Replacing System Application (like Maps)

What you learn:  You will learn how to catch/replace  the System Applicatio  for example the Maps-Activity. 

 Designed/Tested with sdk-version:  m5-rc15  

Difficulty:  1.5 of 5   

 Questions/Problems:  Simply post below... 

Description:

1. Create a standard application as always 
   
2. Search for the Activity you want in the dump of the Android internal XML-files (load it   Android - Internal XML dumped ) 
   
   • As we want to replace the Maps Activity we search for sth. like "Maps" and in /android-system-apks/Maps/AndroidManifest.xml " we find what we want.

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> 
<manifest 
     xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" 
     android:sharedUserId="com.google.android.core" 
     android:signature="com.google" 
     package="com.google.android.maps"> 
      
     <permission 
          android:label="@string/read_perm_label" 
          android:name="com.google.android.maps.permission.READ_MY_MAPS" 
          android:description="@string/read_perm_desc" /> 
     .... 
     <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_GPS" /> 
     .... 
      
     <application 
          android:theme="@android:style/Theme.Dark" 
          android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher_maps" 
          android:taskAffinity="com.google.android.maps"> 
           
          <activity 
               android:label="@string/maps_label" 
               android:name="Maps" 
               android:launchMode="singleTop"> 
                    .... 
               <!-- THIS IS WHAT WE WANT --> 
               <intent-filter android:label="@string/google_maps_label"> 
                    <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" /> 
                    <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" /> 
                    <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" /> 
                    <data android:scheme="geo" /> 
               </intent-filter> 
               <!-- UP TO HERE --> 
               .... 
          </activity> 
     .... 
     </application> 
</manifest>

 

3. Open your own AndroidManifest.xml and register the Activity you want your app to listen to it in the AndroidManifest.xml in the following way:

 <activity class=".MyJustCreatedApplication" android:label="@string/app_name"> 
          <intent-filter> 
               <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" /> 
               <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" /> 
               <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" /> 
               <data android:scheme="geo" /> 
          </intent-filter> 
        </activity> 

 4.Run the app once and close it (just that it gets installed on the emulator ).

5.The next time an Intent with a "geo"-uri scheme is broadcasted our app will get started or at least... 6. The system will ask you which one of two available activities  you want to use to handle the VIEW-Action on the "geo"-scheme:

     1.- the 1st  one is the "Maps" standard system activity

      2. - the 2nd  one should be yours

7. Test this it with another app that executes the following line:

 

startActivity(new Intent(android.content.Intent.VIEW_ACTION, Uri.parse("geo:49.473367,8.660274")));