Here's what I was thinking and would like some input/suggestions if possible:
1.) app runs checks internet connection. If exists, check db version (how, through a web service?)..if server db is newer, get latest data. If no internet, use local db.
2.) app parses data and displays it.
If this is correct, then there could be no modifications to the web service that would add fields to a result without changing the app as well. Is there a way for an app to parse fields regardless of how many fields there are?
I've read and walked through the tutorial on google with databases and such (Notepad tutorial) but it seems like the column names are all hard-coded in the parsing class, which I was hoping to avoid.
Sorry if this is confusing but I know I need my app to use a local db to read data, I also know that the app must get data from the server when it can (via onCreate or a refresh button) and copy it locally....Copying it locally is the part I'm having trouble understanding I guess....is there no way of saying "go out and get this result and display it", knowing that those results could mean 5 fields the first time or 1 the next.
Any help/guidance is greatly appreciated!
You probably want to use a SQLLite DB to store your data locally, a ContentProvider to provide CRUD access to the db, and a SyncAdapter to sync with your server when possible. The Sync Adapter also writes to the DB via the ContentProvider. See the SampleSyncAdapter sample in the SDK for an example of how this works. You will be implementing your own ContentProvider, but the sample just uses Android's supplied Contacts ContentProvider.
http://developer.android.com/resources/samples/SampleSyncAdapter/index.html
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New to Android app building. I built our company website using php/mysql and my boss had an android app built previously with, I assume SQLlite, or something. Anyway, he wants me to change the database that it's currently linked with to our mysql db. For the life of me I cannot find anything even resembling a connection string or a query in the file system? In my attached screenshot where would I find this information? Or is it not held in this tree at all?
I would assume the data/model folders, but I've searched every single file in those folders. I really need some help.
SQLite is a local db. There would be no connection string, its literally accessed as part of your process.
You should NOT directly connect to a remote db. Doing so is completely insecure, as it would be putting the password for your db into the app. You need to run a web service, and hit that to get your data. The web service then connects to the db.
You should also probably figure out what the actual project is. With SQLite, you would work offline, based off a copy of the data stored locally. With a remote db, offline use is impossible. Being told to replace SQLite with a remote db and your level of understanding of that in this question shows that one or both of you don't understand what the scope of that change is, and you should make sure you're on the same page and what the best way to achieve the actual goal of your project is.
I have been looking and searching for this whole day, so i want to create a database which can be accessed by both computer and smartphone, is there a way to do it, and how ?
Sorry For Beginner Question, Thanks in Advance
Ok, the first thing you should do is to define the type of database
that you want. You can build SQL or No-SQL database. For the most
part I would suggest no-sql so something like MongoDB could do, but you can always do mySQL. As
for accessing that db with anything actually, you need application
layer around it. You see, database acts as just a huge data
container thus it should not be used for any other logic.
Now, lets talk about application layer. To be more precise - about posting/updating/retrieving data from db. You should research something about RESTApi or GraphQL concepts as they are used to make communication between your app and your db which is hosted on a server (I deliberately did not talk about how you can build an app because I assumed you already know this one).
THE POINT: The most important concept to wrap your head around is how you can access the db you make not the type or tech used to build it. (Even though this is important too)
Good luck!
The better way to do this its creating a web service, so your app will talk to this web service, the web service will talk to your database and retrieve the results to your app (this can be done using HTTP protocol's APIs like Volley for android) and its a secure way to do it.
You can connect your application direct to your database granting external access, but this is a specif configuration according to your database (mysql, ms sql, etc.) and its not recommended.
You can think in the same way to the computer(s) that will access your database, except if this computer(s) is in the same network which the computer that your database is hosted in, in this last case, the program in this computer (which will access the database) can access it directly (you need to setup the database to permit this and this setting is diferent according to your database).
Can someone give me an idea or point me in the right direction about following matter:
I need to make android app that will do some things with remote oracle database (take some data, insert some data, ...).
I can do that, but the trick is, app owner needs to be able to do that offline (because he doesn't have internet everywhere), then when user connects to internet, somehow transfer those offline changes in local android database to oracle database.
I never did something like that.Any pointers?
Should I make same database structure in android database like that remote oracle database?Then somehow synchronize changes?
Or is it done some other way?
Thanks for any help.
If you have the ability, it would be best to create a RESTful application on the server that listens for your app to contact it. Then it would take the data (send it from your app via JSON, XML or any of several other popular formats) and operate directly on the Oracle database by doing the adds/inserts/deletes there.
You can do the same thing on the way down - your app contacts the server, the server provides data from the database in the form of JSON, XML, etc and your app can then operate on it's own internal JAVA objects of data.
I'm about to build a GPS Spot Finder application with Android and I am trying to decide what requirements are feasible and what aren't. The app would enable users to essentially add different spots on a Google Map. One of the problems would be fetching the data, adding new spots, etc, etc. This, of course would mean the database would have to be online and it would have to be central. My question is, what kind technologies would I need to make this happen? I am mostly familiar with XAMPP, PHPMyAdmin and the like. Can I just use that and connect Android to the database? I assume I would not need to create a website...just the database?
What different approaches can I take with this? Be great if people can point me in the right direction.
Sorry if I don't make any sense and if this type of question is inappropriate for Stackoverflow :S
Create a website to access the database locally, and have Android send requests to the website.
If users are adding spots to a map that only they see, then it makes sense to keep the data local to Android using a built-in database (SQLite). That looks like
ANDROID -> DATABASE
You can read up about SQLite options here.
If users need to see all the spots added by all other users, or even a subset of spots added by users, then you need a web service to handle queries to the database: Connect to a remote database...online database
ANDROID -> HTTP -> APPLICATION SERVER -> DATABASE
Not only is trying to interface directly to a database less stable, but it may pose risks in terms of security and accessibility.
Never never use a database driver across an Internet connection, for any database, for any platform, for any client, anywhere. That goes double for mobile. Database drivers are designed for LAN operations and are not designed for flaky/intermittent connections or high latency.
Additionally, Android does not come with built in clients to access databases such as MySQL. So while it may seem like more work to run a web service somewhere, you will actually be way better off than trying to do things directly with a database. Here is a tutorial showing how to interface these two.
There is a hidden benefit to using html routes. You will need a programming mindset to think through what type of data is being sent in the POST and what is being retrieved in the GET. This alone will improve your application architecture and results.
Why not try using something that is already built into android like SQLite? Save the coordinates of these "spots" into a database through there. This way, everything is local, and should be speedy. Unless, one of your features is to share spots with other users? You can still send these "spots" through different methods other than having a central database.
And yes, you just need an open database, not a website, exactly. You could technically host a database from your home computer, but I do not suggest it.
If you are looking at storing the data in your users mobile nothing better than built in SQLLite.
If you are looking at centralized database to store information, Parse.com is a easy and better way to store your user application data in centralized repository.
Parse.com is not exactly a SQL based database, However you can create table , insert / update and retrieve rows from android.
Best part is it is free upto 1GB. They claim 400,000 apps are built on Parse.com. I have used few of my application typically for user management worked great for me.
I've just written a short Android app which stores userdata in the phone-side sqlite database.
What I'd like to be able to do is to add this to an online database (I currently have a mysql database with my webhosts, but if there's any easier way then I'm open to suggestions), but it'll be subject to condition (Such as if a certain value doesn't already exist). I'd also like to be able to get data from this online database too to be added to the sqlite database on the phone.
I've had a look around and people seem to suggest using php as a go-between for that, but is that the easiest way? there aren't any mysql helper classes that could just interface directly or anything?
Newbie question I know, but the project was to teach myself how Android works so getting stuck in is the way to go..
Cheers!
Yes; using PHP is an example of an easier way to go. You need to create web services which allow you to interact between the android phone and a MySQL database. To my knowledge you can't go directly to a database hook; as you need to have something that can hook in. Also it would be a security issue if you put on each and all of your phones the connection information for your database.
Think if you had to change the host of your DB as your traffic grew large that you needed to upgrade; this would be a new update in the store and all clients would need to update this; otherwise you would be maintaining two code bases.
By using PHP you are able to create that middle level and easily interact with the DB.
Here is a quick article on creating REST PHP Web Service. Tutorial
Good Luck!