AccessibilityNodeInfo - send text

Question

I am developing an Android app, where I have to send text to focused EditText field of other Applications.

I have done it in API level 18 and above using AccessibilityService, when I find the EditText, I paste the data from ClipBoard. Here is the code,

public class TestService extends AccessibilityService {

  @Override
  public void onAccessibilityEvent(AccessibilityEvent event) {
        AccessibilityNodeInfo source = event.getSource();
        if (source != null && event.getEventType() == AccessibilityEvent.TYPE_VIEW_CLICKED && event.getClassName().equals("android.widget.EditText")) {
                ClipboardManager clipboard = (ClipboardManager) context.getSystemService(Context.CLIPBOARD_SERVICE);
                ClipData clip = ClipData.newPlainText("label", "TEST DATA");
                clipboard.setPrimaryClip(clip);
                source.performAction(AccessibilityNodeInfo.ACTION_PASTE);
        }
   }
}

But, AccessibilityNodeInfo.ACTION_PASTE is available in API level 18 and above.

Can we achieve the same in API Level < 18 ?

I read in some blogs that it can be done using InputMethodService, where we create our own keyboard and send text via that soft keyboard. I did not understand much of it...

can someone help me on this.

Answer 1

You can use ACTION_PASTE from API 14, but you have to call AccessibilityRecordCompat and AccessibilityNodeInfoCompat like there:

AccessibilityRecordCompat record = AccessibilityEventCompat.asRecord(event);
AccessibilityNodeInfoCompat source = record.getSource();
source.performAction(AccessibilityNodeInfo.ACTION_PASTE);