Android ACTION_IMAGE_CAPTURE Intent

Question

We are trying to use the native camera app to let the user take a new picture. It works just fine if we leave out the EXTRA_OUTPUT extra and returns the small Bitmap image. However, if we putExtra(EXTRA_OUTPUT,...) on the intent before starting it, everything works until you try to hit the "Ok" button in the camera app. The "Ok" button just does nothing. The camera app stays open and nothing locks up. We can cancel out of it, but the file never gets written. What exactly do we have to do to get ACTION_IMAGE_CAPTURE to write the picture taken to a file?

Edit: This is done via the MediaStore.ACTION_IMAGE_CAPTURE intent, just to be clear

Answer 1

The workflow you describe should work as you've described it. It might help if you could show us the code around the creation of the Intent. In general, the following pattern should let you do what you're trying.

private void saveFullImage() {
  Intent intent = new Intent(MediaStore.ACTION_IMAGE_CAPTURE);
  File file = new File(Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory(), "test.jpg");
  outputFileUri = Uri.fromFile(file);
  intent.putExtra(MediaStore.EXTRA_OUTPUT, outputFileUri);
  startActivityForResult(intent, TAKE_PICTURE);
}

@Override
protected void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data) {
  if ((requestCode == TAKE_PICTURE) && (resultCode == Activity.RESULT_OK)) {
    // Check if the result includes a thumbnail Bitmap
    if (data == null) {    
      // TODO Do something with the full image stored
      // in outputFileUri. Perhaps copying it to the app folder
    }
  }
}

Note that it is the Camera Activity that will be creating and saving the file, and it's not actually part of your application, so it won't have write permission to your application folder. To save a file to your app folder, create a temporary file on the SD card and move it to your app folder in the onActivityResult handler.

Answer 2

this is a well documented bug in some versions of android. that is, on google experience builds of android, image capture doesn't work as documented. what i've generally something is like this in a some utilities class.

public boolean hasImageCaptureBug() {

    // list of known devices that have the bug
    ArrayList<String> devices = new ArrayList<String>();
    devices.add("android-devphone1/dream_devphone/dream");
    devices.add("generic/sdk/generic");
    devices.add("vodafone/vfpioneer/sapphire");
    devices.add("tmobile/kila/dream");
    devices.add("verizon/voles/sholes");
    devices.add("google_ion/google_ion/sapphire");

    return devices.contains(android.os.Build.BRAND + "/" + android.os.Build.PRODUCT + "/"
            + android.os.Build.DEVICE);

}

then when i launch image capture, i create an intent that checks for the bug.

Intent i = new Intent(android.provider.MediaStore.ACTION_IMAGE_CAPTURE);
if (hasImageCaptureBug()) {
    i.putExtra(android.provider.MediaStore.EXTRA_OUTPUT, Uri.fromFile(new File("/sdcard/tmp")));
} else {
    i.putExtra(android.provider.MediaStore.EXTRA_OUTPUT, android.provider.MediaStore.Images.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI);
}
startActivityForResult(i, mRequestCode);

then in activity that i return to, i do different things based on the device.

protected void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent intent) {
     switch (requestCode) {
         case GlobalConstants.IMAGE_CAPTURE:
       Uri u;
             if (hasImageCaptureBug()) {
                 File fi = new File("/sdcard/tmp");
                 try {
                     u = Uri.parse(android.provider.MediaStore.Images.Media.insertImage(getContentResolver(), fi.getAbsolutePath(), null, null));
                     if (!fi.delete()) {
                         Log.i(t, "Failed to delete " + fi);
                     }
                 } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
                     e.printStackTrace();
                 }
             } else {
       u = intent.getData();
      }
    }

this saves you having to write a new camera app, but this code isn't great either. the big problems are

1. you never get full sized images from the devices with the bug. you get pictures that are 512px wide that are inserted into the image content provider. on devices without the bug, everything works as document, you get a big normal picture.

2. you have to maintain the list. as written, it is possible for devices to be flashed with a version of android (say cyanogenmod's builds) that has the bug fixed. if that happens, your code will crash. the fix is to use the entire device fingerprint.

Answer 3

to have the camera write to sdcard but keep in a new Album on the gallery app I use this :

 File imageDirectory = new File("/sdcard/signifio");
          String path = imageDirectory.toString().toLowerCase();
           String name = imageDirectory.getName().toLowerCase();


            ContentValues values = new ContentValues(); 
            values.put(Media.TITLE, "Image"); 
            values.put(Images.Media.BUCKET_ID, path.hashCode());
            values.put(Images.Media.BUCKET_DISPLAY_NAME,name);

            values.put(Images.Media.MIME_TYPE, "image/jpeg");
            values.put(Media.DESCRIPTION, "Image capture by camera");
           values.put("_data", "/sdcard/signifio/1111.jpg");
         uri = getContentResolver().insert( Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI , values);
            Intent i = new Intent("android.media.action.IMAGE_CAPTURE"); 

            i.putExtra(MediaStore.EXTRA_OUTPUT, uri);

            startActivityForResult(i, 0); 

Please note that you will need to generate a unique filename every time and replace teh 1111.jpg that I wrote. This was tested with nexus one. the uri is declared in the private class , so on activity result I am able to load the image from the uri to imageView for preview if needed.

Answer 4

I had the same problem where the OK button in camera app did nothing, both on emulator and on nexus one.

The problem went away after specifying a safe filename that is without white spaces, without special characters, in MediaStore.EXTRA_OUTPUT. Also, if you are specifying a file that resides in a directory that has not yet been created, you have to create it first. Camera app doesn't do mkdir for you.