download a pdf and then open in an external app.

[Mattt586]

Hi I want to open a odd from a website in my app. I have done this but the google doc viewer is rubbish when trying to zoom it goes all over the place.

I've decided I want the app to download the pdf first then open in a better external pdf viewing app like adobe.

Can anyone help?
Cheers
Matt

[SteveJG]

Taifun's tutorial here may give you some ideas:   http://puravidaapps.com/snippets.php#2pdf  

Regards,

Steve

[Mattt586]

Thanks for the reply.I've been using this but it does not explain how to do what I'm asking.

[Taifun]

I've been using this but it does not explain how to do what I'm asking. 

because it's self explaining, isn't it?

How to view a pdf document

the first example reads a pdf stored on your device using the activity starter

the second example reads a pdf stored online using the webviewer 

try the first example...

and in case your question is, how to download a file, see here

How to download a file and save it on your device

Taifun

[Mattt586]

I have tried using both of them already and it didn't work.

I did the download one when button clicked and then the view pdf from the get file and nothing happened.

I will post a screenshot later when I'm home.

Thanks

[Mattt586]

[Mattt586]

just noticed it says pdf and not application/pdf still makes no difference.

I get error601: no corresponding activity was found

[Taifun]

remove the activity class and use DataType = application/pdf instead

see again here How to view a pdf document 

Taifun

[Mattt586]

sorry i must of clicked that and changed it by mistake. 

I have put it right and it open adobe but then said "the document can not be opened"

???

[Taifun]

well, your download link somehow does not look correct...

Taifun

[Mattt586]

can you explain? ive tried another also

[Mattt586]

this is the link

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxmQD377DXB8TnQtVTZvRHh3NnM/view?usp=sharing.pdf

[Taifun]

OK, the link works
How does the complete path of the downloaded file in your device look like ? Make sure, it starts with file:///mnt/sdcard/...
Taifun

[Mattt586]

the path is /storage/emulated/o/AppInventor/assets

[Taifun]

try to use the join block and add file:// 

what is the filename currently?

you also might want to define the filename using the Web.ResponseFileName block, see also https://puravidaapps.com/filebyfile.php

Taifun

[Mattt586]

Actually cancel that i think thats when i added the file to media thinking it could be stored in the app that way.

Will look for the file now

[Mattt586]

its in /storage/sdcard0/My Documents/Downloads

It opens with adobe from there??

[Mattt586]

Thanks that has sorted it!

Now i can actually view pdf properly! Now to build the app.

One more thing. 

Will it download and open the file every time its pressed or will it know its already there the second time and just open it? 

[Mattt586]

Another problem. When I swapped it back to the actually file i want it to work with not the one i was testing it with. It says in adobe. This document cannot be opened because its not a valid PDF document.???

[Mattt586]

Sorry fo all the separate messages.

It saves the file as HTML?

Using this one again

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxmQD377DXB8TnQtVTZvRHh3NnM/view?usp=sharing.pdf

[Taifun]

instead of guessing: to find out the filename and path of the downloaded file, use a label component in the Web1.GotFile event like this

set Label1.Text to get filename

then read this again:

[Mattt586]

I know the location it downloads to as said above.

It downloads the one from a website as a odd but it downloads the file from google drive as html?? Its defiantly a pdf file and downloads on pc and my phone from browser as a pdf??

[Mattt586]

Sorry phone guesses words. It's said odd instead of PDF!!

[Taifun]

please provide a screenshot of your label1.text result...

[Mattt586]

I will do later as I'm not on it at the moment.Thanks again for your help.

[Mattt586]

[Taifun]

what about following this advice?

[Mattt586]

Doesn't that just instruct where to save the file? Its still going to save it as a html in whatever folder i tell it to save it to. Or am i wrong?

[Taifun]

let's take a look, what the documentation is saying http://ai2.appinventor.mit.edu/reference/components/connectivity.html#Web

ResponseFileName

The name of the file where the response should be saved.

so if you expect a pdf file, why not just assigning a filename?

for example

set Web.ResponseFileName to "MattWhyDontYouJustTryIt.pdf"

or

set Web.ResponseFileName to "/MattsFolder/MattWhyDontYouJustTryIt.pdf"

 

Taifun

[Mattt586]

i tried that ages ago and it does not work!

[Mattt586]

screen of the code

[Taifun]

your link was not correct, see also here http://techathlon.com/download-shared-files-google-drive/

like this it works...

example project attached

Taifun

[Mattt586]

Thanks alot your example does exactly what was required. Thanks again for working this out for me!

I would never of got to that.