How to access a Windows shared folder from Android

[KimHJ 3]

I'm creating an application for a android device were the user takes a picture and it is store on a local network drive.

After taking the picture I tried this , but it keeps saying that the path doesn't exist.

I was looking around but I haven't fund any thing similar, the Google AI suggested that I use the Android Api contentResolver, but I'm unable locate that unit.

procedure TMainForm.Button2Click(Sender: TObject);
var
PicPath: String;
begin
  PicPath := '\\SERVER\CSPictures';
      try
      if DirectoryExists(PicPath) then
        Image1.Bitmap.SaveToFile(PicPath + '\' + Edit1.Text + '.jpg')
     else
        ShowMessage('Can not find path ' + PicPath);
      except
          on E: Exception do
            ShowMessage('Unable to save picture to' + PicPath);
      end;
end;

Thanks for any help.

Edited November 15 by KimHJ

[Dave Nottage 557]

2 hours ago, KimHJ said:

Google AI suggested that I use the Android Api contentResolver

Is there some reason why you haven't included here what it suggested?

2 hours ago, KimHJ said:

but I'm unable locate that unit.

You can access the ContentResolver via: TAndroidHelper.Context.getContentResolver, by including the Androidapi.Helpers unit.

 

Regardless, I expect you'll need to use a library such as smbj to access files via Windows shares, which means either finding a Delphi implementation or creating imports and writing the code yourself that uses smbj (or some other library that does the same thing).

[KimHJ 3]

If I have an Apache running on the computer could I use TNethttpClient?

 

I have another Delphi/Android app that retrieves bitmaps from a Windows Server in the cloud using TNethttpClient, I know how to do that part.

I will have to find out how to create a conf file to go to a specific path.

[KimHJ 3]

I got it to work with Apache. I had to add 

android:usesCleartextTraffic="true"

in the manifest to be able to save and load with http, since the local machine don't have a SSL.

[KimHJ 3]

I was to quick in saying that I had it.

Loading an image a display it is working.

I'm doing something wrong when I save, if I add a name to the URL like url := 'http://192.168.1.150/test1234.png' I get an error that path is not found.

If I create a png file in the folder with that name I get no errors, but the image is not updated.

I assume I have to name the Image first and the save it, but I don't see any option in TImage to assign a name to the bitmap, the image comes from the camera. Here is my code.

 

procedure TMainForm.SaveImageToURL(const S: String);
var
    ms       : TMemoryStream;
    httpCli  : TNetHTTPClient;
    resp     : IHTTPResponse;
    url      : String;
    Image: TBitmap;
begin

    httpCli := TNetHTTPClient.Create(nil);
    try
        httpCli.UserAgent := 'Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; WOW64; rv:44.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/44.0';
        ms := TMemoryStream.Create();
        try
            url  := 'http://192.168.1.151/Test1234.png';
            Image  := TBitmap.Create;
                try
                  ms.Seek(0,0);
                  Image := Image1.Bitmap;
                  Image.SaveToStream(ms);
                finally
                  Image.Free;
                end;
            resp := httpCli.Post(url, ms);
            if resp.StatusCode <> 200 then
               Showmessage(Format('HTTP Error=%d %s', [resp.StatusCode, resp.StatusText]))

        finally
            ms.Free;
        end;
    finally
        httpCli.Free;
    end;
end;

 

[Olli73 4]

What did you install / configure on Apache server side to accept uploading files?

 

[KimHJ 3]

I installed Apache and then in the conf/ httpd.conf then i sat the DocumentRoot "C:/myfolder" and <Directory "C:/myfolder" > , AllowOverride All. I can see the Directory from another computer using a web browser and I can open the existing files.

My problem is I don't know if I'm using the right way to save the image, I have been searching, all the example is see is mostly programmers that want add other thing to the files or they are using Indy.

Edited November 18 by KimHJ

[Olli73 4]

Download works out of the box, upload not.

 

You must have a PHP Script, a CGI, a ISAPI dll or an own server to be able to upload files.

[KimHJ 3]

Ok, I will have to install PHP on the local computer where i have Apache running, then add it in the LoadModule.

I found this script in w3schools.com that i will place in the folder, I change the max size from 50000 to 2000000.

<?php
$target_dir = "myfolder/";
$target_file = $target_dir . basename($_FILES["fileToUpload"]["name"]);
$uploadOk = 1;
$imageFileType = strtolower(pathinfo($target_file,PATHINFO_EXTENSION));

// Check if image file is a actual image or fake image
if(isset($_POST["submit"])) {
  $check = getimagesize($_FILES["fileToUpload"]["tmp_name"]);
  if($check !== false) {
    echo "File is an image - " . $check["mime"] . ".";
    $uploadOk = 1;
  } else {
    echo "File is not an image.";
    $uploadOk = 0;
  }
}

// Check if file already exists
if (file_exists($target_file)) {
  echo "Sorry, file already exists.";
  $uploadOk = 0;
}

// Check file size
if ($_FILES["fileToUpload"]["size"] > 2000000) {
  echo "Sorry, your file is too large.";
  $uploadOk = 0;
}

// Allow certain file formats
if($imageFileType != "jpg" && $imageFileType != "png" && $imageFileType != "jpeg"
&& $imageFileType != "gif" ) {
  echo "Sorry, only JPG, JPEG, PNG & GIF files are allowed.";
  $uploadOk = 0;
}

// Check if $uploadOk is set to 0 by an error
if ($uploadOk == 0) {
  echo "Sorry, your file was not uploaded.";
// if everything is ok, try to upload file
} else {
  if (move_uploaded_file($_FILES["fileToUpload"]["tmp_name"], $target_file)) {
    echo "The file ". htmlspecialchars( basename( $_FILES["fileToUpload"]["name"])). " has been uploaded.";
  } else {
    echo "Sorry, there was an error uploading your file.";
  }
}
?>

Now my question how to execute the php script from the Delphi Android app, again when I search I only see Indy examples, I don't know if Indy works on Android.

 

Thanks.

[Rollo62 536]

You could fumble around with thwe RestDebugger tool, integrated in Delphi Tools
https://docwiki.embarcadero.com/RADStudio/Athens/en/REST_Debugger_Tool

When you're happy with this, you can generate and save the Delphi-Components with the right setup, to use 1:1 in Delphi.
 

[KimHJ 3]

I have used RestDebugger a lot, but I never tried to call a php script from it.

 

I did find this https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sending-data-between-embarcadero-delphi-fmx-apps-using-serge-pilko-lo06f/

I will try to if I can get it to work, my first try it timed out.

 

 

[KimHJ 3]

Ok it works, just had to open the port in the firewall.