Problem attaching files

[JHSesq]

I dug this out of the android documentation. http://developer.android.com/training/basics/intents/sending.html [nofollow]
Compare figure 1 and figure 2: It suggests that it is the developers choice whether to have a 'use this by default' check box (rather like windows). It is present in aquamail for opening a link from an email (I see it because I have two browsers installed).
 I am offered a choice of the two browsers and a choice of 'just once' or 'always'. If I was to check the 'always' I would in future not be offered the choice, I believe. I always check the 'once' box, as I don't know how to undo the 'always' choice.
The attach file function, though, does not offer that 'always/once' choice. I would guess it is not offered because if you have no file manager, but just a music app and a photo app, it is not predictable which kind of attachment you want to add every time.

Thank you for your reply.  Interesting information.  I'll say you're partially correct.  First, if you check "always," you are correct, in the future you would not be offered the choice.  But that's okay because you can undo that home/system settings/apps then select the app and select "clear defaults" so you can undo that pretty easily.  (Another way is to uninstall the defaulted to program and then reinstall it, but that may be inconvenient.)  When I click links in Aquamail, it goes right to Naked Browser, which I have on my phone (I have two other browsers).  I set that browser as the default in Aquamail. 

The other thing is that I do have a file manager - in fact, I have two now, but Aquamail still doesn't give me the option to select the file manager as the default choice when I want to attach a file.  (See the pic in my previous post.)

[JHSesq]

The attach file function, though, does not offer that 'always/once' choice. I would guess it is not offered because if you have no file manager, but just a music app and a photo app, it is not predictable which kind of attachment you want to add every time.

This may be correct.  But I would think that file manager can attach any type of file, right? 

[JHSesq]

I just drafted an email with my phone and attached a *.mid file, a *.jpg file and a ZIP file, all with file manager.  It's better but I still think the extra step isn't necessary.  I think this version of Aquamail only has the app chooser and lacks the selection dialog which your link nicely explains.

[Kostya Vasilyev]

You really do not want to have a "use by default" option when picking attachments --

-- because that'll use one app out of all app capable of picking files, and not e.g. one default file manager, one default image picking app, etc.

You stated above that how this window / dialog works changed, while AquaMail was installed. This can only be something outside of AquaMail. Maybe the "use by default" checkbox selected in some other app, I really have no way of X-raying your device from here

[JHSesq]

Personally I would prefer one default app rather than the extra step of having to pick the app that picks the attachment.  The file manager I have installed allows me to choose all types of files - pdf, image, music, etc. My desktop PC is that way.   I've been using Aquamail pro for a while and I don't recall ever having this extra step.   I'm pretty sure on my old phone and then on this one beforessomething reset it just defaulted to file manager and it worked fine.

[beaky]

Personally I would prefer one default app rather than the extra step of having to pick the app that picks the attachment.  The file manager I have installed allows me to choose all types of files - pdf, image, music, etc. My desktop PC is that way.   I've been using Aquamail pro for a while and I don't recall ever having this extra step.   I'm pretty sure on my old phone and then on this one beforessomething reset it just defaulted to file manager and it worked fine.

But of course in a PC, the one component that is always present is windows explorer, the nearest equivalent on android is a file manager app. It is logical on a windows machine to make the attach dialog  use explorer. Indeed, you can use no other.
A file manager app is not normally bundled in most new phones or tablets, but is optional. On Android, you WILL find a photo app and a music app. So what is a developer to do? It does not make sense to have one default app if the only app that makes sense as a default is not included in most devices. Risking having a naive user set the default app to be 'gallery' is going to generate so many support requests....
I think behind the differences is the different business models. Android exists to sell you content, music, video,etc. So apps for those will always bebe bundled. Windows starts as a platform with few apps (OK, programs), and you build on it as a platform. A means of selecting and organising files is included and used by all programs. In android, each app in some sense manages its own files (and only those). Although it must use some android functionality to do this, it is not exposed to the user.

[JHSesq]

Interesting thoughts. To answer your question, What's a developer to do? I guess my answer would be to make it one of those "always" or "just once" options so the app can be associated with Aquamail.
Anyway, thanks for explaining.

[Kostya Vasilyev]

FWIW - Android 4.4 has a new built-in way to "pick stuff".

http://developer.android.com/about/versions/kitkat.html#44-storage-access

[beaky]

FWIW - Android 4.4 has a new built-in way to "pick stuff".

http://developer.android.com/about/versions/kitkat.html#44-storage-access

Except that many users will never get 4.4.
I guess this means that you have to make hard decisions about what android versions you will support in future - except I hope your plans extend beyond the measly 18 months for android itself.

[Kostya Vasilyev]

Re: "many users will not get 4.4" -- if you look back, many users never got 4.0, or 4.1, and yet:

http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html

2.3 is down to 26% from something like 45 earlier this summer

2.2 is down to the negligible 1.7%

2.0-2.1 are not even on the radar.

Oh, and I'm already getting bug reports for 4.4 (I don't have any real devices with 4.4 myself yet... and not sure if my 2012 Nexus 7 will get the update...)

Re: "hard decisions" -- I'm probably going to drop 2.1-2.2 and require 2.3+ later this year, but I don't see removing all 2.* code and requiring 4.0+ any time soon, at least until 2.3 drops below 1-2%.