Android Question External Storage - Programmatic Access

[RichardN]

I have been asked to look at writing a utility for an Android Media Player running Android 6.0.1.

For this task I need to read (read only) an external storage device which is a HDD that happens to be hot swappable. The fact that it is hot-swappable is not important to the task as the drive will never be removed, however it suggests to me that that the HDD is being handled by the system as a USB device. I am aware of the External Storage library but I wish to read files from the HDD programmatically WITHOUT the user being presented with a dialogue to begin the process. Is it possible with this lib?

Elsewhere on the device I have found mp3 files referred to by their static URI.... Am I able to access files in this manner somehow?

file:///storage/5C3A3E263A3DFD98/Music/MusicTrack.mp3

 

[Geezer]

This will access the external storage with no problems on android 6

[Lib] MediaBrowser

Hello, This library lists the media content (audio, image and video) of the MediaStore (a database containing meta data for all available media on both internal and external storage devices). It includes an audio player and a media scanner (to scan the new media and add them to the MediaStore)...

www.b4x.com

 

[RichardN]

Thanks Geezer.... Not quite what I was looking for as it would require a completely different approach. I already have a database of everything on the HDD and figuring what relates to what is not quite the angle I would like to take.

 

[Erel]

Am I able to access files in this manner somehow?

No. As explained in the tutorial there is only one specific folder which you can access without the user explicit permission.