Is there an easy way to add a folder shortcut to an Android lockdown screen? I know you can add file shortcuts using the File:// activity, however this doesn't work for folder locations (and Folder:// doesn't exist!)
Would this need to be accomplished via an Android intent?
Hi Stuart,
Matt's suggestion of SOTI HUB would be a great long term solution for you if the lockdown path to the file on the device continues to not work for you.
In respect of your time to implement a solution though, you can also use the Content Library to upload files to a folder on the server that can be shared and distributed between devices. You should be able to have this implemented in less than 30 min to an hour.
I will include a link to information on how to configure this below. Afterwards, you would simply need to add the MobiControl bundle ID to the lockdown (Samsung Devices = Launch://net.soti.mobicontrol.elm.samsung) which will give users access to open the MobiControl Agent where they can review the Content Library files you have sent to the devices.
Hope this helps,
Technical Support | SOTI Inc. |1.905.624.9828 | support@soti.net | soti.net |
You want to provide end users with direct access to the file system like that? Is this for accessing corporate documents of some kind? If so maybe using SOTI HUB for document and content access would be a more robust approach?
If you're talking about adding a lockdown item to open folder in original homescreen, then there is no easy way because folder in homescreen is implemented by the device launcher app and there is no standard way/API to access them.
However, if you want to have implement folder (or other high-level objects such as page, list, drawer, etc. ) in Mobicontrol kiosk, it is possible, but need to use customized HTML/CSS/javascript and/or related framework(s) e.g. jQuery Mobile, etc.
Hi Stuart,
The helpfile has it listed as I have copied below, for navigating to a file on the device. If I'm not mistaken add the extra / and in most cases the macro %sdcard% will refer to the root on an android device.
File:// - Opens a file on the device (e.g. file:///%sdcard%content/document.pdf)
I'm not sure of your use case but I do tend to agree with these gentlemen though that we have other ways of providing access to documents on devices, that may work for your users also.
Try this and let us know if it works.
Technical Support | SOTI Inc. |1.905.624.9828 | support@soti.net | soti.net |
I completely agree, but it's just finding the time to get this done is a bit tricky at the moment! We just want certain public files in a folder and easily accessible via a shotcut on the home screen.
I have tried simply adding File:///%sdcard% (and File:///%sdcard%Risk_Assessments) and nothing happens when I click the link. It seems the File:// activity only allows the opening of files and does not support opening the My Files application (com.sec.android.app.myfiles) at a specified file location.
If your app does not have explicit intent filter declared in its manifest file to open target extension type(s), Android system has no way to associate the file extension with your app. A simple test is to use any generic file browser to try to open your target data file with the desired file extension. If no apps have been registered with the Android system that it can handle file of the specific extension, nothing will happen. This is the same in MobiControl Kiosk for item specified with file://
If you want the app to be able to go directly to a certain page/location when opening the file of target file extension, you likely need to implement intent in the app to interpret the page/location information on top of the file path information. In such case, you should use intent when specifying MobiControl Kiosk item.
What type of file is Risk_Assesments? I do not see the extension in your example and please add a / after %sdcard%. Perhaps you can still use file:///%sdcard%Risk_Assessments.??? However you would have to put more than one lockdown link to the desired file(s) in your lockdown (how many to you have?) because it doesn't just open to a specific file location in the application as you have indicated but rather to the last known location in file browser.
By the way if this works, the first time you open it you can associate it to a default application. The user will need to select "always open with this application" then it will become the default.
I have faced the same problem. There is an app that produces .pdf and .jpg. They suppose to use the file manager to explore and open it, but if we do so, it will have access to everything stored.
One possible solution is to open in Surf a url to a specific folder.
I would like to know if it is possible to use Hub to open this specific folder and restrict to any other else.
