1/18/2021

IS457
Mobile Applications
Lecture 5
Saving Persisting Data

COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEM DEPARTMENT ASS.LEC. ZAINAB H. ALFAYEZ

Saving Persistent Data

• Saving methods
1- SQLite Database
- Uses the device internal memory to store data in a SQLite database file.
- Embedded into every android device within android operating system.
- Programmer defines statements to create and update. Android does the rest.
2- Shared Preferences
- Uses general framework in Android.

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Saving Persistent Data

3- Internal Memory
- using Linux file system.
- Local to app.
- Destroyed on uninstall.
4- External Memory
- Device dependent like SD card or flash memory.
- Shared across applications.

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SQL Languages

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SQLite Database
• Pros
• Very light weight database
• Quick to sort and retrieve large data sets
• Can easily be used to store customized data
• Can enforce relationships and integrity between data
• Cons
• Uses space limited internal device memory

COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEM DEPARTMENT ASS.LEC. ZAINAB H. ALFAYEZ

SQLite Database
• When an application creates a database it is saved in:

• DATA/data/APP_NAME/databases/FILENAME

• Where

• DATA is the path returned by Environment.getDataDirectory()

• APP_NAME is application name
• FILENAME is the name given by your code

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SQLite Database/ Data Types

• Text = java String
• Integer = java Long
• Real = java Double
• NULL= the value is a NULL value
• BLOB = A Binary Large OBject is a collection of binary data stored as a single
entity in a database management system. Blobs are typically images, audio or
other multimedia objects, though sometimes binary executable code is stored
as a blob
• No other types available. All data must be converted to one of these

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SQLite Database
• Imports
• android.database
contains all necessary classes
• android.database.sqlite
contains SQLite specific classes

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SQLite Database
• Subclass SQLiteOpenHelper to create and upgrade database.
• In the constructor you invoke superclass with your database name and current
version.
• Override onCreate() and onUpgrade().
• SQLiteOpenHelper provides programmer with:
- getReadableDatabase()
- getWriteableDatabase() methods.
• Use _id attribute as (autoincrement) primary key

COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEM DEPARTMENT ASS.LEC. ZAINAB H. ALFAYEZ

SQLiteOpenHelper Example
Subclass SQLiteOpenHelper to create
and upgrade database

public class DBHelper extends SQLiteOpenHelper { Use _id attribute as

public static final String TABLE_CONTACTS= "contacts"; (autoincrement) primary key
public static final String COLUMN_ID= "_id";
public static final String COLUMN_NAMES= "names";

public static final String DATABASE_NAME= "contacts.db";

public static final int DATABASE_VERSION= 1;

private static final String TABLE_CREATE = "CREATE TABLE " + TABLE_CONTACTS + "
(" + COLUMN_ID +
" integer primary key autoincrement," + COLUMN_NAMES + " TEXT NOT
NULL);";

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SQLiteOpenHelper
In the constructor you invoke superclass
with your database name and current
version

public DBHelper (Context context){

super(context, DATABASE_NAME, null, DATABASE_VERSION);
}
@Override
public void onCreate(SQLiteDatabase database){
database.execSQL(TABLE_CREATE);
}
@Override
public void onUpgrade (SQLiteDatabase db, int oldversion, int newversion){
Log.w(DBHelper.class.getName(), "Upgrating data from version " + oldversion
+ "to " + newversion + ", which will destroy all old data");
db.execSQL("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS " + TABLE_CONTACTS);
onCreate(db);
}
}

COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEM DEPARTMENT ASS.LEC. ZAINAB H. ALFAYEZ

SQLite Database
• SQLiteDatabase provide
- Insert()
- Update()
- Delete()
- execSQL()

• Use ContentValues to insert or update table entries.

• ContentValues is key/value pair
• Key = Column identifier. Value is table entry

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SQLite Database / Queries

• Query provides structured interface for specifying sql query
• return database.query(DATABASE_TABLE, new String[] {COLUMN_ID
, COLUMN_NAMES}, null, null, null, null, null, null);
• String DATABASE_TABLE = The table name to query
• String[] column names = columns to return. Null = all columns
• String = where clause. Null selects all rows
• String[] selection args. Where clause can accept as place holders. These are
replaced by values in selection args
• String[] group by. A filter declaring how to group rows, null = not grouped.
• String[] having. Filter for groups. Null = no filter
• String[] Order by. Table names to order by. Null = no ordering

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SQLite Database / Queries

• In /SQL
• SELECT col-1, col-2 FROM tableNameWHERE col-1=apple,col-2=mango
GROUPBY col-3 HAVING Count(col-4) > 5 ORDERBY col-2 DESC LIMIT
15
• In SQLite
• String table = "tableName"; String[] columns = {"col-1", "col-2"}; String
selection = "col-1 =? AND col-2=?"; String[] selectionArgs =
{"apple","mango"}; String groupBy =col-3; String having =" COUNT(col-
4) > 5"; String orderBy = "col-2 DESC"; String limit = "15";
• query(tableName, columns, selection, selectionArgs, groupBy, having,
orderBy, limit);

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SQLite Database / Queries

• All queries return a Cursor object.

• Provides:

- getCount()
- moveToFirst()
- moveToNext()

• Cursors must be closed after use

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SQLiteDatabase Class example

public class SQLData {
public DBHelper dbHelper; public Context mycontext; public SQLiteDatabase
database;

public SQLData (Context c){

mycontext=c; }
public SQLData OpenBD() throws android.database.SQLException{
dbHelper = new DBHelper(mycontext);

database = dbHelper.getWritableDatabase();
return this;}

public void close(){

dbHelper.close();}

public void InsertDataBase(String name){

ContentValues contentValues= new ContentValues();

contentValues.put(DBHelper.COLUMN_NAMES, name);
database.insert(DBHelper.TABLE_CONTACTS, null, contentValues); }

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SQLiteDatabase Class example

public Cursor ReadData(){
String[] toDataBaseColumns = new String[]{DBHelper.COLUMN_ID,
DBHelper.COLUMN_NAMES};
Cursor cursor = database.query(DBHelper.TABLE_CONTACTS,
toDataBaseColumns, null, null, null, null, null, null);
if (cursor !=null){
cursor.moveToFirst();
}
return cursor;
}
public void delete(Long theID){
database.delete(DBHelper.TABLE_CONTACTS,DBHelper.COLUMN_ID + "=" + theID,
null);
}
}

COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEM DEPARTMENT ASS.LEC. ZAINAB H. ALFAYEZ

Shared Preference
• General framework in Android that will allow you to save/retrieve key value pairs for
primitive objects such as boolean, float, int, long and string.
• Pros
• Really built-in to the existing Android framework, so easy to use, and easy to create a
preference activity to view and edit the preferences
• Quick
• Can really be used to store any data with manipulation with the string type.
• Cons
• Not suitable for storing very large amounts of data, as it will be slow in retrieving and
sorting through the data.
• Use internal device memory (more limited than external)
• Requires customization for any non-primitive data types.

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Writing Shared Preference

• The method getSharedPreferences() returns a SharedPreference instance
pointing to the file that contains the values of preferences

public static final String MY_PREFS = "My_Prefs_File”

SharedPreferences prefs = getSharedPreferences (MY_PREFS, MODE_PRIVATE);

• MODE_PRIVATE: the file can only be accessed using calling application

• MODE_APPEND: append the new preferences with the already existing
preferences

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Writing Shared Preference

• Save in the sharedpreferences
SharedPreferences.Editor editor = prefs.edit();

editor.putString("name", “Sarah");
editor.putInt(“age", 12);
editor.commit();

• putFloat(String key, float value): save a integer value in a preference editor

• ……. etc.

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Writing Shared Preference

• Other methods available in the editor class
clear(): remove all values from the editor
remove(String key): It will remove the value whose key has been passed as a
parameter

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Reading Shared Preference

• SharedPreferences prefs = getSharedPreferences (MY_PREFS,

MODE_PRIVATE);
Default value

• String name = prefs.getString(“name”, “No name”);

int age = prefs.getInt(“age”, 0);

• Example

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