Android Java get MainActivity from sub-module in app project at runtime in foreground service

Question

I am writing an audio player type app with Ionic and Capacitor, everything is fine.

Setup:

• My application is playing audio on Android.
• I have added foreground service to my plugin (required by Android to play audio if you leave the app, so you can show a notification to start/stop).
• This is all fine.

Problem:

• What isn’t working is getting access to the MainActivity from app from within module capacitor-plugin-remote-audio.MyForegroundService in the project. Is this even possible?

Illustrated screenshot to show the problem:

Code block that's relevant

    /* Used to build and start foreground service. */
    public void startForegroundService()
    {
        Log.d(TAG, "Start foreground service.");

        // Create notification default intent to open the MainActivity from Capacitor app when tapped.
        Intent intent = new Intent(this, "What goes here to get the MainActivity");
        PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(this, 0, mainAppIntent, 0);

        createNotificationChannel();

        NotificationCompat.Builder builder = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this, NOTIFICATION_CHANNEL_ID)
            .setOngoing(true)
            .setPriority(NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_MIN)
            .setCategory(Notification.CATEGORY_SERVICE)
            .setShowWhen(false)
            .setSmallIcon(android.R.drawable.ic_media_play) // TODO: fix this to use the app icon.
            .setContentTitle("Content Title");

        if (mainAppPendingIntent != null) {
            builder.setContentIntent(mainAppPendingIntent);
        }

        addPlayAndPauseButtons(builder);

        startForeground(1, builder.build());
    }

Answer 1

When starting the service:

Add an extra of the package name (probably don't hard code, but whatever):

// Start the foreground service + show required notification.
String packageName = getActivity().getPackageName();
Intent intent = new Intent(getContext(), MyForegroundService.class);
intent.putExtra(MyForegroundService.EXTRA_Top_Level_Package_Name, packageName);
intent.setAction(MyForegroundService.ACTION_START);
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) {
    getContext().startForegroundService(intent);
} else {
    getContext().startService(intent);
}

In the service:

@Override
public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId) {
    if(intent != null)
    {
        String action = intent.getAction();

        switch (action)
        {
            case ACTION_START:
                String packageName = intent.getExtras().get(EXTRA_Top_Level_Package_Name).toString();
                startForegroundService(packageName);
                break;
            case ACTION_STOP:
                stopForegroundService();
                break;
        }
    }
    return super.onStartCommand(intent, flags, startId);
}

Start method

/* Used to build and start foreground service. */
public void startForegroundService(String packageName)
{
    Log.d(TAG, "Start foreground service.");

    // Create notification default intent to open the MainActivity from Capacitor app when tapped.
    Intent intent = getPackageManager().getLaunchIntentForPackage(packageName);
    PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(this, 0, intent, 0);

    createNotificationChannel();

    NotificationCompat.Builder builder = new NotificationCompat.Builder(this, NOTIFICATION_CHANNEL_ID)
        .setOngoing(true)
        .setPriority(NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_MIN)
        .setCategory(Notification.CATEGORY_SERVICE)
        .setShowWhen(false)
        .setSmallIcon(android.R.drawable.ic_media_play) // TODO: fix this to use the app icon.
        .setContentTitle("Content Title")
        .setContentIntent(pendingIntent);

    addPlayAndPauseButtons(builder);

    startForeground(1, builder.build());
}