Android: Downloading a file to an external directory

In most of our applications we encounter a scenario where we have to download a file and then open it from our app. The file may be a pdf or an image.

So lets see the code for the same. I will be using the same HttpResponseContainerVO described previously.

Since we are downloading a file, instead of encoding the response in the VO, I am storing the file in the path and returning the absolute path of the file in response.

Downloading file:

public static HttpResponseContainerVO downloadPDFFile(String url,

String name)

throws ClientProtocolException, IOException {

if (!isExternalStorageAvailable()) {

throw new IOException("External Storage is not Available");

//Use internal storage or Cache or Temp folder to store the files.

}

HttpResponseContainerVO responseVo = new HttpResponseContainerVO();

DefaultHttpClient client = new DefaultHttpClient();

String filePath = getFilePath(name);

HttpGet get = new HttpGet(url);

 

// Add the headers....

HttpResponse response = client.execute(get);

HttpEntity entity = response.getEntity();

responseVo.setResponseCode(response.getStatusLine().getStatusCode());

Header[] headers = response.getAllHeaders();

for (Header hdr : headers) {

//Set the headers

 }

InputStream inputStream = entity.getContent();

FileOutputStream content = new FileOutputStream(new File(filePath));

// Read response into a buffered stream

int readBytes = 0;

byte[] sBuffer = new byte[512];

while ((readBytes = inputStream.read(sBuffer)) != -1) {

content.write(sBuffer, 0, readBytes);

}

content.flush();

content.close();

responseVo.setResponse(filePath);

return responseVo;

}


Getting external file path:

private static String getFilePath(String name) {

String fileDir = Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory()

.getAbsolutePath() +"YOUR DIRECTORY HERE";

String fileName = name + "Extension";

File dir = new File(fileDir);

if (!dir.exists()) {

dir.mkdirs();

}

return fileDir + fileName;

}

Now you have successfully downloaded and stored the file in the external / internal storage. How do you open this file from your app? Simple, follow the code below.

Uri path = Uri.fromFile(new File(VO.getResponse()));

Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);

intent.setDataAndType(path,

        "MIME TYPE OF THE CONTENT");

intent.setFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_CLEAR_TOP);

try {

startActivity(intent);

} catch (ActivityNotFoundException e) {

Toast.makeText(CONTEXT, MESSAGE,

Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();

}