OT: Stupid Bloody Android

[tim...]

Actually ES file explorer , but as it comes pre-installed, the average numpry would think that it's part of Android.

1) Whilst trying to create a new folder I accidentally selected "file" and it created a file with the extension .docx. Now, because I don't have MS Word on my device, every time that I try to select this file it pops up with "do you want to install MS Word" and if you enter "no" it just goes back to the directory listing.

But I don't want to select it to edit, you idiot. I want to select it to delete it, and you're not letting me - I can't say yes to installing MS Word to keep it happy, as that's a paid for App.

(Yes, I know that there are backdoor ways of deleting files, but why should I have to use a backdoor workaround when the front door is broken?)

2) I wanted to move some files from one directory to another on the same media (AIH the one that I created above). So, instead of just creating a link in the new directory pointing to the same physical file on the media and deleting the link from the old directory, it wants to physically make a second copy of the file and then delete the old one. Quite apart from taking 10 minutes to make this unnecessary copy, if the media is full it refuses to do it at all claiming "not enough space"!

This is file management 101 level stuff - where did they get these people?

tim

[Jethro_uk]

IIRC a long tap on the file brings up an "actions" list, one of which is delete.

But generally, Android is pretty shit for a cornucopia of other reasons, so I accept your assertion.

Todays irritation .... using a courtesy car while the windscreen in ours is fixed. CC comes with "Android Auto", so I thought "Oooo, I'll have a play with that while I can".

Turns out AA needs a *wired* connection. A brief read suggests this is to power the phone while the bluetooth does the heavy lifting ... however that's not what the car says. Now I have a magnetic charging cable, to minimise use of the USB port (since by my estimation the phone can go another 2-3 years). Having to plug a *full* USB cable in every journey is not going to happen.

[tim...]

touch and hold, enables files for selection

earlier versions only allowed the file you were holding to be manipulated, but the newest version seems to set the directory into a mode where you can now multi select any combination of files to manipulate (all in the same way, obviously)

Unfortunately, there are no other files in this directory that I could select to put it into this mode so that I can select the docx file to delete.

and touch and hold selection on the docx file is overridden by the expectation that I need to download the associated app to work on the file before I can do anything else :-(

tim

[dennis]

I think you will find word is free on android as it is on iPhones.

Linux developers?

[Tim+]

Can you deliberately "mis-associate" the file to be opened with an existing app? Once mis-associated you may be able to then delete it.

Tim

[tim...]

I dunno

can I?

(I have actually managed to delete it via a back door, I am just interested in the stupidity of this interface)

tim

[tim...]

I do remember some app that I clicked on last week prompting me to set up a payment method and I backed out. I can't think that it would have been anything other than this, BICBW.

And I was put off by the fact it was unlikely to be small as well as any potential charge.

tim

[Dave Liquorice]

You're sorted but I'd dump ES File Explorer. It was quite good then they started adding annoying "helpful features" and it became bloatware.

I now use Solid Explorer, much more like ES was a few years ago.

[Jethro_uk]

If you go to Settings ... Apps ... and somewhere "Defaults", you might be able to break the association.

However IME the "Defaults" is pants. There seems to be no f****ing way to break the link to Google ****ing maps. You can manually disassociate it, and manuallt re-associate another app (e.g. HERE), but click on a link in a page and guess what ****ing gets launched ?

[Jethro_uk]

I must admit the latest incarnation which pops up various ads is starting to get on my pip ...

[Bill]

In message , Dave Liquorice writes

I've been looking to dump ES for some time now, so this looks good, although I haven't had time to get my head round it properly.

It seems there is Solid Explorer Classic and Solid Explorer File Manager.

The first is presumably the one recommended, and presumably the ads get less obtrusive as one gets used to them.

I'm going to try them both for a day or two before deciding I can dump ES File Explorer (why does it permanently say "my daily space usage is coming" on going to the splash screen?).

[Steve Walker]

Was certainly free when I installed it a few years ago.

SteveW

[Dave Liquorice]

I have (once I found the "About" page) "Solid Explorer 2", v2.2.8, Build 170613.R.2. This is "Solid Explorer File Manager" bright blue icon in the Playstore.

I must have paid, I don't see ads.

[Brian Gaff]

I've had this on windows as well. In that case its a choice to be made deep in a settings dialogue which is defaulted to the safest option in case one deletes something you actually wanted. Don't know about android of course. What about renaming the file or folder, will it let you do this?

Another thing I suppose is to find where it keeps file associations and change it temporarily to something else first.

It is obviously trying to treat left and right clicks to use the windows language as one. There may actually be an android gesture to do the function ie select without doing any action at that time. Brian

[tim...]

really?

it's easy to override the default "click" action in Windows - just use a mouse and right click instead

but there is no such option on a touch screen.

to perform *any* action on the file you first have to select it

and it is selecting it that bring up this naggy box

there seems to be no way around it

[Chris Green]

Won't a command line allow you to delete the file?

[tim...]

what's a command line

Is it 1980 again?

tim

[The Natural Philosopher]

Don't worry your pretty little head over that deeply technical stuff tim, we know there isn't room for evens one Deep Thought in there.

[Tim Watts]

Command line? Oh you mean that thing I used every single working day over ssh for my work.

That thing that takes 1/4 of the time to do systems management compared to a GUI...

[Chris Green]

It's often the fastest and easiest way to do things! It's what I'm using to read/write this newsgroup! :-)