Content providers allow sharing of data between Android applications. They encapsulate data and expose it through a single ContentResolver interface. When an app wants data from another app, it uses a content URI and the ContentResolver to request data from the target app's registered ContentProvider. The ContentProvider then uses the URI to find and return the requested data to the requesting app via the ContentResolver. To create a ContentProvider, an app defines an authority, extends ContentProvider, implements required methods like query(), and registers the provider in the manifest.

1. Android Content Providers
Kurt Mbanje : DStv Digital Media
+KurtMbanje
@ckurtm

2. What's a Content Provider?
• They provide content to applications.
• They encapsulate data and provide it to applications through the single
ContentResolver interface

3. Why?
• Share data between applications.
• Predictive search within your app
• Leverage power of loaders with cursors.

4. Ok so how does this work?
App 1 has content (database) and a registered ContentProvider
App 2 uses ContentResolver and content Uri to request data from a
ContentProvider
Android uses the Uri provided by App 2 to find the matching registered
ContentProvider to send and receive data from
The ContentProvider for App 1 uses this Uri to find the data and returns it to the
ContentResolver supplied by App 2

5. Components
• android.content.ContentResolver getContext().getContentResolver()
• android.net.Uri

6. Content Uri android.net.Uri
• The scheme – content://
• Authority
• Path usually matches a table name in your database
• ID (optional) used for further filtering e.g. to get a specific row

7. android.content.ContentResolver
public final Cursor query (Uri uri, String[] projection, String selection, String[] selectionArgs, String sortOrder)
Query
insert(Uri url, ContentValues values)
INSERT
update(Uri uri, ContentValues values, String where, String[] selectionArgs)
Update
delete(Uri url, String where, String[] selectionArgs)
Delete

8. android.content.ContentResolver
Query

9. Example: Query Calendar

10. android.content.ContentResolver
public final Cursor query (Uri uri, String[] projection, String selection, String[] selectionArgs, String sortOrder)
Query
insert(Uri url, ContentValues values)
INSERT
update(Uri uri, ContentValues values, String where, String[] selectionArgs)
Update
delete(Uri url, String where, String[] selectionArgs)
Delete

11. android.content.ContentResolver
public final Cursor query (Uri uri, String[] projection, String selection, String[] selectionArgs, String sortOrder)
Query
insert(Uri url, ContentValues values)
INSERT
update(Uri uri, ContentValues values, String where, String[] selectionArgs)
Update
delete(Uri url, String where, String[] selectionArgs)
Delete

12. Example: Update event in Calendar

13. android.content.ContentResolver
public final Cursor query (Uri uri, String[] projection, String selection, String[] selectionArgs, String sortOrder)
Query
insert(Uri url, ContentValues values)
INSERT
update(Uri uri, ContentValues values, String where, String[] selectionArgs)
Update
delete(Uri url, String where, String[] selectionArgs)
Delete

14. Create a Content Provider
1. Create an Authority
2. Create a your class that extends from ContentProvider
3. Implement the matching ContentResolver methods
4. Register your ContentProvider in manifest & mark export to true (only if
you wish to share your data)

15. 1: Create an Authority

16. 2: Create your ContentProvider
1. Extend From ContentProvider
2. Implement OnCreate
3. Create your Uri matcher
4. Overide methods e.g. query

17. 3: Create your ContentProvider : Query Method

18. Type - public String getType(Uri uri)
Delete - public abstract int delete (Uri uri, String selection, String[] selectionArgs)
Update - public abstract int update (Uri uri, ContentValues values, String selection, String[] selectionArgs)
Insert - public abstract Uri insert (Uri uri, ContentValues values)
3: Create your ContentProvider : Other Methods

19. 4: Register your ContentProvider

21. DroidProvider
https://github.com/ckurtm/DroidProvider

22. Thanks
+KurtMbanje