Android rename SQLite Database

Question

Is it possible to rename a database already created in android?

On my apps update I would like to rename the old database and install a new then compare some values and finally delete the old.

I am doing the creation from an sqlite file in the assets folder. This is why I cannot rename all the tables and insert the new ones.

Clarification:

The old database will contain only one table that I need to compare values from against the new (from the update) database.

Both databases have been copied over from an sqlite file in the assets folder.

Once I have compared a values from the old database to new I will delete the old and use the new in its place with the values I compared.

What i was thinking of doing was rename the old create the new in its place and do everything above.

Answer 1

Just rename the File. Make sure the database is closed first!

Call this in your activity class:

private void renameDatabase()
{
    File databaseFile = getDatabasePath("yourdb.whatever");
    File oldDatabaseFile = new File(databaseFile.getParentFile(), "yourdb_old.whatever");

    databaseFile.renameTo(oldDatabaseFile);
}

Response to clarification. Rename the old db (as above), copy the new one from the assets folder, open both databases and do your compare. Then delete the old file.

Answer 2

Lord Flash is right, you should delete the old db and copy the new one…

Assuming you use a SQLiteOpenHelper, you could use a createDatabaseIfRequired(); method in getReadableDatabase() and getWritableDatabase()

private boolean checkOldDatabase() {
    Log.d(Constants.LOGTAG, "OperationDbHelper.checkDatabase");
    File f = new File(DB_PATH + OLD_DB_NAME);
    return f.exists();
}

public void createDatabaseIfRequired() throws IOException, SQLiteException {
    if (!checkOldDatabase()) {
      // do db comparison / delete old db / copy new db
    }
}