Question

This might be a simple question, but I’ve had a hard time pinning down a direct answer.

I have created a content provider in its own separate package in a project using the Eclipse Android ADT. This package is included in the src of the overall project. When modifying AndroidManifest.xml I included this as a child of <application>:

 <provider android:name="JobProvider"
      android:authorities="dsndata.sds2Mobile.provider.JobProvider" />

The code that will be using the provider is in a separate package also in src

Where would be the best place to store the provider? In the same package as the source using it? Also, What are the correct values for android:name and android:authorities? I’m sure they vary depending on where the provider is stored.

Answer 1

You can place the provider wherever you like. If you are writing a provider that stores data for your app (and only for your app, and only your app uses it) then it’s cleanest to just be right in with the app code in its own package. Typically, ‘provider’ is the package name.

As for the name and authority, see the Manifest documentation:

android:name The name of the class
that implements the content provider,
a subclass of ContentProvider. This
should be a fully qualified class name
(such as,
“com.example.project.TransportationProvider”).
However, as a shorthand, if the first
character of the name is a period, it
is appended to the package name
specified in the element.
There is no default. The name must be
specified.

android:authorities A list of one or
more URI authorities that identify
data under the purview of the content
provider. Multiple authorities are
listed by separating their names with
a semicolon. To avoid conflicts,
authority names should use a
Java-style naming convention (such as
com.example.provider.cartoonprovider).
Typically, it’s the name of the
ContentProvider subclass. There is no
default. At least one authority must
be specified.

The content authority is a unique string that is used to map content:// uris (uri to data) to your class. ContentResolver uses that mapping to identify how to serve a given request, which is identified with a URI, to the correct class (yours). Hence the requirements for a unique string.