Android opening a file with ACTION_GET_CONTENT results into different Uri's

Question

I am trying to open files by using Intent.ACTION_GET_CONTENT.

Dependent on the Android version/device brand the file browser opens and I get the following results:

Selecting a file from Downloads:

content://com.android.providers.downloads.documents/document/446

Selecting a file from Fotos:

content://media/external/images/media/309

Selecting a file from FileCommander:

file:///storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera/20141027_132114.jpg

I can open all these files except when I try to open a file from Downloads,, Audio , Afbeeldingen(Images)

It's likely I can't handle this kind of Uri: content://com.android.providers.downloads.documents/document/446

I have tried the following things:

Trying to open the file by new File(uri.getPath()). File.exists() returns false.
Trying to open/reach the file by getContext().getContentResolver().openInputStream(uri). Results into a FileNotFoundException

Trying to open the file with the following code:

public static String getRealPathFromURI_API19(Context context, Uri uri) {

Log.i("uri", uri.getPath());
String filePath = "";
if (uri.getScheme().equals("file")) {
    return uri.getPath();
} else if (DocumentsContract.isDocumentUri(context, uri)) {
    String wholeID = DocumentsContract.getDocumentId(uri);
    Log.i("wholeID", wholeID);
    // Split at colon, use second item in the array
    String[] splits = wholeID.split(":");
if (splits.length == 2) {
    String id = splits[1];

        String[] column = {MediaStore.Images.Media.DATA};
    // where id is equal to
        String sel = MediaStore.Images.Media._ID + "=?";
        Cursor cursor = context.getContentResolver().query(MediaStore.Images.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI,
                column, sel, new String[]{id}, null);
        int columnIndex = cursor.getColumnIndex(column[0]);
        if (cursor.moveToFirst()) {
            filePath = cursor.getString(columnIndex);
        }
        cursor.close();
    }
} else {
    filePath = AttachmentUtils.getPath(context, uri);
}
return filePath;
}

What am I doing wrong?

UPDATE: I have noticed that the files that are listed in the screenshot that they are not physically existing in the storage. The device I am using is a tablet from the company containing rubbish data. My colleague told me that this device once was connected with a different Google account. These files could be the files from the previous account which are not existing/reachable anymore.

My own conclusion about it is that I am encountering some bug in Android. My bug report

Update 6 february 2017:

Android banned the file:// URI. Please consider to think about it.

Ban on file: Uri Scheme The biggest compatibility issue so far with Android 7.0 is that the file: scheme for Uri values is banned, in effect. If you attempt to pass a file: Uri in an Intent that is going to another app — whether via an extra or as the “data” facet of the Intent — you will crash with a FileUriExposedException exception. You will face similar issues with putting file: Uri values on the clipboard in ClipData . This is coming from an updated edition of StrictMode . StrictMode.VmPolicy.Builder has a penaltyDeathOnFileUriExposure() method that triggers the detection of file: Uri values and the resulting FileUriExposedException exceptions. And, it appears that this is pre-configured, much as how StrictMode is pre-configured to apply penaltyDeathOnNetwork() (the source of your NetworkOnMainThreadException crashes).

user_5591292 · Answer

Pick any file using System File Picker:

val intent = Intent(Intent.ACTION_GET_CONTENT)
intent.type = "*/*"
startActivityForResult(intent, 1)

onActivityResult:

override fun onActivityResult(requestCode: Int, resultCode: Int, data: Intent?) {
    super.onActivityResult(requestCode, resultCode, data)
    if (requestCode == 1 && resultCode == Activity.RESULT_OK) {
        data?.data?.let {
            getFileFromUri(requireContext().contentResolver, uri, requireContext().cacheDir)
        }
    }
}

Get File:

private fun getFileFromUri(contentResolver: ContentResolver, uri: Uri, directory: File): File {
    val file =
        File.createTempFile("suffix", "prefix", directory)
    file.outputStream().use {
        contentResolver.openInputStream(uri)?.copyTo(it)
    }

    return file
}

user_5279156 · Answer

The accepted answer on kotlin

@Suppress("SpellCheckingInspection")
object PathCompat {

    @WorkerThread
    fun getFilePath(context: Context, uri: Uri): String? = context.run {
        return try {
            when {
                Build.VERSION.SDK_INT < Build.VERSION_CODES.KITKAT -> getDataColumn(uri, null, null)
                else -> getPathKitkatPlus(uri)
            }
        } catch (e: Throwable) {
            Timber.e(e)
            null
        }
    }

    @Suppress("DEPRECATION")
    @SuppressLint("NewApi", "DefaultLocale")
    private fun Context.getPathKitkatPlus(uri: Uri): String? {
        when {
            DocumentsContract.isDocumentUri(applicationContext, uri) -> {
                val docId = DocumentsContract.getDocumentId(uri)
                when {
                    uri.isExternalStorageDocument -> {
                        val parts = docId.split(":")
                        if ("primary".equals(parts[0], true)) {
                            return "${Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory()}/${parts[1]}"
                        }
                    }
                    uri.isDownloadsDocument -> {
                        val contentUri = ContentUris.withAppendedId(
                            Uri.parse("content://downloads/public_downloads"),
                            docId.toLong()
                        )
                        return getDataColumn(contentUri, null, null)
                    }
                    uri.isMediaDocument -> {
                        val parts = docId.split(":")
                        val contentUri = when (parts[0].toLowerCase()) {
                            "image" -> MediaStore.Images.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI
                            "video" -> MediaStore.Video.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI
                            "audio" -> MediaStore.Audio.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI
                            else -> return null
                        }
                        return getDataColumn(contentUri, "_id=?", arrayOf(parts[1]))
                    }
                }
            }
            "content".equals(uri.scheme, true) -> {
                return if (uri.isGooglePhotosUri) {
                    uri.lastPathSegment
                } else {
                    getDataColumn(uri, null, null)
                }
            }
            "file".equals(uri.scheme, true) -> {
                return uri.path
            }
        }
        return null
    }

    private fun Context.getDataColumn(uri: Uri, selection: String?, args: Array?): String? {
        contentResolver?.query(uri, arrayOf("_data"), selection, args, null)?.use {
            if (it.moveToFirst()) {
                return it.getString(it.getColumnIndexOrThrow("_data"))
            }
        }
        return null
    }

    private val Uri.isExternalStorageDocument: Boolean
        get() = authority == "com.android.externalstorage.documents"

    private val Uri.isDownloadsDocument: Boolean
        get() = authority == "com.android.providers.downloads.documents"

    private val Uri.isMediaDocument: Boolean
        get() = authority == "com.android.providers.media.documents"

    private val Uri.isGooglePhotosUri: Boolean
        get() = authority == "com.google.android.apps.photos.content"
}

user_7040503 · Answer

There is a bug I just faced

final String docId = DocumentsContract.getDocumentId(uri);

return different URI (e.g: content://com.android.providers.downloads.documents/document/11 and sometime content://com.android.providers.downloads.documents/document/abc%aile.jpg in that case Long.valueOf(id) throws an exception to fix that

String id = DocumentsContract.getDocumentId(uri);
                if (id.startsWith("raw:")) {
                    id = id.replaceFirst("raw:", "");
                    return id;
                }
                final Uri contentUri = ContentUris.withAppendedId(
                    Uri.parse("content://downloads/public_downloads"), Long.valueOf(id));

                return getDataColumn(contentUri, null, null);

do this return the id, it worked for me

Android opening a file with ACTION_GET_CONTENT results into different Uri's

Update 6 february 2017:

4 Answers