Question

I’ve been struggling with a simple assets directory listing. I have the following structure (roughly speaking):

-dirA
--data.xml
--AudioSUBdir
---some files here
--VideoSUBdir
---some files here
-dirB
--data.xml
--AudioSUBdir
---some files here
-test    
--SUBtestDir

All I want is a listing of the parent asset directory (i.e. dirA, dirB, and test; I will then read the data.xml files and on basis of this do something with the content of the subdirs).

I thought that getting the desired two strings would be easy:

try {
   String[] fileNames;
   fileNames = getAssets().list("");
   for(String name:fileNames){
      // process it, e.g. write it out }
} catch (IOException e) {}

However, what I’m getting is something like AudioSUBdir, dirA, dirB, VideoSUBdir, webkit (there ain’t no damned webkit at all!)
It seems to be doing several weird things at the same time:

• it ignores the directory structure, i.e. reads even subdirectories where it shouldn’t
• it magically displays a webkit directory although there is none whatsoever in the entire project folder
• it ignores the “test” directory completely

So my questions are two (and a half)

1. how do I get just the root folders (I want to later test them for existence of the file folder/data.xml, which will be processed and the application will do whatever it’s supposed to)
2. any explanation of what is going on. I could theoretically deal with the fact that it even writes out subdirs although I don’t want them. I could even get over the fact that it ignores the test folder (perhaps because they are empty? – Well empty, containing just a subdir, not a file, but anyway…) But where the hell is the webkit folder coming from? Is it somehow “post-generated” by the apk buidling process?
3. I’m getting a feeling that all subfolders are actually collapsed into one root. Does it mean that files of the same name will collide during the building process?

Answer 1

As far as the 1st (and major) issue of my question is concerned, I think I’ve figured it out.

try {
   String[] fileNames;
   fileNames = MyAudioGuideApplication.this.getAssets().list("");
   for(String name:fileNames){
       if (Arrays.asList(getResources().getAssets().list(name)).contains("data.xml"))
        process.the.file.here
   }
} catch (IOException e) {}

I’m still not sure how exactly getAssets works but at least the following seems to turn out:

• folders are ignored if they contain no files
• output is sorted alphabetically regardless the structure
• when called from the root folder – i.e. …list(“”) – it lists even subdirectories

Maybe it can help someone struggling as I have.