[FEATURE REQUEST] Open files with direct paths and not via content URLs

[Omegaplexx]

Hello! YTDLnis opens downloaded files with content:// links and that makes it inconvenient. When I click "Open" in YTDLnis dialog or notification, I often need to rename or delete the video while watching it through MX Player (it has such features). All players treat such file links as streams and cannot do anything but just play them, so I have to go to my "Downloads" folder with file explorer, open the video with direct path and get that extra functionality in player.

Can you please save my time and do the app to open downloaded files via direct paths? Shouldn't be a big deal. Thank you! :)

Sorry if there are some mistakes. Not a native Eng speaker :/

[zaednasr]

Do you know of any FOSS app that can do this? Because from what i know thats how you usually open files, with content URI's. 🤔

[Omegaplexx]

VLC and Material Files. Not sure if it answers your question, but these apps can open files by direct path from the interface

[zaednasr]

Do you know the source code of them? In github or something

[Omegaplexx]

VLC: https://code.videolan.org/videolan/vlc-android Material Files: https://github.com/zhanghai/MaterialFiles

Unfortunately, I'm not a programmer myself, so I can't read the code or explain how it works :(

[zaednasr]

I want to know something. If you are inside the app and open it from there, can u do your things ok?

[Omegaplexx]

Yeah, when I open a video from Material Files/VLC/X-plore/F-Stop or any other file manager or gallery, I can get extra functionality in player, because all these apps open files with a direct path

[zaednasr]

No, i mean inside the ytdlnis app, u can open the file in the downloads screen.

[Omegaplexx]

Oh, I get it. No, I can't. MX Player treat it as stream and shows the content:// link in the properties of the open video instead of the path

[zaednasr]

can you enable all files access in the app and try again?

[Omegaplexx]

Both MX Player and YTDLnis have storage permission. I granted it a long time ago

[zaednasr]

From what im testing, this only is happening when you dont have all files permission. If u have it enabled, then u can edit a file with mx player just fine Can you check in the folder settings?

[Omegaplexx]

I checked the permissions of both apps again and made sure that both apps has access to all files but still I can't rename/delete a file with MX Player. I think it's because content URLs don't provide access to the file itself, but only allow to read (play) it

I noticed another peculiarity. The players built into the different apps (X-plore, QuickPic Gallery, MiXplorer) react differently to links sent by YTDLnis. MiXplorer's player can't play a video stream (only audio is played), X-plore's player crashes when trying to open content://, and QuickPic player can't display the properties of the stream being played. All apps have storage access permission

[zaednasr]

I found another method that is files:/// but android doesnt allow to share that URI, and everywhere i looked u need to send the content uri. Not sure what im missing.

[Omegaplexx]

I've heard a lot of negative feedback about the Storage Access Framework API, which from what I understand is very inconvenient, slow and forces developers to use content URIs for "security" purposes. The old method of file access is called FileIO, and it seems to be that all the apps mentioned above use it. It has no restrictions on using direct file paths, and allows you to rename/delete/copy/move/edit a file or files directly from the application interface. Does YTDLnis use SAF? If yes, it's probably the reason of the issue

[Omegaplexx]

[zaednasr]

the app uses both. FileIO for deleting files and checking if they exist and SAF for opening files. There is no other way, u have to use SAF to create a VIEW intent.

[Omegaplexx]

Material Files is open source. It can create and open files directly from it's interface which probably means that it uses FileIO to open'em.

I also know the FSAF library. Could it be useful? https://github.com/K1rakishou/Fuck-Storage-Access-Framework

[zaednasr]

I studied the code and it uses SAF aswell but its different because it reimplemented almost everything, but its the same logic.

[zaednasr]

dm me on telegram, ill send you an apk

[Omegaplexx]

New version that you sent me in TG works fine. Thank you very much for your responsiveness! :)