[android-developers] Using ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT for editing files

As far as I can tell from the documentation and testing with the new Storage Access Framework and Intent.ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT, there doesn't seem to be a way (via an extra or otherwise) to pass with the Intent request to open a document to only return documents from providers that support writing (i.e. have FLAG_SUPPORTS_WRITE set).  Instead, we are forced to check a document selection made by the user (via a metadata query) to determine if the document supports write before we attempt to open an OutputStream or ParcelFileDescriptor in "w" mode.  Is this correct, or have I overlooked something?

This seems to be a large missing piece in the new Storage Access Framework when attempting to allow a user to open an existing document to be edited as it forces the user to make a selection first, then have us check if they can write, throw and error if they cannot, and force them to pick again.  Furthermore, we cannot say that it is uncommon for documents providers not to support writing, because even the system media documents provider (i.e. the source for images/videos) does not support write and will throw and IllegalArgumentException ("Media is read-only") when one attempts to write to one of its files (as an image editing app, the most common example used in the docs, would attempt to do).  Is there a proper method with the new SAF of limiting selections to writable providers only?

Feedback appreciated for anything I may have missed here.  As it stands, suggesting that developers use ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT for in-place editing doesn't seem like a viable approach.

Dave Smith

@devuwired

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