Android Question [CLOSED] How to change Main to MainActivity

Jmu5667 · Feb 20, 2019

EDIT: See this instead https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/t...like-with-a-library-like-mainactivity.102965/

We are developing a replacement app on a device. the device has an SOS button on it. When the button is pressed the existing app on the phone is launched. We have permission from the Manufacturer (China) to install our own version of the app. The manifest file should look like this :

B4X:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    package="com.android.onekeysos">

    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.DISABLE_KEYGUARD" />

    <application
        android:allowBackup="true"
        android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"
        android:label="@string/app_name"
        android:roundIcon="@mipmap/ic_launcher_round"
        android:supportsRtl="true"
        android:theme="@style/AppTheme">
        <activity android:name=".MainActivity">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
                <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
            </intent-filter>
        </activity>
        <activity android:name=".OneKeySosCountDownActivity"
            android:label=""
            android:theme="@style/Theme.Transparent">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
            </intent-filter>
        </activity>
    </application>

</manifest>

The problem we have is that in B4a the MainActivity is main, so when the button is pressed on the device our replacement app cannot be called. We engaged a Java consultant to look at this for us, and he developed a replacement sample as proof of concept and the above manifest is from his project that is wrote in Android Studio.

We want to keep all our code in b4a so we dont need to reply on a 3rd party for mods/changes. I have tried to add MainActivty and modified my manifest :

B4X:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest
   xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
   package="com.android.onekeysos"
   android:versionCode="5"
   android:versionName="1.5.19.02.20.01a"
   android:installLocation="internalOnly">
 
   <uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="5" android:targetSdkVersion="26"/>
   <supports-screens android:largeScreens="true"
       android:normalScreens="true"
       android:smallScreens="true"
       android:anyDensity="true"/>
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.VIBRATE"/>
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK"/>
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.DISABLE_KEYGUARD"/>
   <application
       android:icon="@drawable/icon"
       android:label="Atlas SOS Now"
       android:supportsRtl="true"
       android:theme="@style/DarkTheme">
       <activity
           android:windowSoftInputMode="stateHidden"
           android:launchMode="singleTop"
           android:name=".main"
           android:label="Atlas SOS Now"
           android:screenOrientation="unspecified">
           <intent-filter>
              <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
              <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
           </intent-filter>
         
       </activity>
       <service android:name=".starter">
       </service>
       <receiver android:name=".starter$starter_BR">
       </receiver>
       <service android:name=".svc_intent">
       </service>
       <receiver android:name=".svc_intent$svc_intent_BR">
         
           <intent-filter> <action android:name="android.intent.action.START_SLIDETO_SOSSERVICE"/></intent-filter>
       </receiver>
       <activity
           android:windowSoftInputMode="stateHidden"
           android:launchMode="singleTop"
           android:name=".mainactivity"
           android:label="Atlas SOS Now"
           android:screenOrientation="unspecified">
         
           <intent-filter>
             <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN"/>
             <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER"/>
             </intent-filter>
       </activity>
   </application>
</manifest>

Any suggestions ?

Regards

John.

Erel · Feb 20, 2019

Add this to the manifest editor to cause a different activity (Act2) to be the launched activity:

B4X:

AddReplacement(           <intent-filter>
              <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
              <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
           </intent-filter>,  )
           
AddActivityText(Act2, <intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>)

Note that it will not work in debug mode.

Jmu5667 · Feb 20, 2019

Erel said:
Add this to the manifest editor to cause a different activity (Act2) to be the launched activity:

B4X:

AddReplacement( <intent-filter> <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" /> <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" /> </intent-filter>, ) AddActivityText(Act2, <intent-filter> <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" /> <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" /> </intent-filter>)

Note that it will not work in debug mode.

Ok, I will try this, thank you.

Erel · Feb 20, 2019

Note that the empty spaces are important. Check the generated AndroidManifest.xml file. Make sure that the intent filter is moved to the correct activity.

Jmu5667 · Feb 20, 2019

would this be the correct output ?

B4X:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest
   xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
   package="com.android.onekeysos"
   android:versionCode="5"
   android:versionName="1.5.19.02.20.01a"
   android:installLocation="internalOnly">
   
   <uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="5" android:targetSdkVersion="26"/>
   <supports-screens android:largeScreens="true"
       android:normalScreens="true"
       android:smallScreens="true"
       android:anyDensity="true"/>
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.VIBRATE"/>
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK"/>
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.DISABLE_KEYGUARD"/>
   <application
       android:icon="@drawable/icon"
       android:label="Atlas SOS Now"
       android:supportsRtl="true"
       android:theme="@style/DarkTheme">
       <activity
           android:windowSoftInputMode="stateHidden"
           android:launchMode="singleTop"
           android:name=".main"
           android:label="Atlas SOS Now"
           android:screenOrientation="unspecified">
           <intent-filter>
              <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
              <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
           </intent-filter>
           
       </activity>
       <service android:name=".starter">
       </service>
       <receiver android:name=".starter$starter_BR">
       </receiver>
       <service android:name=".svc_intent">
       </service>
       <receiver android:name=".svc_intent$svc_intent_BR">
           
           <intent-filter> <action android:name="android.intent.action.START_SLIDETO_SOSSERVICE"/></intent-filter>
       </receiver>
       <activity
           android:windowSoftInputMode="stateHidden"
           android:launchMode="singleTop"
           android:name=".mainactivity"
           android:label="Atlas SOS Now"
           android:screenOrientation="unspecified">
           
           <intent-filter>
           <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
           <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
           </intent-filter>
       </activity>
   </application>
</manifest>

We just tested and unfortunitly it did not work. Does the fact that this android:name=".mainactivity" is in lower case make any difference, as the sample we got done is
<activity android:name=".MainActivity">

Regards

J.

Erel · Feb 20, 2019

It is not correct. The intent filter should be removed from the main activity.

The case is important. If the activity name must be MainActivity then you will need to create it with a small library.

Jmu5667 · Feb 20, 2019

Erel said:
It is not correct. The intent filter should be removed from the main activity.

The case is important. If the activity name must be MainActivity then you will need to create it with a small library.

Dont wish to bother you, how would I do that ?

Jmu5667 · Feb 20, 2019

In the next release of B4A can we have it so we can overcome this. I will put into the wish list.

Thanks.

Erel · Feb 21, 2019

Jmu5667 said:
In the next release of B4A can we have it so we can overcome this

Unlikely. This is a very rare requirement.

You should create a simple activity in a library that starts one of the B4A activities.

Jmu5667 · Feb 21, 2019

Erel said:
Unlikely. This is a very rare requirement.

Why is this unlikely ?

Erel · Feb 21, 2019

It is related to the balance between the technical difficulty of adding such feature and maintaining it and the benefit of such feature.

Jmu5667 · Feb 21, 2019

Erel said:
It is related to the balance between the technical difficulty of adding such feature and maintaining it and the benefit of such feature.

Is it because the B4A core would need to be redesigned to accommodate this ?

Erel · Feb 21, 2019

Cableguy · Feb 21, 2019

It's because the case use in real world applications is very limited. If Erel constructed a car it would be like having I'm adding a wine cellar video cam to all fabrication line when only 1 person would really require it!

Jmu5667 · Feb 21, 2019

Erel said:
No.

So, it is not a simple case of not enforcing lower casing in the Manifest file ?

Jmu5667 · Feb 21, 2019

Cableguy said:
It's because the case use in real world applications is very limited. If Erel constructed a car it would be like having I'm adding a wine cellar video cam to all fabrication line when only 1 person would really require it!

Eh, I don't think so.

Erel · Feb 21, 2019

B4A compiler lower cases the activity names. If there was a very good reason to change it then it would have been changed. Up until now (8 years) you are the only one who encountered an issue related to the activity case.

There is also a reasonable workaround.

Jmu5667 · Feb 21, 2019

Erel said:
B4A compiler lower cases the activity names. If there was a very good reason to change it then it would have been changed. Up until now (8 years) you are the only one who encountered an issue related to the activity case.

There is also a reasonable workaround.

Fair enough, if I create a library as you suggest will it not create the same issue ?

And just to understand this better, why does the compiler lower case the activity names

Erel · Feb 21, 2019

Jmu5667 said:
And just to understand this better, why does the compiler lower case the activity names

I made a mistake here. My policy is to avoid replying to feature requests: https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/a-few-words-about-feature-requests.69064/
One of the reasons is that I cannot explain all the internal technical details.

Jmu5667 said:
Fair enough, if I create a library as you suggest will it not create the same issue ?

You can add any activity you like with a library. Start a new thread for further discussion.

Jmu5667 · Feb 21, 2019

Erel said:
I made a mistake here. My policy is to avoid replying to feature requests: https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/a-few-words-about-feature-requests.69064/
One of the reasons is that I cannot explain all the internal technical details.

You can add any activity you like with a library. Start a new thread for further discussion.

Ok, I will mark this as closed.

Android Question [CLOSED] How to change Main to MainActivity

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