Android External SD Card Access from Lollipop

In my Android project in Github, linked below, you can find working code that allows to write on extSdCard in Android 5. It assumes that the user gives access to the whole SD Card and then lets you write everywhere on this card. (If you want to have access only to single files, things get easier.)

Main Code snipplets

Triggering the Storage Access Framework:

@TargetApi(Build.VERSION_CODES.LOLLIPOP)
private void triggerStorageAccessFramework() {
    Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT_TREE);
    startActivityForResult(intent, REQUEST_CODE_STORAGE_ACCESS);
}

Handling the response from the Storage Access Framework:

@TargetApi(Build.VERSION_CODES.LOLLIPOP)
@Override
public final void onActivityResult(final int requestCode, final int resultCode, final Intent resultData) {
    if (requestCode == SettingsFragment.REQUEST_CODE_STORAGE_ACCESS) {
        Uri treeUri = null;
        if (resultCode == Activity.RESULT_OK) {
            // Get Uri from Storage Access Framework.
            treeUri = resultData.getData();

            // Persist URI in shared preference so that you can use it later.
            // Use your own framework here instead of PreferenceUtil.
            PreferenceUtil.setSharedPreferenceUri(R.string.key_internal_uri_extsdcard, treeUri);

            // Persist access permissions.
            final int takeFlags = resultData.getFlags()
                & (Intent.FLAG_GRANT_READ_URI_PERMISSION | Intent.FLAG_GRANT_WRITE_URI_PERMISSION);
            getActivity().getContentResolver().takePersistableUriPermission(treeUri, takeFlags);
        }
    }
}

Getting an outputStream for a file via the Storage Access Framework (making use of the stored URL, assuming that this is the URL of the root folder of the external SD card)

DocumentFile targetDocument = getDocumentFile(file, false);
OutputStream outStream = Application.getAppContext().
    getContentResolver().openOutputStream(targetDocument.getUri());

This uses the following helper methods:

public static DocumentFile getDocumentFile(final File file, final boolean isDirectory) {
    String baseFolder = getExtSdCardFolder(file);

    if (baseFolder == null) {
        return null;
    }

    String relativePath = null;
    try {
        String fullPath = file.getCanonicalPath();
        relativePath = fullPath.substring(baseFolder.length() + 1);
    }
    catch (IOException e) {
        return null;
    }

    Uri treeUri = PreferenceUtil.getSharedPreferenceUri(R.string.key_internal_uri_extsdcard);

    if (treeUri == null) {
        return null;
    }

    // start with root of SD card and then parse through document tree.
    DocumentFile document = DocumentFile.fromTreeUri(Application.getAppContext(), treeUri);

    String[] parts = relativePath.split("\\/");
    for (int i = 0; i < parts.length; i++) {
        DocumentFile nextDocument = document.findFile(parts[i]);

        if (nextDocument == null) {
            if ((i < parts.length - 1) || isDirectory) {
                nextDocument = document.createDirectory(parts[i]);
            }
            else {
                nextDocument = document.createFile("image", parts[i]);
            }
        }
        document = nextDocument;
    }

    return document;
}

public static String getExtSdCardFolder(final File file) {
    String[] extSdPaths = getExtSdCardPaths();
    try {
        for (int i = 0; i < extSdPaths.length; i++) {
            if (file.getCanonicalPath().startsWith(extSdPaths[i])) {
                return extSdPaths[i];
            }
        }
    }
    catch (IOException e) {
        return null;
    }
    return null;
}

/**
 * Get a list of external SD card paths. (Kitkat or higher.)
 *
 * @return A list of external SD card paths.
 */
@TargetApi(Build.VERSION_CODES.KITKAT)
private static String[] getExtSdCardPaths() {
    List<String> paths = new ArrayList<>();
    for (File file : Application.getAppContext().getExternalFilesDirs("external")) {
        if (file != null && !file.equals(Application.getAppContext().getExternalFilesDir("external"))) {
            int index = file.getAbsolutePath().lastIndexOf("/Android/data");
            if (index < 0) {
                Log.w(Application.TAG, "Unexpected external file dir: " + file.getAbsolutePath());
            }
            else {
                String path = file.getAbsolutePath().substring(0, index);
                try {
                    path = new File(path).getCanonicalPath();
                }
                catch (IOException e) {
                    // Keep non-canonical path.
                }
                paths.add(path);
            }
        }
    }
    return paths.toArray(new String[paths.size()]);
}

 /**
 * Retrieve the application context.
 *
 * @return The (statically stored) application context
 */
public static Context getAppContext() {
    return Application.mApplication.getApplicationContext();
}

Reference to the full code

https://github.com/jeisfeld/Augendiagnose/blob/master/AugendiagnoseIdea/augendiagnoseLib/src/main/java/de/jeisfeld/augendiagnoselib/fragments/SettingsFragment.java#L521

and

https://github.com/jeisfeld/Augendiagnose/blob/master/AugendiagnoseIdea/augendiagnoseLib/src/main/java/de/jeisfeld/augendiagnoselib/util/imagefile/FileUtil.java