Tasker fails to read /data directory

[Al]

My S5 is rooted and I have been using Tasker for a while now, never had any problems until few days ago. 

Tasker seems to fire profiles randomly, probably because I had unchecked the option 'Run in foreground'. May be Tasker was being killed and re-spawned frequently which triggered the profiles ? I have checked 'Run in foreground' option now, I am yet to test it though.

The problem that is bothering me the most is Tasker lost it's ability to read /data directory after I checked the option 'Run in foreground', I am not sure if it is connected to this or is a just a co-incidence. Re-enabling it doesn't seem to help.

I am trying to read from one of the app's directory in /data/data/com.<app-domain>.  The log file states the error as 'warning: /data/data/com.<app-domain>/<filename>.xml doesn't exist'  I cannot browse the /data directory from within Tasker, /data is displayed as empty. I have come across several topics on the net but most relate to older versions of Tasker and have been marked as resolved due to bug being resolved and an update released.

Afterwards in an attempt to solve this issue, I uninstalled and re-installed SuperSU but never got a prompt by SuperSU to grant root access to Tasker. I had busybox installed, I uninstalled it completely to see if that was the cause, but to no avail. I can see messages flashing that inform me about apps acquiring root access, all including Secure Settings except Tasker. So, root access on my phone is working the way it should, as all the other apps are able to acquire root access without problems. So what do I need to do to be able to read a file from /data/data. Does file and directory permissions matter, does Tasker tries to acquire root access if the directory/file has read/write access for user and group only and execute for others ?

I would also like to to know if there is another way of ridding the Tasker entry in the status bar that shows active tasks ? I jst wish to free up space taken by the Tasker entry.

Thanks for any help.

[Matt R]

I don't see a mention of trying to uninstall and reinstall Tasker.  I would try that.

Matt

[Al]

Allright, did that too, but no joy.

I can see SuperSu log has entries for every other app including Super Settings but none for Tasker. I am at a loss here. Any ideas, help ?

[Scott Miller]

You won't get a prompt for root from Tasker until it runs a task with actions that require root. Tasker itself does not require root. Tasker tests for root at startup, but the method it uses does not cause the prompt appear.

Scott

[Al]

So accessing /data requires root access unless I have misunderstood it. When I run the task that accesses /data, I should get a prompt for granting root access, right? I don't. Tasker's log reports file doesn't exist. It obviously is the way Tasker is doing things that is different from other apps which doesn't result in a prompt from SuperSU?

Regardless, the question is how do I get Tasker to read/write from/to /?

[Matt R]

Try doing a shell command (e.g. echo 1) with the root option checked.

Matt

[Al]

That was a success. I even tried 'touch /data/data/<app-domain>/test.txt', that succeeds as well. Echo 1 prompted for granting elevation, subsequent commands with root checked, I could see messages flashing that informed me that Tasker has been granted super user privileges.

Is there a way to specify root option for readfile as well, other than working around by using shell command to cat or cp the file to another directory that Tasker has no problem reading from?

[Matt R]

You should be able to use the read file action now. It just wasn't working to initiate a root request.

Matt

[Al]

Obviously not. I double checked before reporting back. I still can't get Tasker to read /data. Any other ideas? Wonder why is the developer so quiet?

[Al]

Any one else? Developers?

[Marta Hintz]

It works on mine. I read a file that has bunch of locations that helps set my variables. Plus I have a task that move my default pictures to a different directory. So it may be you phone or Rom that may have an issue.

[Al]

Or it is a Tasker bug that surfaced, for my phone provided it the right breeding conditions! So I'm here to understand what is it that is causing Tasker to bug out and take necessary actions to either make that bug dormant or stop using Tasker if I can't get it solved.

[Jeremy Harris]

I can confirm this on my rooted i337 S4 running Android 4.3 with SafeStrap recovery and custom ROM Hyperdrive RLS12 and a few Xposed modules.

I can't browse /data or read files in that directory with tasker. I also tried preceding with a Run Shell [Command: su] and also tried with Tasker accessibility on.

[Marta Hintz]

I forgot to say that I use it on a Note 3 rooted with Baggins ROM, and a Note 4 not rooted Verizon variant.

[Al]

I did a factory reset of my phone, reinstalled Tasker, recoded profiles and tasks from scratch rather than importing them and yet the problem persists. Seems like the latest version is a screw up, at least for me.

Any ideas? Has the developer really chosen to ignore me completely?

[Marta Hintz]

You need to send him a log file of your problem like it states on the FAQ.  

How can I contact the developer ?

There is a contact email given at Menu / Info / Support. In general, this is intended for order and validation help, which is often confidential, and other private issues.

Please post Tasker usage queries/problems in the Tasker Forum where the developer is very active.

Advantages:

• the user community has more experience than the developer with using Tasker
• other people can benefit if your problem is solved
• the developer has more time for fixing bugs and adding features, which benefits everyone

How can I send the developer a bug report ?

• go to Android Settings then About Phone
• tap 10 or more times on the Build Version entry
• go back one screen
• select Developer Options
• check the USB Debugging option if it's not already checked
• do whatever it is that causes the problem
• go back to Developer Options and tap Take Bug Report (the first entry)
• wait a short while until the bug report is ready (a notification will appear)
• share using an email application
• the destination email address is listed in Menu / Info / Support in Tasker
• include at the top of the email a brief description of the problem that the email concerns
• disable USB Debugging and Developer Options (switch at top)

Try to make the log as soon as possible after the problem occurs.

How can I send the developer a long-term log ?

If your problem covers a longer time-frame, you'll need an SD card log because the system log fills up very quickly:

• you'll need an SD card inserted
• deselect Menu / Prefs / UI / Beginner Mode in Tasker
• enable Menu / Prefs / Misc / Debug to SD Card in Tasker
• when the problem has occured, email the file /sdcard/Tasker/log.txt to the developer email listed at Menu / Info / Support
• include at the top a brief description of the problem that the log concerns

[DrPhant0m]

Has there been any news on this?

It's not a bug... I have run into the same problem, and I can explain what's going on.  Though, I'm not a developer.

The problem is that Tasker doesn't have root-enabled file browsing capabilities built into certain functions.  Meaning, you can browse files the same way you can on a non-rooted device.  This includes the /data/ folder.

The "Read File" action does NOT have a "Use Root" option.

The "Copy File" action DOES have a "Use Root" option.

So... you won't be able to read a file directly from /data/...   but you CAN copy that file using root to the sdcard, and then read THAT file, without root.

Likewise... when you devise the COPY action, you won't be able to browse for the file in /data/ using Tasker's browser (because it doesn't support root browsing), but you will be able to type the file location in manually (or use ES File Explorer's "copy full path" option like I do), and then select "Use Root" so that it will use root to access that file/folder and copy it.

It's really a pain that certain functions don't support root browsing.

Personally, I'd like to use "Read File" on a file in /data/data/[app name] to read to a variable, rather than taking the time to copy the file to the sdcard first.

Pent... any comments?