Open another application from your own (intent)

Question

I know how to update my own programs, and I know how to open programs using the a predefined Uri (for sms or email for example)

I need to know how I can create an Intent to open MyTracks or any other application that I don't know what intents they listen to.

I got this info from DDMS, but I havn't been succesful in turning this to an Intent I can use. This is taken from when opening MyTracks manually.

Thanks for your help

05-06 11:22:24.945: INFO/ActivityManager(76): Starting activity: Intent { act=android.intent.action.MAIN cat=[android.intent.category.LAUNCHER] flg=0x10200000 cmp=com.google.android.maps.mytracks/com.google.android.apps.mytracks.MyTracks bnds=[243,338][317,417] }
05-06 11:22:25.005: INFO/ActivityManager(76): Start proc com.google.android.maps.mytracks for activity com.google.android.maps.mytracks/com.google.android.apps.mytracks.MyTracks: pid=1176 uid=10063 gids={3003, 1015}
05-06 11:22:26.995: INFO/ActivityManager(76): Displayed activity com.google.android.maps.mytracks/com.google.android.apps.mytracks.MyTracks: 1996 ms (total 1996 ms)

Answer 1

If you want to open another application and it is not installed you can send it to the Google App Store to download

1. First create the openOtherApp method for example

   public static boolean openApp(Context context, String packageName) {
       PackageManager manager = context.getPackageManager();
        try {
           Intent intent = manager.getLaunchIntentForPackage(packageName);
           if (intent == null) {
               //the app is not installed
               try {
                   intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
                   intent.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);
                   intent.setData(Uri.parse("market://details?id=" + packageName));
                   context.startActivity(intent);
               } catch (ActivityNotFoundException e) {
                   //throw new ActivityNotFoundException();
                   return false;
               }
   
            }
            intent.addCategory(Intent.CATEGORY_LAUNCHER);
            context.startActivity(intent);
            return true;
       } catch (ActivityNotFoundException e) {
           return false;
       }
   
   }
   

2.- Usage

openOtherApp(getApplicationContext(), "com.packageappname");

Answer 2

Since applications aren't allowed to change many of the phone settings, you can open a settings activity just like another application.

Look at you LogCat output after you actually modified the setting manually:

INFO/ActivityManager(1306): Starting activity: Intent { act=android.intent.action.MAIN cmp=com.android.settings/.DevelopmentSettings } from pid 1924

Then use this to display the settings page from your app:

String SettingsPage = "com.android.settings/.DevelopmentSettings";

try
{
Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_MAIN);             
intent.setComponent(ComponentName.unflattenFromString(SettingsPage));             
intent.addCategory(Intent.CATEGORY_LAUNCHER );             
startActivity(intent); 
}
catch (ActivityNotFoundException e)
{
 log it
}