Using ASyncTask for Reading from a File with Google Drive API on Android

Question

I am using Google Drive API on an Android device.

I need to get the contents of a file on Google Drive to a string. Something simple like

String dbData = driveObject.downloadFileToString("db_export.txt");

I am implementing a "GoogleDrive" object. I need to do this without all the mess of tasks and threads and callbacks. However, I can't do it.

Here's an example: I have implemented a method called "findFileByPath" that returns the file ID of a file whose pathname is given as a parameter. However, the Android gods have forced any calls to this -- because it deals with network activity -- to happen in a thread or AsyncTask. The problem is that any pause to wait for the task to complete causes the Google Drive API threads to pause. So....if I do this:

FindFileWithAsyncTask ffwat = new FindFileWithAsyncTask();
ffwat.execute(filePath);
File f = ffwat.get(5, TimeUnits.SECONDS);

where the call to "findFileByPath" is done in a AsyncTask called "FindFileWithAsyncTask" it just hangs everything. The Google Drive API only proceeds when the "get" times out.

HELP! There has got to be a way to do this that can avoid -- or mask -- all the asynchronous BS.

Any clues? Thanks!

Answer 1

It's hard to get rid of AsyncTasks when using network services because otherwise your UI will freeze waiting for the result.

Try to do this:

new AsyncTask<String, Void, String>() {
        @Override
        protected String doInBackground(String... params) {
            String dbData = driveObject.downloadFileToString("db_export.txt");
            return dbData;
        }

        @Override
        protected void onPostExecute(String s) {
            super.onPostExecute(s);
            File f = new File(s);
        }
    }.execute();

Then you will wait for the result on onPostExecute method. And creating the AsyncTask on the fly will reduce the boring code.