Database Develop

[Q] Change application external write locations

I have been wondering if it is possible to modify where programs store their external data on the SD card, but have not been able to find an answer yet.
Example...
I have the program "FolderOrganizer" and it stores it's backup data to /mnt/sdcard/FolderOrganizer. Now what I would like to do is to clean up my SD card a bit by moving all my program saves to the /mnt/sdcard/Android/xxxxx folders. This way I know where all my backups, skins and etc are located at while keeping my file structure clean.
I have been using Root Explorer to poke around and see if I can find any indication of where these programs set their external save directories at (xml files etc), but I have not been able to figure it out yet.
I bet it is something easy that I am just missing. Can anyone help out or point me in the right direction?

djstaid said:
I have been wondering if it is possible to modify where programs store their external data on the SD card, but have not been able to find an answer yet.
Example...
I have the program "FolderOrganizer" and it stores it's backup data to /mnt/sdcard/FolderOrganizer. Now what I would like to do is to clean up my SD card a bit by moving all my program saves to the /mnt/sdcard/Android/xxxxx folders. This way I know where all my backups, skins and etc are located at while keeping my file structure clean.
I have been using Root Explorer to poke around and see if I can find any indication of where these programs set their external save directories at (xml files etc), but I have not been able to figure it out yet.
I bet it is something easy that I am just missing. Can anyone help out or point me in the right direction?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No... it's not something you're just missing... there is no standard and as a result it's almost impossible to achieve what you're aiming for. I too wish for the same, everything simply under <sdcard>/android/ ...
Some apps are hard coded in their code, some allow the user to select, some store in /data/data/xxx/shared_prefs/ - it's a lottery.

djmcnz said:
No... it's not something you're just missing... there is no standard and as a result it's almost impossible to achieve what you're aiming for. I too wish for the same, everything simply under <sdcard>/android/ ...
Some apps are hard coded in their code, some allow the user to select, some store in /data/data/xxx/shared_prefs/ - it's a lottery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response. That is a bummer though, I was really hoping to be able to tell everything where to write to. I currently have a ext4 partition on my SD and that is where all my apps install to... if I can't tell the apps where to save on my SD partition, it would be nice to at least move it all to the ext4 partition.
There is crap all over on my SD card and my OCD is starting to kick in!

Yeah, I know the SD card can get messy... it's really stupid and annoying... Unfortunately, there is no SD card data saving guidelines for developers... and writing to an ext partition is completely out of scope for market apps because not all users have ext partitions... it would be nice, though, to have apps save data under one common folder... say /sdcard/data or /sdcard/Android... maybe we need to petition developers or Google!!

I agree with the saving to and ext partition. I just think it is silly that you can't at least specify a directory to save external data. I know some apps allow this, but I guess that if Google forced a change then everyone would have to change their code.
I wonder what would happen if you took out your SD and tried running those apps. Where would they write to then?

djstaid said:
I agree with the saving to and ext partition. I just think it is silly that you can't at least specify a directory to save external data. I know some apps allow this, but I guess that if Google forced a change then everyone would have to change their code.
I wonder what would happen if you took out your SD and tried running those apps. Where would they write to then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apps that require the sdcard for storage will usually either give an error when run without an sdcard or just not work at all.
I am also pretty anal about my storage and neatness, and I have given up on my sdcard being organized. What I have done is create folders with capital first letters to bring them to the top of the listing when browsing by default sort, at least I can find what I want easily without sifting through all the data folders..

That is pretty much what I have done. I guess it it better than nothing. If I knew more about programming I would try and build something to look for and modify those paths. I just never really understood/got into the whole programming thing... that is why I ended up in Infrastructure. lol

djstaid said:
That is pretty much what I have done. I guess it it better than nothing. If I knew more about programming I would try and build something to look for and modify those paths. I just never really understood/got into the whole programming thing... that is why I ended up in Infrastructure. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm with you there, long time (20+ years) building and repairing pcs, 0- years programming.
As far as building something to modify the paths used by programs accessing the sdcard in Android, that seems a nearly impossible feat. Each program would have to be modified, requiring reverse-coding (baksmali) each one individually, modifying the code, and recompiling (smali). This would also require re-signing and reinstalling each application, making updating from the market impossible, and would take a lot of work.
Due to the fact that applications are "sandboxed" (so to speak) in Android, I wouldn't think there was a global %externaldata% path variable that can be modified from /mnt/sdcard to /mnt/sdcard/Android, I am pretty sure that path is set in each application.
Though, I could be wrong. However, it is worth noting that if it is a global variable, changing it would result in applications that are already properly coded to use /mnt/sdcard/Android/%appname% or /mnt/sdcard/data%appname% to instead attempt to write the data to /mnt/sdcard/Android/mnt/sdcard/Android/%appname% as they would append their string to the global variable.
I believe, all we can do is petition developers to use a more structured data path in their programs, and learn to live with disorder!

daveid said:
I believe, all we can do is petition developers to use a more structured data path in their programs, and learn to live with disorder!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lmao!
this is true though... at least I know that I am not alone. haha

I am definitely with you all on this. I found this post after having the same epiphany just now. There needs to be more structure to the use of external storage. These little things are what set our OS apart from say, the "forbidden" iphone...

I have actually tried digging into different apps to see where the store locations are set at and have had no luck. I guess if I knew how to program or at least modify that one part of the app I would have more luck.
Problem with that is if I modify something in an app and it gets updated, I would have to do it all over again. I guess that is the gift and curse of having such an open OS. I will post back here if I figure something out though. I have been digging into the Android OS a little more, but I am still having problems understanding how it all works underneath.

[Q]Moving Gameloft game data to external-sd

I have about 1.01GB of Gameloft files on my internal SD and copying them back from a full format/reflash firmware takes close to 1hr, is there a way for this to be stored on my external SD and still work with lag fixes and such ?

wait for froyo
then it can be done
before froyo it's not possible
as you need to keep the game data in the Internal SD

AllGamer said:
wait for froyo
then it can be done
before froyo it's not possible
as you need to keep the game data in the Internal SD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Froyo official or the pre-release JPM would do ?

yeah leaked 2.2 will do, but not recommended
expect problems

AllGamer said:
yeah leaked 2.2 will do, but not recommended
expect problems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only see move game data thats like 7-10MB large the entire game files still sit on the internalSD

Does anyone know some kind of a method to point the game files over to the external_SD? its really a pain restoring about 3,000 game files thats barely over 1.5GB takes hours!

Sorry for bumping this, but did anyone figure this out on froyo 2.2 or 2.2.1?

Never got this resolved, I would like to have all of my game data on the external_SD

exactly, im looking very hard for this questions to be resolved..but i tried searching elsewhere in other forums and there too did not provide any best answers...can anyone out there help us out pls

Not possible for mobile games
I also have tons of game data, especially gameloft's. I do really want to keep it in my external SD. So whenever I reinstall my system and the games, I can just simply put my extSD back in, then the game loads.
But as far as I know, this currently not possible even in froyo. App like Apps2SD can move apps to extSD, but not the game data, which are too big.
Even if it could, with the data that big I wonder how long should it take to load all the apps in the applications list when we run it to -- let's say uninstall other apps?
To prevent this, the dev separate the game from the data but I think the game is programmed to search the data path to internal SD by default, and could not be changed.
This is just like in PC, the default 'savegames' folder will be created separately and each game has it's own place. Some chose to be in the installation folder, others in my documents... So on...
And when we reinstall our PC OS then reinstall the games, we must restore our savedgames from our backups that we have copied in other disk, to the game default save folder.
Unfortunately, for mobile games the data are not just for the savedgames, but also for the main game resources... Which are too damn big and takes time to restore... Hmmm...

TerraBuzz said:
I also have tons of game data, especially gameloft's. I do really want to keep it in my external SD. So whenever I reinstall my system and the games, I can just simply put my extSD back in, then the game loads.
But as far as I know, this currently not possible even in froyo. App like Apps2SD can move apps to extSD, but not the game data, which are too big.
Even if it could, with the data that big I wonder how long should it take to load all the apps in the applications list when we run it to -- let's say uninstall other apps?
To prevent this, the dev separate the game from the data but I think the game is programmed to search the data path to internal SD by default, and could not be changed.
This is just like in PC, the default 'savegames' folder will be created separately and each game has it's own place. Some chose to be in the installation folder, others in my documents... So on...
And when we reinstall our PC OS then reinstall the games, we must restore our savedgames from our backups that we have copied in other disk, to the game default save folder.
Unfortunately, for mobile games the data are not just for the savedgames, but also for the main game resources... Which are too damn big and takes time to restore... Hmmm...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have same problem

Did anyone find a solution? I would also love to more gamedata to the exxternal sd card, seems a bit silly we cant

take a look http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1129134&highlight=gameloft here...i haven't tired it yet, but i think it should work

dudau16 said:
take a look http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1129134&highlight=gameloft here...i haven't tired it yet, but i think it should work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm that solution here works

Defragmenting the N6

Back in 2012 android police made a report that defraging your phone didn't help any.
Fast forward to today I don't know if that's still the case. I see apps like SD maid have RAVE reviews from Nexus 6 users on the play store review section https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.thedarken.sdm&hl=en
But is it actually worth using?
Does clearing cache and dalvik do the same in TWRP?
I am asking these questions because I have moved around 24 GB's of data the past 2 weeks into different folders and deleted alot of stuff off the phone. I want to make sure my available memory is displaying correctly now.

I don't think defragging would do anything for performance on a mobile phone with flash storage. Defragmenting a hard drive is done to improve seek times and general performance, and I believe it's specifically with FAT/NTFS file systems where this is most useful.
Like SSDs, seek times aren't affected by file fragmentation. I'd imagine any perceived performance boost is placebo.

You don't need to defragment flash memory...you just don't. You're only burning readbwrite life by doing so.

SD Maid can be a useful tool but it has nothing to do with fragmentation and it works differently than clearing the caches in TWRP.

datajosh said:
SD Maid can be a useful tool but it has nothing to do with fragmentation and it works differently than clearing the caches in TWRP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How does Maid work then? I guess I am confused how Maid cleans up my storage.

CCJ22 said:
How does Maid work then? I guess I am confused how Maid cleans up my storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It says in the description how it cleans up your storage:
Apps you have already deleted, sometimes leave data behind.
The system constantly creates logs, crash reports and debug files you don't really need.
Your SD-card is collecting files and directories you don't recognize.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It also looks to have a file explorer, app manager, and some other things.

Defragmentation brings no improvement on flash based storage and can actually be harmful, not only due to read/write cycles but also because in some instances it can counter wear-leveling.
edit: Actually see here for a better explanation: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=58004678&postcount=9
CCJ22 said:
How does Maid work then? I guess I am confused how Maid cleans up my storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SD Maid cleans up your storage by deleting files.
Which files are deleted depends on what tool you use.
See here: http://sdmaid.darken.eu/help
TL;DR
CorpseFinder tool for app remains, SystemCleaner for general clutter such as log files, AppCleaner for cache-like files (meaning files that don't contain user generated content and will be recreated if necessary).

exactly what @Dark3n said..
great app btw, been using it for years. no, it doesnt defragment

Fragmentation can occur on non-magnetic storage, as the file is fragmented into multiple, non-contiguous chunks which lead to excessive metadata. The less contiguous the data, the more metadata needed to string it all together. While the performance hit of this type of fragmentation on flash storage is far less than on magnetic storage, it exists nonetheless and general cleanup can help. While it pertains to how Windows handles fragmentation of SSDs, the following article by Scott Hanselman sheds a lot of light here.
http://www.hanselman.com/blog/therealandcompletestorydoeswindowsdefragmentyourssd.aspx
Regardless, moving around data of that size probably doesn't matter. It's more the TRIM function you should be interested, which is enabled in Android since 4.3. That helps the system know which blocks of memory truly have nothing in them for a faster and more even write.

Free Space Wipe

Hi there!
Does any1 know of any apps that would shred / clean the free space of the device with a good multipass algorithm? I have found lots of apps that do just that in the store, but none of them that would be possible to schedule while charging.
In other words, schedule it to wipe the device every day at 2AM if the charger is connected.
Any ideas? The device is rooted, so it might be a xposed module...
Thanks!

Do you know IFTTT (IF This Then That)? Maybe you can handle the problem with this app..

dfunkbv said:
Do you know IFTTT (IF This Then That)? Maybe you can handle the problem with this app..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, will have a look... I am also looking at automate as well...

By the way, my edge+ is rooted... does any1 know of any shell tool / command that would to that? That would be easy to implement with automate...

Euh ?are you a president ? You know, mobile phone don't use physical hard drives. Once the data is erased, you can't recover them like on an ssd.
It's totally useless, even you want to erase your forbidden porn files...
And more reason to not do this : flash memories don't really love intensive write/erase process, it's the best way to kill your phone rapidly.

xTremePower said:
Euh ?are you a president ? You know, mobile phone don't use physical hard drives. Once the data is erased, you can't recover them like on an ssd.
It's totally useless, even you want to erase your forbidden porn files...
And more reason to not do this : flash memories don't really love intensive write/erase process, it's the best way to kill your phone rapidly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess this is a looong debate.
Once you can´t encrypt (at least for now) a rooted edge+, my files are there, in the open. When you delete something, the file will still be there in the storage, no matter if it is a mechanical / magnetic disc or a SSD / flash. Only the first pointer to the first sector of the file is freed.
A tool like a cellebrite UFED can easy retrieve and rebuild what is stored in the "free space" of your device.
So, until I can encrypt my phone, I will try to use any means necessary to make it as secure as possible, like using tools that employ encryption by themselves and using any tools to rewrite the "free" space.... any suggestions are appreciated too

Is this a typical amount of usable memory?

With around 22gb of memory tied up in system/miscellaneous files (which I assume I have no control over without a root, i can only delete a few mb of the miscellaneous files ), is 10gb the typical amount of free memory available on this phone? Hopefully this is a memory leak thing, but I haven't seen any positive results since the new firmware upgrade.

thahue said:
With around 22gb of memory tied up in system/miscellaneous files (which I assume I have no control over without a root, i can only delete a few mb of the miscellaneous files ), is 10gb the typical amount of free memory available on this phone? Hopefully this is a memory leak thing, but I haven't seen any positive results since the new firmware upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
10gb seems to low for free space

That's abnormal unless you've got loads of games or media.. Check to verify that you have no archived backup from recovery. Those take up gb's worth of space.

So I've scoured the settings and backup definitely isn't enabled

thahue said:
So I've scoured the settings and backup definitely isn't enabled
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Backups made in recovery will NOT show up in folders.. Try wiping backup archives in recovery.

Go to my files, device storage, click more and click show hidden files. Check to see which folders are using a huge amount of storage

The easiest way to see what's taking so much memory is with the free program DiskUsage. You can download it from the Google Play store - it's small and very easy to use. Just start it and it'll show you what's what
LINK
thahue said:
So I've scoured the settings and backup definitely isn't enabled
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

lirex said:
The easiest way to see what's taking so much memory is with the free program DiskUsage. You can download it from the Google Play store - it's small and very easy to use. Just start it and it'll show you what's what
LINK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ballin, yea so a while back I attempted to run a GameCube emulator and downloaded like 3 games for it..thought I cleared everything but I guess quite a few gigs were still hidden in unknown territories...
Miscellaneous files down to 711mb, thanks guy(s)