Cannot set the initial location of documents navigator using Storage Access Framework (SAF)

Question

The documentation says \"Callers can set a document URI through EXTRA_INITIAL_URI to indicate the initial location of documents navigator.\"

But it won

Answer 1

From DocumentsContract.EXTRA_INITIAL_URI:

Location should specify a document URI or a tree URI with document ID. If this URI identifies a non-directory, document navigator will attempt to use the parent of the document as the initial location.

As far as I'm aware

• You cannot specify a starting location using an arbitrary URI, e.g. Uri.fromFile, it needs to originate from a DocumentsProvider
• You cannot specify a starting location on API 25 and below

Assuming uri was retrieved from Intent.ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT_TREE:

DocumentFile file = DocumentFile.fromTreeUri(context, uri);
intent.putExtra(EXTRA_INITIAL_URI, file.getUri());

Answer 2

I think you need a content URI like "content:/some/uri" for this to work.

The following is based on the answer in question MediaStore - Uri to query all types of files (media and non-media):

String getFileContentUri(ContentResolver contentResolver, File file){
    String filePath = file.getAbsolutePath();
    Uri uri = MediaStore.Files.getContentUri("external");

    String[] projection = {MediaStore.Files.FileColumns.DATA};

    String selection = MediaStore.Files.FileColumns.DATA+"=? ";
    String[] selectionArgs = new String[] { filePath };

    String sortOrder = null;
    Cursor fileCursor = contentResolver.query(uri, projection, selection, selectionArgs, sortOrder);
    if(fileCursor != null && fileCursor.moveToFirst()){
        int columnIndex = fileCursor.getColumnIndex(projection[0]);
        filePath = fileCursor.getString(columnIndex);
        fileCursor.close();
        return filePath;
    }

    return null;
}

Also you probably need to request the permission android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE.