[url_launcher] Add Android support for externalNonBrowserApplication #9993
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Sets `FLAG_ACTIVITY_REQUIRE_NON_BROWSER` on the launch intent when `externalNonBrowserApplication` is requested. This only works on API 30+, but since that's already >80% of devices, and launch modes are already documented to be best-effort based on platform capabilities, that should be enough. (A fallback is possible, as demonstrated in flutter/plugins#5953, but it's not fully reliable, adds complexity, and relies on adding extra query permissions to the app bundle in order to work, so I am not including that approach.) Fixes flutter/flutter#66721
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Code Review
This pull request adds support for launching URLs in an external, non-browser application on Android by using the FLAG_ACTIVITY_REQUIRE_NON_BROWSER intent flag. The changes include updating the Pigeon interface to pass a new boolean flag, implementing the logic in the Android native code, and adding corresponding tests and an example usage. My review identifies a bug in the test implementation, a potential improvement in the native Android code for API level compatibility, and a correction for the example app's UI logic.
packages/url_launcher/url_launcher_android/test/url_launcher_android_test.dart
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| if (requireNonBrowser) { | ||
| launchIntent.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_REQUIRE_NON_BROWSER); | ||
| } |
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The FLAG_ACTIVITY_REQUIRE_NON_BROWSER flag was introduced in API level 30. While the system may ignore unknown flags on older versions, it's best practice to explicitly check the device's API level before adding a flag that is not available on all supported versions. This makes the code more robust and self-documenting about its API level dependency. You may need to add an import for android.os.Build.
if (requireNonBrowser) {
if (android.os.Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES.R) {
launchIntent.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_REQUIRE_NON_BROWSER);
}
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@gmackall @reidbaker Does the Android team have a preference here? I had considered adding this but then didn't because presumably adding a flag that didn't exist in old versions should be harmless, so I figured it didn't add any value. I guess the self-documenting aspect is worth considering though.
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I don't have a strong preference here, but slightly lean towards including it just for readability.
| onPressed: _hasCustomTabSupport | ||
| ? () => setState(() { | ||
| _launched = _launchInNonBrowserExternalApp(toLaunch); | ||
| }) | ||
| : null, |
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The onPressed callback for the 'Launch in non-browser app' button is conditioned on _hasCustomTabSupport. However, the ability to launch an external non-browser application is not dependent on Custom Tabs support. This condition seems to be incorrectly copied from another button and could prevent users from testing this feature on devices that don't support Custom Tabs but can handle the intent. The button should likely be enabled unconditionally.
onPressed: () => setState(() {
_launched = _launchInNonBrowserExternalApp(toLaunch);
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Ha, this was wrong because the code I copied from also shouldn't have had it; it had incorrectly been set up to gate the "launch in browser" button rather than the "launch in custom tab" button.
Fixed my copypasta and the pre-existing bug.
Sets
FLAG_ACTIVITY_REQUIRE_NON_BROWSERon the launch intent whenexternalNonBrowserApplicationis requested.This only works on API 30+, but since that's already >80% of devices, and launch modes are already documented to be best-effort based on platform capabilities, that should be enough.
(A fallback is possible, as demonstrated in
flutter/plugins#5953, but it's not fully reliable, adds complexity, and relies on adding extra query permissions to the app bundle in order to work, so I am not including that approach.)
Fixes flutter/flutter#66721
Pre-Review Checklist
[shared_preferences]pubspec.yamlwith an appropriate new version according to the pub versioning philosophy, or I have commented below to indicate which version change exemption this PR falls under1.CHANGELOG.mdto add a description of the change, following repository CHANGELOG style, or I have commented below to indicate which CHANGELOG exemption this PR falls under1.///).Footnotes
Regular contributors who have demonstrated familiarity with the repository guidelines only need to comment if the PR is not auto-exempted by repo tooling. ↩ ↩2 ↩3