Cordova/PhoneGap Open Downloaded File (InAppBrowser)

Question

Using Cordova/PhoneGap 3.3.0, I am downloading a file using the FileTransfer plugin, and then trying to open it using the InAppBrowser plugin. I can download the file successfully, and place it in the temp directory. Since the File plugin now uses URL schema, I cannot figure out how to pass the correct url/path to the window.open method of the InAppBrowser plugin. I cannot find any relevant documentation either. All of the "download and open" documentation I can find is out of date and pre-URL-schema.

Relevant links:

• Cordova Release info on New Plugin Versions
• The readme for the FileTransfer plugin
• The readme for the InAppBrowser plugin
• How to open local file with InAppBrowser with recent changes to URL scheme in File plugin - Similar question

Out of date examples I found:

• File-transfer download file issue on Cordova 3.1 - This user downgraded to an earlier version because they couldn't figure it out
• https://gist.github.com/devgeeks/4982983 - This example uses entry.fullPath, which is now deprecated in favor of toURL()

Here is my code:

var uri = encodeURI("http://some.url/file.pdf");
window.requestFileSystem(LocalFileSystem.TEMPORARY, 0,
    function (fileSystem) {
        var fileTransfer = new FileTransfer();
        var filename = fileSystem.root.toURL() + uri.substr(uri.lastIndexOf("/") + 1);
        fileTransfer.download(uri, filename,
            function(entry) { // download success
                var path = entry.toURL(); //**THIS IS WHAT I NEED**
                window.open(path, "_system");
            },
            function(error) {} // irrelevant download error
        );
    },
    function(error) {} // irrelevant request fileSystem error
);

I am currently testing in Android on a Nexus 7 and Nexus 5. The InAppBrowser correctly opens the default pdf launcher (in my case Adobe Reader), but then I get a "The document path is not valid" error.

[Update: showing return values]

I have tried all of the following combinations for the file path:

var path = entry.toURL(); // "cdvfile://localhost/temporary/file.pdf"
var path = entry.fullPath; // "file.pdf"
var path = fileSystem.root.toURL() + filename; // "cdvfile://localhost/temporary/file.pdf"
var path = fileSystem.root.fullPath + filename; // "/file.pdf"

Answer 1

I THINK I have a solution to this, but it's kinda nasty.

I grepped through the cordova JAVA and looked for places it constructed a file entry JSON object. Specifically by looking for places where its adding fullPath to the object.

I added an additional entry for "fullAbsolutePath" with the value [file].getAbsolutePath(), where [file] is whatever java.io.file instance is nearby. I did this in all the places I could find just to be safe and because it doesn't seem to hurt anything.

Then I modified FileEntry.js and File.js in the plugins\file folder to also populate that value to the file entry object.

Still trying to work out the kinks, but I believe I'm on the right track...

I think a better solution would be to modify the inAppBrowser plugin to recognize and resolve the cordovaFile:// protocol and im sure they obscured the absolute file system path on purpose - but that might be a bit beyond me.

EDIT - Yup! this works! I can now take a file entry, call the file method, then read fullSystemPath off the fileObject. Value is like "/storage/emulated/0/whatever/" on my android. Just need to prepend "file://" and window.open will accept it.