Database Users

Portable Webserver for APK files

Hi guys,
I have just been playing around with the idea of hosting a webserver on my machine that my phone could connect to to download apk files after performing a wipe.
Iv been thinking about this as everytime i wipe my phone i connect back to the market and download appmanager to install apps direct from sd. So instead of having to do that im looking at having them all in a directory on my PC/Flashdrive (as this will be portable) using XAMPP.
Before any gets any wrong ideas this is not intended for any illegal doings. Its just to make my life easier. I thought i would share what i have started to see if this will help out anyone else.
So far i have it working (very rough). But i dont know any coding so this is a bit of a hack job.
I am using XAMPP as stated aswell as a PHP script that will automaticly populate the page will all files within a particular folder.
I have attached the index file i am using.
if you wish to use this please make sure you do a few things.
Install XAMPP
From where you installed XAMPP. In the HTDOCS folder create a "APK" Folder
Place the index.php in the HTDOCS folder
Edit the index.php file to change the path of the APK folder (currently set to D:\\Dream\\xampp\\htdocs\\APK) keep the double slashes "\\"
Start the Apache webserver from the XAMPP control panel
Now connect to Localhost, any files you place in that folder should now appear
Anyone wishing to use this, edit this, whatever you feel like. Go ahead
If you would like to help and change the look and feel of the page it would be greatly appreciated. If you do post the files back up here for all to use
Hope you guys like

Can I ask why you wouldn't just backup your apps to your sdcard (use something like MyBackup) and be done with it?
You can always copy them from your sdcard to your flash drive (and back from flash drive to sdcard temporarily if you need to re-install).
I'm all for experimenting, learning and even playing around a lot. But this seems like overkill. First off, your apps will surely get outdated quickly, and you'll end up upgrading lots of apps. You'll end up spending an enormous amount of time managing your own local library.
Personally, I think you're wasting your time unless your trying to learn how to do something in the process. Maybe you are, and in that case, go for it. Otherwise, enjoy your phone and let the Market do the management for you.

Or you can just have all your .apk's in a folder and use adb to install all of em at once. But like the above post you might have to get updates for alot of em.

Need Mac Beta Testers: Interface for Pushing Files

Hello,
I need beta testers running Mac OS X to test a new application.
This application is for people who are either uncomfortable or unwilling to use Terminal and ./adb for pushing files to their device.
This first beta version is just to test how it works on different computers. It pushes the file to the sdcard of the phone using ./adb. The only input needed from the user is to select the file.
Later releases will let the user choose which folder on the device to copy to, but the next release will probably just involve pushing .apk to the /system/app folder.
Please let me know the results.
http://derekcwilkinson.com/PushFile.zip
Beta 2:
http://derekcwilkinson.com/Push_File_Beta_2.zip
Change Log:
Added option to choose the location that the file is to be pushed to.
Added Recovery application
Added Reboot application.
Planned Updates:
Pull File - Done
Device Backup - Testing (having issues)
Device Backup w/SD - Testing (having issues)
Install .apk - Done
Uninstall .apk
Restore Backup - Needs Device Backup
Restore Backup w/SD - Needs Device Backup
Flash ROM - Need help, PM me

I'll test it Downloading it now.

Works fine, I look forward to seeing it progress. I'll probably just use adb when I need to push something, but I'll keep testing whenever you update.

I've updated the first post with a new beta. This new beta includes:
Push file to specified location.
Reboot device
Reboot device into recovery.

derekwilkinson said:
Hello,
I need beta testers running Mac OS X to test a new application.
This application is for people who are either uncomfortable or unwilling to use Terminal and ./adb for pushing files to their device.
This first beta version is just to test how it works on different computers. It pushes the file to the sdcard of the phone using ./adb. The only input needed from the user is to select the file.
Later releases will let the user choose which folder on the device to copy to, but the next release will probably just involve pushing .apk to the /system/app folder.
Please let me know the results.
http://derekcwilkinson.com/PushFile.zip
Beta 2:
http://derekcwilkinson.com/Push_File_Beta_2.zip
Change Log:
Added option to choose the location that the file is to be pushed to.
Added Recovery application
Added Reboot application.
Planned Updates:
Pull File - Ready
Device Backup - Testing
Device Backup w/SD - Testing
Install .apk
Uninstall .apk
Restore Backup
Restore Backup w/SD
Flash ROM - Need help, PM me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nice this looks like it could be the underpinnings of droid explorer for Mac.

gunnyman said:
nice this looks like it could be the underpinnings of droid explorer for Mac.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be, but I'm going to need someone to help me create the UI for running the scripts. Right now they are all just separate applications

derekwilkinson said:
It could be, but I'm going to need someone to help me create the UI for running the scripts. Right now they are all just separate applications
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps, since it's free, you could build the whole thing to run as a Safari extension? I don't know how feasible this is, just spitballing ideas.

Well I just finished the app to install applications. This could be especially useful for newbies who want to install custom applications. All they have to do is select the .apk and it installs.

The .apk installer is now ready for download.
http://derekcwilkinson.com/Derek_Wi...0/6/9_Push_File_for_Android__Install_APK.html

Just downloaded... I'll give it a try, thanks

Something very similar is being developed or Windows and Linux, maybe you can use it or work with the developer to get a working port to MAC. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=683223
As a Mac user, it's very much appreciated that people like you put an effort to developing for our platform. Resources are very scarce and people new to Android are often discouraged with the more advanced stuff of the OS.

srkmagnus said:
Something very similar is being developed or Windows and Linux, maybe you can use it or work with the developer to get a working port to MAC. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=683223
As a Mac user, it's very much appreciated that people like you put an effort to developing for our platform. Resources are very scarce and people new to Android are often discouraged with the more advanced stuff of the OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great idea, it would be nice to allow users to browse the device for files. Right now, unless an app is being installed, they have to know the name of the file and location

[Q] htc_cime for legend with froyo 2.2

Hi,
I live in China and got an already rooted legend from a super friendly little shop in the neighbourhood here, but it came with a horrendous goapk.com rom which severely locked down my ability to install anything from the market - instead, it tried to force me into this relatively useless Chinese goMarket thing. So, waiting patiently, I finally installed the MoDaCo custom ROM last week and everything is running sweetly.
Only now I find I actually miss a couple of the customisations the Chinese ROM had on it. In particular, the htc_cime was very useful to me because it supported handwriting input - the Google Pinyin IME is less useful to Chinese noobs like me who can't read the sound of the characters and need to input the handwriting.
I have had a http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=7276627 rummage around these threads and found lots of htc_cime packages, none of which work on Legend under Froyo. Does anybody have a solution? The apk's that do install die immediately when I try to input text, and I don't know what to do with the zip files available on that site - I can extract them, but then it says "Application not installed" without any further help.
Cheers and thanks! Maybe the IME will turn up when 2.2 finally comes out for stock Legends, which will surely happen any minute now

So, a few hundred reads and no replies. Seems like a difficult issue, and obviously not many people are interested in using Chinese handwriting. Should I post this on the development thread? Can anyone at least give some advice on how to install these .zip distribution packages? I know how to install a .apk using the file manager, is some other app necessary to install the .zips?

strophy said:
So, a few hundred reads and no replies. Seems like a difficult issue, and obviously not many people are interested in using Chinese handwriting. Should I post this on the development thread? Can anyone at least give some advice on how to install these .zip distribution packages? I know how to install a .apk using the file manager, is some other app necessary to install the .zips?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just downloaded the .zip file from your link and it had the .apk file inside it and another zip (?).
A zip file is a zip file, they are not android specific, have been around at least 20 years now, it is a compressed file, windows or whatever os you use should be able to open it no problems and then just extract/copy the apk inside to your phones sd card and install it, you also need to open the other zip file INSIDE the zip file (yay recursion) and extract/copy the folder to your sd card as well.
I didn't install it myself as I am still on éclair.

It may be that ZIP files are not Android specific, but to install one you should flash it with ROM Manager or from Clockworkmod Recovery. I don't know if extracting the zip and installing the .apk is working like that. The reason for doing this is mainly because some files cannot be written or replaced when phone is in normal use. From that link I saw it is a signed package (by the name) and it should be installed via ROM Manager or recovery

Hi again,
I tried unzipping the .apk file and installing it, but also no luck. I am fairly sure the .apk installer references the "zi" folder ("zi" means character in Chinese), as that folder seems to contain a lot of files describing the metrics and probably recognition of each character as you write it. Still no luck though.
Using the ROM manager to install packages seems a bit like overkill though - if the Google IME can be installed as an apk without rebooting, surely any IME can be installed like that?
I might ask htc about this when the official 2.2 FOTA comes out, if I claim I had it before and it wasn't in the update they might just send me an .apk that will sort this out once and for all. No big hopes on that one though.
Cheers,
Leon

Development: Files to APK....?

Hi,
Sort of new in the development world, been workign with some examples and changign some files around , but i have no apk yet.
I have all the folders, and files. as in the picture enclosed
-Assests
-bin
-gen
-res
-src
-.classpath
.project
AndriodManifest.xml
default.properties
So my question is.
How can i make this into an APK file? I have the files, already made and since the example was provided to me in ZIP file, i dont have many options..
I know and read that i would need eclipse etc for programming, but i figure the program is already made Just not in APK
so how do I make this an APK file?
I tried Apk manager, but u need an APK for it

Uhm, yeah, I don't think this is going to work like that. Install eclipse, ADT plugin and import the Project and then you can try to build the apk!

You cant compile code into an executable apk without a development environment, such as eclipse.

Sure you can. Check out:
http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/building/building-cmdline.html

I would STRONGLY suggest you install eclipse (or equivalent) because it makes things so much easier. You'll struggle otherwise.
An APK can be made, completely from scratch, from the command line but why on earth would you want to?

Yeap, eclipse does everything.
You can compile it on an AVD via eclipse, or even straight to your phone, if you connect it by the time you run the program in eclipse.

Portable Android Dev (jPortable Method) (Windows Only)

Saw a method a while ago for creating a portable android dev environment, however, i decided that i would post my method which i have used. So far, it seems to work rather well. I have not fully tested it though, and i will post any problems i find with it.
1. Create a directory for all files and folders (for instance, "Android_Dev")
2. Inside of that folder. Create a 2 more directories, one should be called "CommonFiles", and the other something sensible like "AndroidSDK"
3. First things first, download jPortable from here and install it to your "Android_Dev\CommonFiles" location
4. Now, Download Eclipse Portable from here and simply set it to install to "Android_Dev"
5. Finally. Head over to the google dev page right here and download the latest ADT bundle. DO NOT EXTRACT IT YET
6. Once you have downloaded the bundle, open up the .zip file, and copy the contents of the "sdk" folder to your "Android_Dev/AndroidSDK" folder
7. Now everything should be configured. Just open up the eclipse installation (Android_Dev\EclipsePortable\EclipsePortable.exe) and let Eclipse load
8. If it doesnt ask you to point to an Android SDK, just go to Window>Preferences>Android and point to the AndroidDev\AndroidSDK folder
9. You should now be able to access the Eclipse SDK manager and download the rest of the resources you will need through that!
DISCLAIMER: I have not extensively tested this, I simply installed it into my laptop (needed the software, didnt have admin rights). It may or may not work for you, if it works, drop a thanks! If it doesn't, reply below with the problem, or any fixes if you find one!

Issues
Doesn't use the latest Eclipse version