Exclude /assets folder from building/exporting it to APK

Question

I use expansion files in my project, and I have placed all my assets into expansion file. So I access the assets from expansion file. Now that all my assets are in expansion file. I don't want to build them while building android application, but I don't want also to remove them from project path as they are source controlled with SVN. I tried to use eclipse->exclude form build which has no effect. So can any one suggest is there way in Eclipse to exclude asset folder?

Answer 1

Why don't you rename assets folder? Maybe tomorrow you'll want to use the assets folder. You better not touch special android folders and create your own.

Usually I create _assets and _drawable folders. Such folders (starting with underscore) are not processed by android build.

Answer 2

If you're using Gradle build you can use android.aaptOptions to configure this:

android {
    aaptOptions {
        def defaultIgnorePattern = '!.svn:!.git:!.ds_store:!*.scc:.*:<dir>_*:!CVS:!thumbs.db:!picasa.ini:!*~'
        ignoreAssetsPattern defaultIgnorePattern + ':descript.ion:!*.yuml'
    }
}

I use it to not package descript.ion files in general and yuml diagrams which I keep in src/main/assets next to my DB scripts.