Adding and removing apps directly from flash

[roncville]

I need to add and delete apps, through direct manipulations of the flash card.  I'll be doing this without Android running.

I have two cases:

Case 1: Flash card has never been booted (i.e. freshly burned, Android has never run).
So far I've done this by simply copying the app (apk file) to folder system/app, or removing it from that same folder.  That's worked OK so far for me, but I'd either like reassurance that it's the right approach, or direction on the proper approach.

Case 2: Flash card where Android has already run.
I don't know if this is really a special case, but I can see where it might be, since maybe once Android runs once it somehow records the apps that are present.  So, if I need to add/delete apps differently than in case 1, I'd like to know how.

Thanks,
Ron

[Dianne Hackborn]

Is this something different than the normal system update mechanism?

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[roncville]

I think my need is different, but I can't be sure since I don't know the details of the 'normal system update mechanism' you refer to.  But, I assume that update mechanism is used with (or from) a running Android system.

My need is to manage apps when Android is not running.  I have a memory card upon which the Android stack, along with some apps, are installed.  I want to temporarily mount that card to a separate Linux system, and use basic Linux commands like mv, rm, cp, or whatever, to add and delete apps from the card.  Then, when I once again boot my card on my Android hardware to run Android, Android should reflect the newly modified set of apps.

For example, from the separate Linux system, is it safe to simply issue the command 'rm /system/app/Calendar.apk'?

[Dianne Hackborn]

You can modify the contents.  Exactly what will happen when the system next boots will depend on what you modify.  If you remove an app, it will delete any data associated with an app.  If you replace an app, it will either just use the new version, or wipe the old version's data if they are incompatible.

What you are doing is really no different from normal platform development where you make a new system image (or remount the system image as read/write and modify it with the system stopped) and then reboot the system.

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[roncville]

OK - it  sounds like it behaves like I was hoping.

Thanks,
Ron