Carlos E.R. wrote on Tue, 28 May 2024 14:54:04 +0200 :

> Did you try to make annotations?
>
> If it has dictionary, did you use it?

Andrew wrote on Tue, 28 May 2024 07:37:24 -0000 (UTC) :

> b. The app didn't see the MOBI file (which I found surprising).
> Notably, the AZW3 (Amazon) format was not read in by that reader.

Given the MOBI & AZW3 files weren't read by the com.github.axet.bookreader
Book Reader, I found a few perhaps more comprehensive free ebook readers.
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.readera>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kevinzuccaro.epubreader>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gzhi.neoreader.r2.main.free>
[Note that I don't suggest payware apps or apps with ads in general.]

Those handle the MOBI & AZW3 files that the com.github.axet.bookreader Book
Reader didn't seem to read, so they may be more generally useful to others.

When I searched for books inside that KevinZuccaro app, it asked to be
allowed to access photos, videos, music and audio in one fell swoop.

Notably, NeoReader didn't ask for permissions before opening an epub.
Neither did ReadERA, but only when I used its file picker to open one book.

When I used ReadERA to speak the book, then it asked for more permissions.
The ReadERA seemed to have the most comprehensive settings for permissions,
as it even had a special "Configure Permissions" button to search for docs.

Essentially ReadERA didn't need "All Files Access" but it allowed you to
set "All Files Access" when you ask ReadERA to scan for all epub files.

Notably, ReadERA also has a dictionary menu (which I think Carlos asked
about), where it can use an "external dictionary" or a default dictionary.

Back to permissions, in Muntashirakon, the permissions were each completely
different sets for each of those three apps I just installed & tested.

In short, I'm more confused than anyone else, probably, as to how
permissions work in Android, as it's hard to make sense out of the results.

Andy Burns wrote on Tue, 28 May 2024 19:25:13 +0100 :

> The "old" way was that the manifest file listed perms required, and you
> agreed to them at install-time, except there were some perms that apps
> got "for free", i think the android version that an app is targetted to
> can change the perms it needs/gets, there's a lot of history ...

I just looked in Muntashirakon (which is the best App Manager by far),
and it has a "Manifest" button, which provides that data (see below).

> Then runtime perms came along, which offer you the
> grant/grant-while-running-this-app/deny options, I prefer those.

See below where the ReadERA app seems to do that just-in-time permissions.

> I think the "new" way means (for example if an e-reader app did need to
> write annotations back to file) that it would only need to request write
> permission if a user actually used the annotation feature ...

Thanks for helping out as I never understood Android permissions, and, as
you noted, not only do they change over time, but Android permissions may
also have nested complexities which can depend on how apps are written.

In testing a few ebook readers just now, I noticed one app that seemingly
did permissions in a more sophisticated way as you noted above was ReadERA.

I've only tested these apps for a minute or two each, but I like that one
out of the few that I searched for with the Skyica App Finder app today.
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.readera>
<https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.github.axet.bookreader/>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.coolreader>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kevinzuccaro.epubreader>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gzhi.neoreader.r2.main.free>

For example, ReadERA has the following Muntashirakon Manifest related tags.
<permission
android:name="org.readera.permission.TierSync"
android:protectionLevel="0x00000002">
</permission>
<uses-feature
android:glEsVersion="0x00010001"
android:required="true">
</uses-feature>
<uses-permission
android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK">
</uses-permission>
<uses-permission
android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE">
</uses-permission>
<uses-permission
android:name="android.permission.INTERNET">
</uses-permission>
<uses-permission
android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE">
</uses-permission>
<uses-permission
android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE">
</uses-permission>
<uses-permission
android:name="android.permission.MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE">
</uses-permission>
<uses-permission
android:name="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE">
</uses-permission>
<uses-permission
android:name="android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS">
</uses-permission>
<uses-permission
android:name="android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED">
</uses-permission>
<uses-permission
android:name="com.google.android.finsky.permission.BIND_GET_INSTALL_REFERRER_SERVICE">
</uses-permission>

But it's easier to use the Muntashirakon tabs than to eye-grep parse the
manifest file, at least for me it is.

Thanks for letting me know though, that the Manifest is the cat's meow
on finding which permissions an app might ask to set while in use.

Andrew,

> In the com.github.axet.bookreader Book Reader, I long pressed on a word
> inside an EPUB/PDF to find you can do a bunch of "edits" to the selection

I thought I also tried that, but maybe not long enough. Yep, I get the
same.

Though points a thru e seem to have to do with the clipboard, not the
editing/writing of a file.

> f. The hamburger menu allows you to change the fonts in the book
> where you can also set the font size based on a slider setting.
>
> Notably, I didn't find a "save" button in the Book Reader.
> But when I exited the Book Reader & came back, the larger fonts were
> saved.

I regarded that (font size) as configuration, and assumed they do not fall
under file permissions, but are managed, seperatily, by the OS.

Regards,
Rudy Wieser

Andrew,

> One of them is TTS!

I saw that one too, but as my focus was elsewhere I did not try it. Now I
have, and although an attempt is being made it comes back with a failure to
find a/the TTF.

> The point being there are more (hidden) features when you look deeper.

:-) I've been going thru a lot of config stuff the past two days, just to
try to understand what is doing what.

Regards,
Rudy Wieser

Andrew,

> The Book Reader includes its own "file manager", I think.
> Once a book was found, it shows up in the white space of the Book Reader.
> From then on, it can be clicked without using the Book Reader file picker.

Yep. Though I would have liked to be able to select a folder or a bunch of
files, and not having to go thru them one-by-one. After file #10 it gets
tedious. :-)

> The EPUB/PDF books that I had tested didn't have sounds, but certainly
> those books contained images, which showed up in the Book Reader just
> fine.

Same here, and that surprised me. I thought I had just disabled all of
that. IOW, something still escapes me there.

> If you have a pointer to a link where I can download an EPUB/PDF with
> sounds, I can test that out for you. But you need to provide the link.

I don't have any such EPUB book here. Sorry.

Regards,
Rudy Wieser

Andrew wrote:

> I just looked in Muntashirakon

I just installed it from github, it says "initialising" displays a large
disclaimer screen, with a flickering list of apps behind it, it doesn't
respond to "exit", "I agree" or "don't show this again" ...

Andy Burns wrote on Tue, 28 May 2024 20:07:38 +0100 :

>> I just looked in Muntashirakon
>
> I just installed it from github, it says "initialising" displays a large
> disclaimer screen, with a flickering list of apps behind it, it doesn't
> respond to "exit", "I agree" or "don't show this again" ...

Oh, I see. I understand. While you can trust me that it's the best, every
once in a while he comes up with a version that doesn't respond. That's
happened twice as I recall, in the past five or so years. So it's rare.

I'm currently using this version, but I just deleted it to test for you.
3.1.3 (426)

Yup. You're right. When I tested the latest version (4.1.6), it hangs.
But this latest version (4.1.6) is only the second time I've seen that.

I always thought it was just me as I interact with my Android over the PC,
but I know exactly what you're saying about it not responding to anything.

Let me find a link to a slightly older version that I know you can use...
<https://muntashirakon.github.io/AppManager/en/>
<https://github.com/MuntashirAkon/AppManager/releases>
<https://f-droid.org/en/packages/io.github.muntashirakon.AppManager/>

I see they have a 3.1.5 (stable) version, so let me try that.
io.github.muntashirakon.AppManager Version 3.1.6 (429)
Name: AppManager_v3.1.6.apk
Size: 18143386 bytes (17 MiB)
SHA256: 060023CF508E1DF73DE2305A31465D4DFD0E802581B9B0BACD2FDD3B427A81D5

I noticed they pop up a "funding campaign" which I've never seen before,
even as I've been using this Muntashirakon app for many (many) years.

But you can just click it away and it doesn't seem to come up twice.
OK. I'm testing Version 3.1.6 (429) and it's working.

Depending on what you want an app manager to do, I doubt anyone will ever
find a better one, as it does a LOT more than you might at first think.

I don't have a GitHub account so I don't know how to let the developer know
he screwed up on the latest version - but version 3.1.6 works fine for me.

Note: It can intercept intents, which is super useful when you're trying to
figure out what any given icon shortcut is "really" doing when you tap it.

Andrew wrote on Tue, 28 May 2024 20:04:07 -0000 (UTC) :

> Note: It can intercept intents, which is super useful when you're trying to
> figure out what any given icon shortcut is "really" doing when you tap it.

It's also the best (as in easiest) way, by far, to find all the public
activities within any given app & then setting a homescreen shortcut to it.

That alone is worth the price of admission, as there are many apps which
can create shortcuts to public activities - but none this easy to use.

I apologize for not letting you know I'm not using the latest version, and
I agree the latest version is screwed up (which is rare, but it happens).

Do you know how we can tell the developer? Let me look for an email.
<https://github.com/MuntashirAkon>
<https://muntashirakon.github.io/>
<https://muntashirakon.github.io/blog/>
<https://muntashirakon.github.io/blog/2022/12/30/android-apps-that-i-frequently-use/>

Ah, I found it (muntashirakon at riseup dot net)
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/104SHOVeQA--x15izlkU3LCOiUSoc9VQc/view>

I'll send him an email to let him know about this thread.
<https://www.novabbs.com/computers/article-flat.php?id=51972&group=comp.mobile.android#51972>

And about our posts which showed he accidentally messed up the app.
<https://www.novabbs.com/computers/article-flat.php?id=52013&group=comp.mobile.android#52013>

Andrew,

> I'm not sure how the app is working with all those permissions revoked.
> Also I'm not sure why the app doesn't even *ask* me for any permissions.

I think I'm starting to understand that behaviour. While googeling my ass
off in regard to how all of this works I ran across a forum post which
mentioned that the file-browser (used by the ebook app) is running with its
own permissions. At that time I could not understand it, 'cause why would I
want to be able to select a file which the app which requested the file
could not read it ? Sounds stupid, right ?

But later on I came across another tidbit of information, which said that a
file selected thru the filebrowser for an app is automatically cleared for
usage by that app - regardless of what permissions the app itself has.

Which does match the experience I had when selecting text and html files
that where not within the "storage scope" I set for the epub reader app.
It also explains your experience of not getting permission related
questions - as the file you selected was already cleared for usage (by the
file picker).

Boy, I really could have used some noobs information explaining that ...

Regards,
Rudy Wieser

Andrew wrote:

> I see they have a 3.1.5 (stable) version, so let me try that.

Unfortunately 3.1.5 and 3.1.4 behave the same ...

Andy Burns wrote on Wed, 29 May 2024 07:54:25 +0100 :

>> I see they have a 3.1.5 (stable) version, so let me try that.
>
> Unfortunately 3.1.5 and 3.1.4 behave the same ...

Drat. I think he knows this though as he's changed, apparently, the latest
version from (4.1.6) back to (3.1.6) so that's the version I'm using now.
<https://github.com/MuntashirAkon/AppManager/releases>
<https://github.com/MuntashirAkon/AppManager/releases/download/v3.1.6/AppManager_v3.1.6.apk>

That (4.1.6) version hung for me (as it did for you); but the version I'm
currently using is working fine for my Android 13 unrooted Galaxy.
io.github.muntashirakon.AppManager Version 3.1.6 (429)
I sent an email to the developer and checked today and he did not respond,
but I noticed today he explicitly has asked people to not send mail there.
muntashirakon [at] riseup [dot] net

Here's is his message, dated today:
"From now on, if you want to contact me via email, please send
it to am4android [at] riseup [dot] net. This shall be enforced
with the release of the next stable release, which means that
any attempt to contact me via any other email addresses will
be ignored and may be reported as spam. Also, due to a high volume
of emails of late, I may not be able to reply to all of them,
especially the ones that does not contain any helpful info
such as crash reports or the steps to reproduce the issue.

If you're blocked on GitHub for your misconduct, chances are
your messages will be filtered in my email client as well.

This is a part of the ongoing measure to ensure the safety
and longevity of my projects by blocking anybody who tries
to harm the projects by any means. It should also be noted
that only official sources should be used to download the
applications. Third-party sources may provide modified
version of the applications which may contain malware."

I'll send him an email but I'm not sure how to create the
crash log. Do you have any advice for me to create a debug log?

But maybe I don't need to create a crash log... I just tested again.

Since the 4.1.6 version disappeared, I will test right now using:
<https://github.com/MuntashirAkon/AppManager/releases/tag/v4.0.0-beta01>

Here's my test:
1. Uninstall the existing 3.1.6 Muntashirakon App Manager
2. Download & install the v4.0.0-beta01 beta version above
Name: AppManager_v4.0.0-beta01.apk
Size: 25052916 bytes (23 MiB)
SHA256: 25FCB3ACFF8213AE102533DC08DBDB80FFCAB686C5C74F14F0629F71DD7A5CBF
3. Ah. Hooray. It's working again. (I see he changed his app icon too.)

Can you please test either of the two versions which work for me?
<https://github.com/MuntashirAkon/AppManager/releases/download/v3.1.6/AppManager_v3.1.6.apk>
<https://github.com/MuntashirAkon/AppManager/releases/download/v4.0.0-beta01/AppManager_v4.0.0-beta01.apk>

You know that I know tools well, and I state that this is the best
app manager by far, simply because of all the great things it does.

One of the finest things it does, by the way, is create desktop
shortcuts to any public activity - which can be done with other
tools to be sure - but Muntashirakon makes it super easy to do.

Also it intercepts intents, and that is fantastic when you're trying to
figure out what any given icon or activity is really doing on Android.

In addition, it gives you tons of information about each app.
And it misses none (where many app managers missed packages in my tests).