1 page.title=Intents and Intent Filters
7 <h2>In this document</h2>
9 <li><a href="#iobjs">Intent Objects</a></li>
10 <li><a href="#ires">Intent Resolution</a></li>
11 <li style="margin-left: 2em"><a href="#ifs">Intent filters</a></li>
12 <li style="margin-left: 2em"><a href="#ccases">Common cases</a></li>
13 <li style="margin-left: 2em"><a href="#imatch">Using intent matching</a></li>
14 <li><a href="#npex">Note Pad Example</a></li>
19 <li>{@link android.content.Intent}</li>
20 <li>{@link android.content.IntentFilter}</li>
21 <li>{@link android.content.BroadcastReceiver}</li>
22 <li>{@link android.content.pm.PackageManager}</li>
30 Three of the core components of an application — activities, services, and
31 broadcast receivers — are activated through messages, called <i>intents</i>.
32 Intent messaging is a facility for late run-time binding between components in the same
33 or different applications. The intent itself, an {@link android.content.Intent}
34 object, is a passive data structure holding an abstract description of an operation
35 to be performed — or, often in the case of broadcasts, a description of something
36 that has happened and is being announced. There are separate mechanisms for
37 delivering intents to each type of component:
41 <li>An Intent object is passed to <code>{@link android.content.Context#startActivity
42 Context.startActivity()}</code> or <code>{@link android.app.Activity#startActivityForResult
43 Activity.startActivityForResult()}</code> to launch an activity or get an existing
44 activity to do something new. (It can also be passed to
45 <code>{@link android.app.Activity#setResult(int, Intent) Activity.setResult()}</code>
46 to return information to the activity that called {@code startActivityForResult()}.)</li>
48 <li><p>An Intent object is passed to <code>{@link android.content.Context#startService
49 Context.startService()}</code> to initiate a service or deliver new instructions to an
50 ongoing service. Similarly, an intent can be passed to <code>{@link
51 android.content.Context#bindService Context.bindService()}</code> to establish a
52 connection between the calling component and a target service. It can optionally
53 initiate the service if it's not already running.</p></li>
55 <li><p>Intent objects passed to any of the broadcast methods (such as <code>{@link
56 android.content.Context#sendBroadcast(Intent) Context.sendBroadcast()}</code>,
57 <code>{@link android.content.Context#sendOrderedBroadcast(Intent, String)
58 Context.sendOrderedBroadcast()}</code>, or <code>{@link
59 android.content.Context#sendStickyBroadcast Context.sendStickyBroadcast()}</code>)
60 are delivered to all interested broadcast receivers. Many kinds of broadcasts
61 originate in system code.</p></li>
65 In each case, the Android system finds the appropriate activity, service, or set
66 of broadcast receivers to respond to the intent, instantiating them if necessary.
67 There is no overlap within these messaging systems: Broadcast intents are delivered
68 only to broadcast receivers, never to activities or services. An intent passed to
69 {@code startActivity()} is delivered only to an activity, never to a service or
70 broadcast receiver, and so on.
74 This document begins with a description of Intent objects. It then describes the
75 rules Android uses to map intents to components — how it resolves which
76 component should receive an intent message. For intents that don't explicitly
77 name a target component, this process involves testing the Intent object against
78 <i>intent filters</i> associated with potential targets.
82 <h2><a name="iobjs"></a>Intent Objects</h2>
85 An {@link android.content.Intent} object is a bundle of information. It
86 contains information of interest to the component that receives the intent
87 (such as the action to be taken and the data to act on) plus information
88 of interest to the Android system (such as the category of component that
89 should handle the intent and instructions on how to launch a target activity).
90 Principally, it can contain the following:
95 <dt><b>Component name</b><a name="cname"></a></dt>
96 <dd>The name of the component that should handle the intent. This field is
97 a {@link android.content.ComponentName} object — a combination of the
98 fully qualified class name of the target component (for example "{@code
99 com.example.project.app.FreneticActivity}") and the package name set
100 in the manifest file of the application where the component resides (for
101 example, "{@code com.example.project}"). The package part of the component
102 name and the package name set in the manifest do not necessarily have to match.
105 The component name is optional. If it is set, the Intent object is
106 delivered to an instance of the designated class. If it is not set,
107 Android uses other information in the Intent object to locate a suitable
108 target — see <a href="#ires">Intent Resolution</a>, later in this
113 The component name is set by <code>{@link android.content.Intent#setComponent
114 setComponent()}</code>, <code>{@link android.content.Intent#setClass
115 setClass()}</code>, or <code>{@link android.content.Intent#setClassName(String, String)
116 setClassName()}</code> and read by <code>{@link android.content.Intent#getComponent
117 getComponent()}</code>.
121 <p><dt><b>Action</b></dt>
122 <dd>A string naming the action to be performed — or, in the case of broadcast
123 intents, the action that took place and is being reported. The Intent class defines
124 a number of action constants, including these:
130 <th>Target component</th>
133 <td>{@code ACTION_CALL}
135 <td>Initiate a phone call.
137 <td>{@code ACTION_EDIT}
139 <td>Display data for the user to edit.
141 <td>{@code ACTION_MAIN}
143 <td>Start up as the initial activity of a task, with no data input and no returned output.
145 <td>{@code ACTION_SYNC}
147 <td>Synchronize data on a server with data on the mobile device.
149 <td>{@code ACTION_BATTERY_LOW}
150 <td>broadcast receiver
151 <td>A warning that the battery is low.
153 <td>{@code ACTION_HEADSET_PLUG}
154 <td>broadcast receiver
155 <td>A headset has been plugged into the device, or unplugged from it.
157 <td>{@code ACTION_SCREEN_ON}
158 <td>broadcast receiver
159 <td>The screen has been turned on.
161 <td>{@code ACTION_TIMEZONE_CHANGED}
162 <td>broadcast receiver
163 <td>The setting for the time zone has changed.
168 See the {@link android.content.Intent} class description for a list of
169 pre-defined constants for generic actions. Other actions are defined
170 elsewhere in the Android API.
171 You can also define your own action strings for activating the components
172 in your application. Those you invent should include the application
173 package as a prefix — for example:
174 "<code>com.example.project.SHOW_COLOR</code>".
178 The action largely determines how the rest of the intent is structured
179 — particularly the <a href="#data">data</a> and
180 <a href="#extras">extras</a> fields —
181 much as a method name determines a set of arguments and a return value.
182 For this reason, it's a good idea to use action names that are
183 as specific as possible, and to couple them tightly to the other fields of
184 the intent. In other words, instead of defining an action in isolation,
185 define an entire protocol for the Intent objects your components can handle.
189 The action in an Intent object is set by the
190 <code>{@link android.content.Intent#setAction setAction()}</code>
192 <code>{@link android.content.Intent#getAction getAction()}</code>.
196 <p><dt><b>Data</b><a name="data"></a></dt>
197 <dd>The URI of the data to be acted on and the MIME type of that data. Different
198 actions are paired with different kinds of data specifications. For example, if
199 the action field is {@code ACTION_EDIT},
200 the data field would contain the URI of the document to be displayed for editing.
201 If the action is {@code ACTION_CALL}, the data field would be a {@code tel:} URI
202 with the number to call. Similarly, if the action is {@code ACTION_VIEW} and the
203 data field is an {@code http:} URI, the receiving activity would be called upon
204 to download and display whatever data the URI refers to.
207 When matching an intent to a component that is capable of handling the data,
208 it's often important to know the type of data (its MIME type) in addition to its URI.
209 For example, a component able to display image data should not be called
210 upon to play an audio file.
214 In many cases, the data type can be inferred from the URI — particularly
215 {@code content:} URIs, which indicate that the data is located on the device and
216 controlled by a content provider (see the
217 <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/providers/content-providers.html">separate
218 discussion on content providers</a>). But the type can also be explicitly set
219 in the Intent object.
220 The <code>{@link android.content.Intent#setData setData()}</code> method specifies
221 data only as a URI, <code>{@link android.content.Intent#setType setType()}</code>
222 specifies it only as a MIME type, and <code>{@link
223 android.content.Intent#setDataAndType setDataAndType()}</code> specifies it as both
224 a URI and a MIME type. The URI is read by <code>{@link
225 android.content.Intent#getData getData()}</code> and the type by <code>{@link
226 android.content.Intent#getType getType()}</code>.
230 <p><dt><b>Category</b></dt>
231 <dd>A string containing additional information about the kind of component
232 that should handle the intent. Any number of category descriptions can be
233 placed in an Intent object. As it does for actions, the Intent class defines
234 several category constants, including these:
241 <td>{@code CATEGORY_BROWSABLE}
242 <td>The target activity can be safely invoked by the browser to display data
243 referenced by a link — for example, an image or an e-mail message.
245 <td>{@code CATEGORY_GADGET}
246 <td>The activity can be embedded inside of another activity that hosts gadgets.
248 <td>{@code CATEGORY_HOME}
249 <td>The activity displays the home screen, the first screen the user sees when
250 the device is turned on or when the HOME key is pressed.
252 <td>{@code CATEGORY_LAUNCHER}
253 <td>The activity can be the initial activity of a task and is listed in
254 the top-level application launcher.
256 <td>{@code CATEGORY_PREFERENCE}
257 <td>The target activity is a preference panel.
262 See the {@link android.content.Intent} class description for the full list of
267 The <code>{@link android.content.Intent#addCategory addCategory()}</code> method
268 places a category in an Intent object, <code>{@link android.content.Intent#removeCategory
269 removeCategory()}</code> deletes a category previously added, and <code>{@link android.content.Intent#getCategories getCategories()}</code> gets the set of all
270 categories currently in the object.
274 <p><dt><b>Extras</b><a name="extras"></a></dt>
275 <dd>Key-value pairs for additional information that should be delivered to the
276 component handling the intent. Just as some actions are paired with particular
277 kinds of data URIs, some are paired with particular extras. For example, an
278 {@code ACTION_TIMEZONE_CHANGED} intent has a "{@code time-zone}" extra that
279 identifies the new time zone, and {@code ACTION_HEADSET_PLUG} has a
280 "{@code state}" extra indicating whether the headset is now plugged in or
281 unplugged, as well as a "{@code name}" extra for the type of headset.
282 If you were to invent a {@code SHOW_COLOR} action, the color value would
283 be set in an extra key-value pair.
286 The Intent object has a series of {@code put...()} methods for inserting various
287 types of extra data and a similar set of {@code get...()} methods for reading
288 the data. These methods parallel those for {@link android.os.Bundle} objects.
289 In fact, the extras can be installed and read as a Bundle using the <code>{@link
290 android.content.Intent#putExtras putExtras()}</code> and <code>{@link
291 android.content.Intent#getExtras getExtras()}</code> methods.
295 <p><dt><b>Flags</b></dt>
296 <dd>Flags of various sorts. Many instruct the Android system how to launch an
297 activity (for example, which task the activity should belong to) and how to treat
298 it after it's launched (for example, whether it belongs in the list of recent
299 activities). All these flags are defined in the Intent class.
305 The Android system and the applications that come with the platform employ
306 Intent objects both to send out system-originated broadcasts and to activate
307 system-defined components. To see how to structure an intent to activate a
308 system component, consult the
309 <a href="{@docRoot}guide/appendix/g-app-intents.html">list of intents</a>
314 <h2><a name="ires"></a>Intent Resolution</h2>
317 Intents can be divided into two groups:
321 <li><i>Explicit intents</i> designate the target component by its
322 name (the <a href="#cname">component name field</a>, mentioned earlier,
323 has a value set). Since component names would generally not be known to
324 developers of other applications, explicit intents are typically used
325 for application-internal messages — such as an activity starting
326 a subordinate service or launching a sister activity.</li>
328 <li><p><i>Implicit intents</i> do not name a target (the field for
329 the component name is blank). Implicit intents are often used to
330 activate components in other applications.</p></li>
334 Android delivers an explicit intent to an instance of the designated
335 target class. Nothing in the Intent object other than the component
336 name matters for determining which component should get the intent.
340 A different strategy is needed for implicit intents. In the absence of a
341 designated target, the Android system must find the best component (or
342 components) to handle the intent — a single activity or service to
343 perform the requested action or the set of broadcast receivers to respond
344 to the broadcast announcement. It does so by comparing the contents of
345 the Intent object to <i>intent filters</i>, structures associated with
346 components that can potentially receive intents. Filters advertise the
347 capabilities of a component and delimit the intents it can handle. They
348 open the component to the possibility of receiving implicit intents of
349 the advertised type. If a component does not have any intent filters,
350 it can receive only explicit intents. A component with filters can
351 receive both explicit and implicit intents.
355 Only three aspects of an Intent object are consulted when the object
356 is tested against an intent filter:
359 <p style="margin-left: 2em">action
360 <br/>data (both URI and data type)
364 The extras and flags play no part in resolving which component receives
369 <h3><a name="ifs"></a>Intent filters</h3>
372 To inform the system which implicit intents they can handle, activities,
373 services, and broadcast receivers can have one or more intent filters.
374 Each filter describes a capability of the component, a set of intents that
375 the component is willing to receive. It, in effect, filters in
376 intents of a desired type, while filtering out unwanted
377 intents — but only unwanted implicit intents (those that don't name
378 a target class). An explicit intent is always delivered to its target,
379 no matter what it contains; the filter is not consulted. But an implicit
380 intent is delivered to a component only if it can pass through one of the
385 A component has separate filters for each job it can do, each face it can
386 present to the user. For example, the NoteEditor activity of the sample
387 Note Pad application has two filters — one for starting up with a
388 specific note that the user can view or edit, and another for starting
389 with a new, blank note that the user can fill in and save. (All of Note
390 Pad's filters are described in the <a href="#npex">Note Pad Example</a>
394 <div class="sidebox-wrapper">
395 <div class="sidebox">
396 <h2>Filters and security</h2>
397 <p>An intent filter cannot be relied on for security. While it opens a
398 component to receiving only certain kinds of implicit intents, it does
399 nothing to prevent explicit intents from targeting the component. Even
400 though a filter restricts the intents a component will be asked to handle
401 to certain actions and data sources, someone could always put
402 together an explicit intent with a different action and data source, and
403 name the component as the target.
409 An intent filter is an instance of the {@link android.content.IntentFilter} class.
410 However, since the Android system must know about the capabilities of a component
411 before it can launch that component, intent filters are generally not set up in
412 Java code, but in the application's manifest file (AndroidManifest.xml) as
413 <code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/intent-filter-element.html"><intent-filter></a></code>
414 elements. (The one exception would be filters for
415 broadcast receivers that are registered dynamically by calling <code>{@link android.content.Context#registerReceiver(BroadcastReceiver, IntentFilter, String,
416 Handler) Context.registerReceiver()}</code>; they are directly created as
417 IntentFilter objects.)
421 A filter has fields that parallel the action, data, and category fields of an
422 Intent object. An implicit intent is tested against the filter in all three areas.
423 To be delivered to the component that owns the filter, it must pass all three tests.
424 If it fails even one of them, the Android system won't deliver it to the
425 component — at least not on the basis of that filter. However, since a
426 component can have multiple intent filters, an intent that does not pass
427 through one of a component's filters might make it through on another.
431 Each of the three tests is described in detail below:
436 <dt><b>Action test</b></dt>
438 <code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/intent-filter-element.html"><intent-filter></a></code>
439 element in the manifest file lists actions as
440 <code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/action-element.html"><action></a></code>
441 subelements. For example:
443 <pre><intent-filter . . . >
444 <action android:name="com.example.project.SHOW_CURRENT" />
445 <action android:name="com.example.project.SHOW_RECENT" />
446 <action android:name="com.example.project.SHOW_PENDING" />
448 </intent-filter></pre>
451 As the example shows, while an Intent object names just a single action,
452 a filter may list more than one. The list cannot be empty; a filter must
453 contain at least one {@code <action>} element, or it
454 will block all intents.
458 To pass this test, the action specified in the Intent object must match
459 one of the actions listed in the filter. If the object or the filter
460 does not specify an action, the results are as follows:
464 <li>If the filter fails to list any actions, there is nothing for an
465 intent to match, so all intents fail the test. No intents can get
466 through the filter.</li>
468 <li><p>On the other hand, an Intent object that doesn't specify an
469 action automatically passes the test — as long as the filter
470 contains at least one action.</p></li>
474 <dt><b>Category test</b></dt>
476 <code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/intent-filter-element.html"><intent-filter></a></code>
477 element also lists categories as subelements. For example:
479 <pre><intent-filter . . . >
480 <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
481 <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" />
483 </intent-filter></pre>
486 Note that the constants described earlier for actions and categories are not
487 used in the manifest file. The full string values are used instead. For
488 instance, the "{@code android.intent.category.BROWSABLE}" string in the example
489 above corresponds to the {@code CATEGORY_BROWSABLE} constant mentioned earlier
490 in this document. Similarly, the string "{@code android.intent.action.EDIT}"
491 corresponds to the {@code ACTION_EDIT} constant.
495 For an intent to pass the category test, every category in the Intent object
496 must match a category in the filter. The filter can list additional categories,
497 but it cannot omit any that are in the intent.
501 In principle, therefore, an Intent object with no categories should always pass
502 this test, regardless of what's in the filter. That's mostly true. However,
503 with one exception, Android treats all implicit intents passed to {@link
504 android.content.Context#startActivity startActivity()} as if they contained
505 at least one category: "{@code android.intent.category.DEFAULT}" (the
506 {@code CATEGORY_DEFAULT} constant).
507 Therefore, activities that are willing to receive implicit intents must
508 include "{@code android.intent.category.DEFAULT}" in their intent filters.
509 (Filters with "{@code android.intent.action.MAIN}" and
510 "{@code android.intent.category.LAUNCHER}" settings are the exception.
511 They mark activities that begin new tasks and that are represented on the
512 launcher screen. They can include "{@code android.intent.category.DEFAULT}"
513 in the list of categories, but don't need to.) See <a href="#imatch">Using
514 intent matching</a>, later, for more on these filters.)
518 <dt><b>Data test</b></dt>
519 <dd>Like the action and categories, the data specification for an intent filter
520 is contained in a subelement. And, as in those cases, the subelement can appear
521 multiple times, or not at all. For example:
523 <pre><intent-filter . . . >
524 <data android:mimeType="video/mpeg" android:scheme="http" . . . />
525 <data android:mimeType="audio/mpeg" android:scheme="http" . . . />
527 </intent-filter></pre>
531 <code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/data-element.html"><data></a></code>
532 element can specify a URI and a data type (MIME media type). There are separate
533 attributes — {@code scheme}, {@code host}, {@code port},
534 and {@code path} — for each part of the URI:
537 <p style="margin-left: 2em">{@code scheme://host:port/path}</p>
540 For example, in the following URI,
543 <p style="margin-left: 2em">{@code content://com.example.project:200/folder/subfolder/etc}</p>
545 <p> the scheme is "{@code content}", the host is "{@code com.example.project}",
546 the port is "{@code 200}", and the path is "{@code folder/subfolder/etc}".
547 The host and port together constitute the URI <i>authority</i>; if a host is
548 not specified, the port is ignored.
552 Each of these attributes is optional, but they are not independent of each other:
553 For an authority to be meaningful, a scheme must also be specified.
554 For a path to be meaningful, both a scheme and an authority must be specified.
558 When the URI in an Intent object is compared to a URI specification in a filter,
559 it's compared only to the parts of the URI actually mentioned in the filter.
560 For example, if a filter specifies only a scheme, all URIs with that scheme match
561 the filter. If a filter specifies a scheme and an authority but no path, all URIs
562 with the same scheme and authority match, regardless of their paths. If a filter
563 specifies a scheme, an authority, and a path, only URIs with the same scheme,
564 authority, and path match. However, a path specification in the filter can
565 contain wildcards to require only a partial match of the path.
569 The {@code type} attribute of a {@code <data>} element specifies the MIME type
570 of the data. It's more common in filters than a URI. Both the Intent object and
571 the filter can use a "*" wildcard for the subtype field — for example,
572 "{@code text/*}" or "{@code audio/*}" — indicating any subtype matches.
576 The data test compares both the URI and the data type in the Intent object to a URI
577 and data type specified in the filter. The rules are as follows:
581 <li>An Intent object that contains neither a URI nor a data type passes the
582 test only if the filter likewise does not specify any URIs or data types.</li>
584 <li><p>An Intent object that contains a URI but no data type (and a type cannot
585 be inferred from the URI) passes the test only if its URI matches a URI in the
586 filter and the filter likewise does not specify a type. This will be the case
587 only for URIs like {@code mailto:} and {@code tel:} that do not refer to actual data.</p></li>
589 <li><p>An Intent object that contains a data type but not a URI passes the test
590 only if the filter lists the same data type and similarly does not specify a URI.</p></li>
592 <li><p>An Intent object that contains both a URI and a data type (or a data type
593 can be inferred from the URI) passes the data type part of the test only if its
594 type matches a type listed in the filter. It passes the URI part of the test
595 either if its URI matches a URI in the filter or if it has a {@code content:}
596 or {@code file:} URI and the filter does not specify a URI. In other words,
597 a component is presumed to support {@code content:} and {@code file:} data if
598 its filter lists only a data type.</p></li>
603 If an intent can pass through the filters of more than one activity or service,
604 the user may be asked which component to activate. An exception is raised if
605 no target can be found.
609 <h3><a name="ccases"></a>Common cases</h3>
612 The last rule shown above for the data test, rule (d), reflects the expectation
613 that components are able to get local data from a file or content provider.
614 Therefore, their filters can list just a data type and do not need to explicitly
615 name the {@code content:} and {@code file:} schemes.
616 This is a typical case. A {@code <data>} element like the following,
617 for example, tells Android that the component can get image data from a content
618 provider and display it:
621 <pre><data android:mimeType="image/*" /></pre>
624 Since most available data is dispensed by content providers, filters that
625 specify a data type but not a URI are perhaps the most common.
629 Another common configuration is filters with a scheme and a data type. For
630 example, a {@code <data>} element like the following tells Android that
631 the component can get video data from the network and display it:
634 <pre><data android:scheme="http" android:type="video/*" /></pre>
637 Consider, for example, what the browser application does when
638 the user follows a link on a web page. It first tries to display the data
639 (as it could if the link was to an HTML page). If it can't display the data,
640 it puts together an implicit intent with the scheme and data type and tries
641 to start an activity that can do the job. If there are no takers, it asks the
642 download manager to download the data. That puts it under the control
643 of a content provider, so a potentially larger pool of activities
644 (those with filters that just name a data type) can respond.
648 Most applications also have a way to start fresh, without a reference
649 to any particular data. Activities that can initiate applications
650 have filters with "{@code android.intent.action.MAIN}" specified as
651 the action. If they are to be represented in the application launcher,
652 they also specify the "{@code android.intent.category.LAUNCHER}"
656 <pre><intent-filter . . . >
657 <action android:name="code android.intent.action.MAIN" />
658 <category android:name="code android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
659 </intent-filter></pre>
662 <h3><a name="imatch"></a>Using intent matching</h3>
665 Intents are matched against intent filters not only to discover a target
666 component to activate, but also to discover something about the set of
667 components on the device. For example, the Android system populates the
668 application launcher, the top-level screen that shows the applications
669 that are available for the user to launch, by finding all the activities
670 with intent filters that specify the "{@code android.intent.action.MAIN}"
671 action and "{@code android.intent.category.LAUNCHER}" category
672 (as illustrated in the previous section). It then displays the icons and
673 labels of those activities in the launcher. Similarly, it discovers the
674 home screen by looking for the activity with
675 "{@code android.intent.category.HOME}" in its filter.
679 Your application can use intent matching is a similar way.
680 The {@link android.content.pm.PackageManager} has a set of {@code query...()}
681 methods that return all components that can accept a particular intent, and
682 a similar series of {@code resolve...()} methods that determine the best
683 component to respond to an intent. For example,
684 {@link android.content.pm.PackageManager#queryIntentActivities
685 queryIntentActivities()} returns a list of all activities that can perform
686 the intent passed as an argument, and {@link
687 android.content.pm.PackageManager#queryIntentServices
688 queryIntentServices()} returns a similar list of services.
689 Neither method activates the components; they just list the ones that
690 can respond. There's a similar method,
691 {@link android.content.pm.PackageManager#queryBroadcastReceivers
692 queryBroadcastReceivers()}, for broadcast receivers.
695 <h2 id="npex">Note Pad Example</h2>
698 The Note Pad sample application enables users to browse through a list
699 of notes, view details about individual items in the list, edit the items,
700 and add a new item to the list. This section looks at the intent filters
701 declared in its manifest file. (If you're working offline in the SDK, you
702 can find all the source files for this sample application, including its
703 manifest file, at {@code <sdk>/samples/NotePad/index.html}.
704 If you're viewing the documentation online, the source files are in the
705 <a href="{@docRoot}resources/samples/index.html">Tutorials and Sample Code</a>
706 section <a href="{@docRoot}resources/samples/NotePad/index.html">here</a>.)
710 In its manifest file, the Note Pad application declares three activities,
711 each with at least one intent filter. It also declares a content provider
712 that manages the note data. Here is the manifest file in its entirety:
715 <pre><manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
716 package="com.example.android.notepad">
717 <application android:icon="@drawable/app_notes"
718 android:label="@string/app_name" >
720 <provider android:name="NotePadProvider"
721 android:authorities="com.google.provider.NotePad" />
723 <activity android:name="NotesList" android:label="@string/title_notes_list">
724 <intent-filter>
725 <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
726 <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
727 </intent-filter>
728 <intent-filter>
729 <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
730 <action android:name="android.intent.action.EDIT" />
731 <action android:name="android.intent.action.PICK" />
732 <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
733 <data android:mimeType="vnd.android.cursor.dir/vnd.google.note" />
734 </intent-filter>
735 <intent-filter>
736 <action android:name="android.intent.action.GET_CONTENT" />
737 <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
738 <data android:mimeType="vnd.android.cursor.item/vnd.google.note" />
739 </intent-filter>
742 <activity android:name="NoteEditor"
743 android:theme="@android:style/Theme.Light"
744 android:label="@string/title_note" >
745 <intent-filter android:label="@string/resolve_edit">
746 <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
747 <action android:name="android.intent.action.EDIT" />
748 <action android:name="com.android.notepad.action.EDIT_NOTE" />
749 <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
750 <data android:mimeType="vnd.android.cursor.item/vnd.google.note" />
751 </intent-filter>
752 <intent-filter>
753 <action android:name="android.intent.action.INSERT" />
754 <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
755 <data android:mimeType="vnd.android.cursor.dir/vnd.google.note" />
756 </intent-filter>
759 <activity android:name="TitleEditor"
760 android:label="@string/title_edit_title"
761 android:theme="@android:style/Theme.Dialog">
762 <intent-filter android:label="@string/resolve_title">
763 <action android:name="com.android.notepad.action.EDIT_TITLE" />
764 <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
765 <category android:name="android.intent.category.ALTERNATIVE" />
766 <category android:name="android.intent.category.SELECTED_ALTERNATIVE" />
767 <data android:mimeType="vnd.android.cursor.item/vnd.google.note" />
768 </intent-filter>
772 </manifest></pre>
775 The first activity, NotesList, is
776 distinguished from the other activities by the fact that it operates
777 on a directory of notes (the note list) rather than on a single note.
778 It would generally serve as the initial user interface into the
779 application. It can do three things as described by its three intent
784 <li><pre><intent-filter>
785 <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
786 <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
787 </intent-filter></pre>
790 This filter declares the main entry point into the Note Pad application.
791 The standard {@code MAIN} action is an entry point that does not require
792 any other information in the Intent (no data specification, for example),
793 and the {@code LAUNCHER} category says that this entry point should be
794 listed in the application launcher.
797 <li><pre><intent-filter>
798 <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
799 <action android:name="android.intent.action.EDIT" />
800 <action android:name="android.intent.action.PICK" />
801 <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
802 <data android:mimeType="vnd.android.cursor.dir/vnd.google.note" />
803 </intent-filter></pre>
806 This filter declares the things that the activity can do on a directory
807 of notes. It can allow the user to view or edit the directory (via
808 the {@code VIEW} and {@code EDIT} actions), or to pick a particular note
809 from the directory (via the {@code PICK} action).
813 The {@code mimeType} attribute of the
814 <code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/data-element.html"><data></a></code>
815 element specifies the kind of data that these actions operate on. It
816 indicates that the activity can get a Cursor over zero or more items
817 ({@code vnd.android.cursor.dir}) from a content provider that holds
818 Note Pad data ({@code vnd.google.note}). The Intent object that launches
819 the activity would include a {@code content:} URI specifying the exact
820 data of this type that the activity should open.
824 Note also the {@code DEFAULT} category supplied in this filter. It's
825 there because the <code>{@link android.content.Context#startActivity
826 Context.startActivity()}</code> and
827 <code>{@link android.app.Activity#startActivityForResult
828 Activity.startActivityForResult()}</code> methods treat all intents
829 as if they contained the {@code DEFAULT} category — with just
834 <li>Intents that explicitly name the target activity</li>
835 <li>Intents consisting of the {@code MAIN} action and {@code LAUNCHER}
840 Therefore, the {@code DEFAULT} category is <em>required</em> for all
841 filters — except for those with the {@code MAIN} action and
842 {@code LAUNCHER} category. (Intent filters are not consulted for
846 <li><pre><intent-filter>
847 <action android:name="android.intent.action.GET_CONTENT" />
848 <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
849 <data android:mimeType="vnd.android.cursor.item/vnd.google.note" />
850 </intent-filter></pre>
853 This filter describes the activity's ability to return a note selected by
854 the user without requiring any specification of the directory the user should
855 choose from. The {@code GET_CONTENT} action is similar to the {@code PICK}
856 action. In both cases, the activity returns the URI for a note selected by
857 the user. (In each case, it's returned to the activity that called
858 <code>{@link android.app.Activity#startActivityForResult
859 startActivityForResult()}</code> to start the NoteList activity.) Here,
860 however, the caller specifies the type of data desired instead of the
861 directory of data the user will be picking from.
865 The data type, <code>vnd.android.cursor.item/vnd.google.note</code>,
866 indicates the type of data the activity can return — a URI for
867 a single note. From the returned URI, the caller can get a Cursor for
868 exactly one item ({@code vnd.android.cursor.item}) from the content
869 provider that holds Note Pad data ({@code vnd.google.note}).
873 In other words, for the {@code PICK} action in the previous filter,
874 the data type indicates the type of data the activity could display to the
875 user. For the {@code GET_CONTENT} filter, it indicates the type of data
876 the activity can return to the caller.
881 Given these capabilities, the following intents will resolve to the
885 <dl style="margin-left: 2em">
886 <dt>action: <code>android.intent.action.MAIN</code></dt>
887 <dd>Launches the activity with no data specified.</dd>
889 <dt>action: <code>android.intent.action.MAIN</code>
890 <br/>category: <code>android.intent.category.LAUNCHER</code></dt>
891 <dd> Launches the activity with no data selected specified.
892 This is the actual intent used by the Launcher to populate its top-level
893 list. All activities with filters that match this action and category
894 are added to the list.</dd>
896 <dt>action: <code>android.intent.action.VIEW</code>
897 <br/>data: <code>content://com.google.provider.NotePad/notes</code></dt>
898 <dd>Asks the activity to display a list of all the notes under
899 <code>content://com.google.provider.NotePad/notes</code>. The user can then
900 browse through the list and get information about the items in it.</dd>
902 <dt>action: <code>android.intent.action.PICK</code>
903 <br/>data: <code>content://com.google.provider.NotePad/notes</code></dt>
904 <dd>Asks the activity to display a list of the notes under
905 <code>content://com.google.provider.NotePad/notes</code>.
906 The user can then pick a note from the list, and the activity will return
907 the URI for that item back to the activity that started the NoteList activity.</dd>
909 <dt>action: <code>android.intent.action.GET_CONTENT</code>
910 <br/>data type: <code>vnd.android.cursor.item/vnd.google.note</code></dt>
911 <dd>Asks the activity to supply a single item of Note Pad data.</dd>
915 The second activity, NoteEditor, shows
916 users a single note entry and allows them to edit it. It can do two things
917 as described by its two intent filters:
920 <li><pre><intent-filter android:label="@string/resolve_edit">
921 <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
922 <action android:name="android.intent.action.EDIT" />
923 <action android:name="com.android.notepad.action.EDIT_NOTE" />
924 <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
925 <data android:mimeType="vnd.android.cursor.item/vnd.google.note" />
926 </intent-filter></pre>
929 The first, primary, purpose of this activity is to enable the user to
930 interact with a single note &mdash to either {@code VIEW} the note or
931 {@code EDIT} it. (The {@code EDIT_NOTE} category is a synonym for
932 {@code EDIT}.) The intent would contain the URI for data matching the
933 MIME type <code>vnd.android.cursor.item/vnd.google.note</code> —
934 that is, the URI for a single, specific note. It would typically be a
935 URI that was returned by the {@code PICK} or {@code GET_CONTENT}
936 actions of the NoteList activity.
940 As before, this filter lists the {@code DEFAULT} category so that the
941 activity can be launched by intents that don't explicitly specify the
945 <li><pre><intent-filter>
946 <action android:name="android.intent.action.INSERT" />
947 <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
948 <data android:mimeType="vnd.android.cursor.dir/vnd.google.note" />
949 </intent-filter></pre>
952 The secondary purpose of this activity is to enable the user to create a new
953 note, which it will {@code INSERT} into an existing directory of notes. The
954 intent would contain the URI for data matching the MIME type
955 <code>vnd.android.cursor.dir/vnd.google.note</code> — that
956 is, the URI for the directory where the note should be placed.
961 Given these capabilities, the following intents will resolve to the
965 <dl style:"margin-left: 2em">
966 <dt>action: <code>android.intent.action.VIEW</code>
967 <br/>data: <code>content://com.google.provider.NotePad/notes/<var>ID</var></code></dt>
968 <dd>Asks the activity to display the content of the note identified
969 by {@code <var>ID</var>}. (For details on how {@code content:} URIs
970 specify individual members of a group, see
971 <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/providers/content-providers.html">Content Providers</a>.)
973 <dt>action: <code>android.intent.action.EDIT</code>
974 <br/>data: <code>content://com.google.provider.NotePad/notes/<var>ID</var></code></dt>
975 <dd>Asks the activity to display the content of the note identified
976 by {@code <var>ID</var>}, and to let the user edit it. If the user
977 saves the changes, the activity updates the data for the note in the
978 content provider.</dd>
980 <dt>action: <code>android.intent.action.INSERT</code>
981 <br/>data: <code>content://com.google.provider.NotePad/notes</code></dt>
982 <dd>Asks the activity to create a new, empty note in the notes list at
983 <code>content://com.google.provider.NotePad/notes</code>
984 and allow the user to edit it. If the user saves the note, its URI
985 is returned to the caller.
989 <p>The last activity, TitleEditor,
990 enables the user to edit the title of a note. This could be implemented
991 by directly invoking the activity (by explicitly setting its component
992 name in the Intent), without using an intent filter. But here we take
993 the opportunity to show how to publish alternative operations on existing
997 <pre><intent-filter android:label="@string/resolve_title">
998 <action android:name="com.android.notepad.action.EDIT_TITLE" />
999 <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
1000 <category android:name="android.intent.category.ALTERNATIVE" />
1001 <category android:name="android.intent.category.SELECTED_ALTERNATIVE" />
1002 <data android:mimeType="vnd.android.cursor.item/vnd.google.note" />
1003 </intent-filter></pre>
1006 The single intent filter for this activity uses a custom action called
1007 "<code>com.android.notepad.action.EDIT_TITLE</code>". It must be invoked on
1008 a specific note (data type <code>vnd.android.cursor.item/vnd.google.note</code>),
1009 like the previous {@code VIEW} and {@code EDIT} actions. However, here the
1010 activity displays the title contained in the note data, not the content of
1015 In addition to supporting the usual {@code DEFAULT} category, the title
1016 editor also supports two other standard categories:
1017 <code>{@link android.content.Intent#CATEGORY_ALTERNATIVE ALTERNATIVE}</code>
1018 and <code>{@link android.content.Intent#CATEGORY_SELECTED_ALTERNATIVE
1019 SELECTED_ALTERNATIVE}</code>.
1020 These categories identify activities that can be presented to users in
1021 a menu of options (much as the {@code LAUNCHER} category identifies
1022 activities that should be presented to user in the application launcher).
1023 Note that the filter also supplies an explicit label (via
1024 <code>android:label="@string/resolve_title"</code>) to better control
1025 what users see when presented with this activity as an alternative
1026 action to the data they are currently viewing. (For more information
1027 on these categories and building options menus, see the
1028 <code>{@link android.content.pm.PackageManager#queryIntentActivityOptions
1029 PackageManager.queryIntentActivityOptions()}</code> and
1030 <code>{@link android.view.Menu#addIntentOptions Menu.addIntentOptions()}</code>
1035 Given these capabilities, the following intent will resolve to the
1036 TitleEditor activity:
1039 <dl style="margin-left: 2em">
1040 <dt>action: <code>com.android.notepad.action.EDIT_TITLE</code>
1041 <br/>data: <code>content://com.google.provider.NotePad/notes/<var>ID</var></code></dt>
1042 <dd>Asks the activity to display the title associated with note <var>ID</var>, and
1043 allow the user to edit the title.</dd>