accessing one app from another app - android

Can someone explain me how to control one application from another application? I'm running a music player in an app1 using service class. And I want to stop that music player from another app.,i.e app2. But, I'm fallin short o the concept.

Depends what you need to do.
Opening another activity (or sending messages) is by using Intents:
Intent intent = new Intent();
intent.setAction(android.content.Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
// ...
startActivity(intent);
Starting service is by using startService()
What you are trying to do can also be done using Intent broadcasts but only if your target app supports and listens to specific actions on the broadcast. You need to see if there is such an ACTION supported.

I'd like to continue this question a bit.
In my case, I'm developing the target app and I need to implement few simple procedure calls for the main app. Basically 'start', 'stop' and 'sendData'. As I wrote, I'm developing the target app so I can support whatever I want. Which would you say is the easiest way to handle.
The whole situation a bit more explained. Main app would like my app to start it's work, and if needed they'll request that I turn myself off and when the main app is closing it would request me to send my data forward.
I'm quite new to android development, so code snippets are preferable. Thank you.

Related

How to configure the android intent actions in android manifest

I have a webview in my app, on trying to do actions like making a call (Tapping call button from results displayed in webview), sending mails and other actions, my webview doesn't perform those actions
I Found a solution to add the intent actions in my web view activity as
Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_DIAL, Uri.parse(url));
startActivity(intent)
Instead of doing so is there any way to add in the android manifest file
or Is there any way to turn on all of the intent actions for the webview so that
there wont be further issues in handling the actions
Can someone help me on this pls
Your answer seems to me a bit strange, I think you are a bit confuse about the difference between Intent and manifest permission. The first one are the system used by android to let app communicate with each other, the second one allow you to use some feature of the device like wifi and direct phone call that need the explicit agreement of the user to be used (the prompt that popup when you make the first install of an app).
With this clarification it is clear that if you want to do something that require another app you will have to make an Intent. This Intent, if well formed, will be elaborated by the os that will take care of sending it to the correct application able to accomplish the Intentrequirement.
So the answer to your question, as far as i know, is no, you have to use intent if you have the need of calling external app. It's also a good practice to set in the manifest only the permission really needed by the app, this way the user know what the app really can do and and what it can't do.
Hope i understand your question and answer it.

Is there a way to have two different android applications communicate?

I want to make it so that when my app is selected, another app will pop up. Is this possible with intent and service?
Yes it is possible.
You have a couple of ways to do this, here is two of them:
If you need some kind of long connection and need to move data between the application, you can use two services, one in each side and then communicate with Messenger object. Messenger object is use to implement a message-based communication across processes - two different applications, it's easy to use once you get the idea.
If you need only to start other app when your app is selected you can start an intent with the intent filter you set in the manifest of the app you want to start. This is what you need if you only need to start the second application, without any connection between them.
If you need to start the calculator application, you can try to do it like this:
Intent i = new Intent();
i.setClassName("com.android.calculator2", "com.android.calculator2.Calculator");
startActivity(i);
yes it is very much possible
to communicate between the apps use Content Provider
Intent can be use to launch other apps.
you can use IPC (interprocess communication). You can find the doc here

Control an application from another application

I read this question and another question and I understand how to launch an application from another application (Let's call the other application LauncherApplication). However, my goal is not only to launch an application, but to use its functions, so I suppose the LauncherApplication should start an activity using an intent (explicit or implicit).
I should know the data and the actions the installed applications react on and I should add these information to an intent instance before starting it. I wish LauncherApplication allows the user (not the developer) to configure this intent, but how do I know in advance the parameters to put in an intent for the installed applications?
I should implement the "LauncherApplication* in order to allow the user to construct an intent via a graphical interface. Or I could make my application supports the addition of plugins: in this way, I could create a plugin for each installed application, where each plugin could be responsible to manage the configuration of the intent concerning the application associated with it.
UPDATE (added details). In particular, the LauncherApplication should be a service with a speech recognizer enabled, so the user may start an application uttering specific keywords: as well as launch an application, the user should be able to close it and use its functions.
For example, I could have installed an application ((Let's call it LibraryApp) to search for available books in a library; this application could have the following functions:
Search for a book (this function may return if the book is available, it has already been loaned or if it was booked by someone else).
Reserving a book (this function should return the completion of the reservation).
In this way, when I pronounce, for example, the words "start LibraryApp", then the LauncherApplication service should launch the LibraryApp application. Once the application is launched, the service should be able to send commands to it to use one of the available functions (search for a book, reserving a book).
How can I send commands to application that is already active, in order to control it?
how do I know in advance the parameters to put in an intent for the installed applications?
You talk to their developers. There are typically zero "parameters" on an Intent to launch the launcher activity (or activities) of an application, since home screens do not put such "parameters" on the Intent.

android - is it possible to use private intents instead of global ones?

background:
i've noticed that for regular activities within, it is possible for any application to open the activities of my app .
question:
is it possible to allow only my own app (or apps , or package) to send and receive intents inside the same scope , so that other application won't be able to receive them or interfere with the flow of the app?
example:
suppose i have a broadcastReceiver that listens to some kind of intent , but this intent is only meant to be used by another service/activity that resides either inside my app , or inside another app that i've created , but i don't want others to be able to use this intent.
please help me.
setPackage()
Set an explicit application package name that limits the components this Intent will resolve to. If left to the default value of null, all components in all applications will considered. If non-null, the Intent can only match the components in the given application package.
or you can use setSelector() , but not both.
suppose i have a broadcastReceiver that listens to some kind of intent , but this intent is only meant to be used by another service/activity that resides either inside my app , or inside another app that i've created , but i don't want others to be able to use this intent.
In addition to Reno's fine answer, for your specific requirement quoted above, use LocalBroadcastManager. Not only do you get the security you seek, but it is more efficient. LocalBroadcastManager is available in the Android Support package and AFAIK should work going back to Android 1.6. Here is a sample project using LocalBroadcastManager.

android can intent executes another apps code

I'm in the middle of an app where a function is implemented in its code. I have an intent too. Can this function be executed by this intent on its space. I mean like it iss intents code.
Sorry, I am not certain but think this is not possible. It would go against all security policies android cares about.

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