Get resource from URL

Question

I am making an Android app whose core functionality revolves around a single CSV file, which is stored in the 'assets' folder. It is a dictionary-type app, and once I have finished coding it, the only updates I can foresee (it's a very simple app) will be updates to this CSV file as I modify the dictionary content.

Rather than having to recompile and submit a new version to the Google Play store each time I update the CSV file, it seems sensible that users would only have to download the app once, and periodically the app would check online for an updated CSV file.

How would I go about retrieving a resource from a URL and automatically copying that into the 'assets' folder?

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 01 '12 at 11:56

public InputStream getHttpContentEasily(String url) {
                    HttpURLConnection conn;

                    try {
                            conn = (HttpURLConnection) new URL(url).openConnection();
                            conn.setConnectTimeout(CONNECTION_TIMEOUT);
                            conn.setReadTimeout(READ_TIMEOUT);
                            conn.setInstanceFollowRedirects(true);
                            return (conn.getInputStream());
                    } catch (MalformedURLException e) {
                            e.printStackTrace();
                    } catch (IOException e) {
                            e.printStackTrace();
                    }
                    return (null);
            }

And then you just have to write your file with the returned stream where you want.

Get resource from URL

1 Answers1