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Where are desktop shortcuts stored in the Android file system?

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Jonas Schneider

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Mar 27, 2017, 11:45:51 PM3/27/17
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1. Where are desktop shortcuts like ESFTP stored?
2. What do we use to edit these shortcuts?

Roger Mills, in another thread, suggested the ES File Explorer FTP Server
which creates a desktop shortcut named "ESFTP".

This ESFTP shortcut works fine, but I'd like to edit it but ES File
Explorer search doesn't find anything named "ESFTP" (even though my device
is rooted now).

I clicked about from / (aka root) downward, but I don't know where desktop
shortcuts are stored.

Two questions:
1. Where are desktop shortcuts like ESFTP stored?
2. What do we use to edit these shortcuts?

Ralph Fox

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Mar 29, 2017, 3:54:33 PM3/29/17
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On Tue, 28 Mar 2017 03:45:51 +0000 (UTC), Jonas Schneider wrote:

> Subject: Where are desktop shortcuts stored in the Android file system?
>
> 1. Where are desktop shortcuts like ESFTP stored?
> 2. What do we use to edit these shortcuts?
>
> Roger Mills, in another thread, suggested the ES File Explorer FTP Server
> which creates a desktop shortcut named "ESFTP".
>
> This ESFTP shortcut works fine, but I'd like to edit it but ES File
> Explorer search doesn't find anything named "ESFTP" (even though my device
> is rooted now).


In Windows 4 and later, each desktop icon is usually (but not always)
an individual .lnk (Windows shortcut) file in the Windows file system.

Android works differently to Windows. In Android, desktop icons are
not files in the file system.


> I clicked about from / (aka root) downward, but I don't know where desktop
> shortcuts are stored.
>
> Two questions:
> 1. Where are desktop shortcuts like ESFTP stored?
> 2. What do we use to edit these shortcuts?


--
Kind regards
Ralph
🦊

tlvp

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Mar 31, 2017, 1:07:35 AM3/31/17
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On Thu, 30 Mar 2017 08:54:33 +1300, Ralph Fox wrote:

> In Android, desktop icons are
> not files in the file system.

Nor are they pickled herrings in my fridge. But what *are* they? (Doesn't
really help much to know what they're *not* :-) .) Thanks. Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.

Prodigal

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Jun 7, 2017, 3:06:37 AM6/7/17
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On Fri, 31 Mar 2017 01:07:37 -0400, tlvp wrote:

> On Thu, 30 Mar 2017 08:54:33 +1300, Ralph Fox wrote:
>
>> In Android, desktop icons are
>> not files in the file system.
>
> Nor are they pickled herrings in my fridge. But what *are* they?
> (Doesn't really help much to know what they're *not* :-) .) Thanks.
> Cheers, -- tlvp

All such info is stored under the your launcher's "data" folders. So, it
depends on the launcher you are using as to where and how it is stored.
For example:

My ASUS devices store this under:

"/data/data/com.asus.launcher/databases/allapps.db" as well as a few
other database files under the same path.


To access it, you will need a rooted device. Know this: Messing with it
can result in a bricked or boot-looped device. I have personally copied
these database files to my PC, and opened them in the appropriate,
database program. However, I would at this point NEVER attempt to edit
them and then try and overwrite the file on my android. I am sure it can
be done, but it is not for me as I find reinstalling ROMs tiresome :)

Hope that helps.

Cheeers
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