Android -Loading a text file

Is there a way of loading a RO help file from inside a Archive.

So it loads into the ‘Docs’ program.

Docs program? Programmaticaly or manually using file associations?

It would be nice when using a phone – you can download say Jon’s Prog Part Manager – be able to read the Readme file from within the Archive :-)

I have an ancient version of ES File Explorer (before it sold out and got turned into adware with a side order of click fraud), so I simply download the file, open the archive in ES’s archive manager, and then open files directly from the archive.

The one I use is 3.2.4.1 from ~2014, when it was still decent.

There are other file managers that might offer similar, but I don’t have experience with these.

I have an ancient version of ES File Explorer (before it sold out and got turned into adware with a side order of click fraud)

I got round that by buying the Pro version (1.50 gbp I think)
Its a must have app mostly used for getting photos and videos out of the phone into RISC OS via its “Remote Manager” ftp server option.

If you use an old enough version (I’d guess back when EStrongs was doing it rather than the thinly veiled Baidu spin-off), that functionality was included as standard.

It’s one of the reasons I don’t have anything auto update on my phone. Had enough bait-and-switch shenanigans. It seems quite popular to make a useful app with features, and then in an update either wreck it with advertising (Quick Editor) or suddenly remove features because they’re “Pro” and cost money.

I don’t disagree with having a Pro model that does extra stuff for £$€, but I do disagree with removing existing features because the dev wants £$€.

Or, worse, turning a useful app into an advert delivery system (Quick Editor, I’m looking at you).

But, then, I suppose this is to be expected when Google heavily promotes advertising and the promise of easy money. People are easily corrupted and seem happy to come up with all sorts of excuses to ruin a previously decent app.

Having said all that, it’s pretty much the 202x version of the same crap we heard from those stuffing their websites full of advertising. Oh, pity me, don’t look at my easily accessible content without advertising you thief (but I’m not liable for anything that happens as a result of the seventy two third party scripts that I expect you to blindly trust), etc etc.

Is there a way of loading a RO help file from inside a Archive.

Not a generic way. A !Help file can be an obey file or a StrongHelp file. It is not necessarily a text file.

Interesting – no proper filer present on Android :-(

Hmm – if the file was ‘Readme.txt’

Just nice to be able to take a peak – at the Readme text – at off peak times :-)

A !Help file can be an obey file or a StrongHelp file.

Or a HTML file, or a Drawfile sometimes, the former being used where a browser is necessary for the app (my Pic_Index), or the latter illustrating use of a filetype endemic to RISC OS.

And then there’s the filetype issue.

Your best bet would seem to be having a library of Help files to peruse at your leisure on your network when the fancy took you, all appropriately file-typed and/or converted.

So, really, it was quite a silly idea.

It is not necessarily a text file.

Interesting – no proper filer present on Android :-(

There should be a filer – called something like Files or My Files. It’s really basic as the Android way seems to be to supply fairly minimal functioning apps (like the generic email app or the camera app) and then let others write something better.
I’ve heard people recommend Total Commander. No experience of it myself.

At least in Android, you can generally open and read text files. The system doesn’t act weird or sulk because the RISC OS line endings aren’t CRLF.
Try loading any !ReadMe file into Notepad on Windows…or have Microsoft finally fixed this?

Or a HTML file, or a Drawfile sometimes,

For HTML, Android has a built in HTMLViewer. For anything fruity, you could try your chances with WibdHex. ;-)
[and before you ask, Yes, I’ve read a help file that was an Impression document using WindHex]

I’ve heard people recommend Total Commander. No experience of it myself.

My recommendation would be File Manager Plus. Not only it’s comprehensive and very well-organised, it also easily connects to machines in your local network. I use it on a daily base for making backups and transferring all kinds of files to and from our PC’s (Windows) and NAS. It can’t connect to RISC OS however, at least I haven’t found a way to do that. But since a complete RISC OS backup is on the NAS, I can check every file of it on my Android phone.

Good info coming out. Tks :-)

Taking Rick’s thought that there should be a ‘Filer’ – a quick search – revealed that it was not switched on fully.

Something like ‘Storage’
‘Internal storage’ ‘Other’

Opening up Part Manager – copying Readme file into Download dir – changing name to Readme.txt – able to be loaded in Docs :-)

Looking though the Readme file – pity ‘Other’ BASIC Progs don’t go into such detail – well done.

I wonder if Zap/StrongEd could be made to export just REM REM info?