Permission denial: opening provider

Question

I've created a custom content provider, which will be accessed by a few more applications. I've included the permission TAG in my provider AndroidManifest.xml file, and in the second application, I included the uses-permissions tag, but no success. Logcat shows me:

java.lang.SecurityException: Permission Denial: opening provider com.company.contentprovider.AplicacaoContentProvider requires READ_DATABASE or WRITE_DATABASE.

I've search on similar questions, but it seems like everything is correct. Any ideas ? Thanks !!!

Here is my provider AndroidManifest.xml file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.company.contentprovider"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0" >

<uses-sdk
    android:minSdkVersion="8"
    android:targetSdkVersion="17" />
<permission android:name="READ_DATABASE" android:label="@string/app_read"       android:protectionLevel="normal"></permission>
<permission android:name="WRITE_DATABASE" android:label="@string/app_write" android:protectionLevel="normal"></permission>

<application
    android:allowBackup="true"
    android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
    android:label="@string/app_name"
    android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >
    <activity
        android:name=".CompanyProvider"
        android:label="@string/app_name" >
        <intent-filter>
            <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
            <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
        </intent-filter>
    </activity>
    <provider android:name="AplicacaoContentProvider"
        android:authorities="com.company.contentprovider"
        android:exported="true"
        android:readPermission="@string/app_read"
        android:writePermission="@string/app_write"
       />
</application>

And this is my second application AndroidManifest.xml file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.example.testeprovider"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0" >

<uses-sdk
    android:minSdkVersion="8"
    android:targetSdkVersion="16" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permissions.READ_DATABASE"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permissioms.WRITE_DATABASE"/>


<application
    android:allowBackup="true"
    android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
    android:label="@string/app_name"
    android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >
    <activity
        android:name="com.example.testeprovider.MainActivity"
        android:label="@string/app_name" >
        <intent-filter>
            <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />

            <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
        </intent-filter>
    </activity>

</application>

Answer 1

The answer above was a litle confusing for me. But I got it now. I want to post my solution as well. Maybe for someone it's more better to understand.

First App A is the App that has the SQLite-Database and the "Custom Content Provider". App B uses with a ContentResolver the databse from App A.

This is the AndroidManifest.xml-File from App A:

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="de.test"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0" >

<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="10" />


<permission android:name="de.test.READ_DATABASE" android:protectionLevel="normal" />
<permission android:name="de.test.WRITE_DATABASE" android:protectionLevel="normal" />

<application
    android:debuggable="true"
    ... >
    ...
    ...
    <provider
        android:name="de.test.TestContentProvider"
        android:authorities="de.test.ContentProvider"
        android:exported="true"
        android:readPermission="de.test.READ_DATABASE"
        android:writePermission="de.test.WRITE_DATABASE" />
    ...
    ...
</application>

Ok and this is the AndroidManifest.xml-File from App B. Important is the part with "uses-permission":

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="de.test.testercontentprovider"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0" >

<uses-sdk
    android:minSdkVersion="15"
    android:targetSdkVersion="17" />

<uses-permission android:name="de.test.READ_DATABASE" />
<uses-permission android:name="de.test.WRITE_DATABASE" />

<application
    android:allowBackup="true"
    android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
    android:label="@string/app_name"
    android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >
    <activity
        android:name="de.test.testercontentprovider.MainActivity"
        android:label="@string/app_name" >
        <intent-filter>
            <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />

            <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
        </intent-filter>
    </activity>
</application>

And the Code of the ContentProvider for App A looks like this:

public class TestContentProvider extends ContentProvider {

public static final String AUTHORITY = "de.test.TestContentProvider";

public static final Uri CONTENT_URI = Uri.parse("content://" + AUTHORITY
        + "/" + "nameoftable");


@Override
public boolean onCreate() {
    ...
    return true;
}

@Override
public Cursor query(Uri uri, String[] projection, String selection,
        String[] selectionArgs, String sortOrder) {
    // TODO Auto-generated method stub
            return null;
}

@Override
public int update(Uri uri, ContentValues values, String selection,
        String[] selectionArgs) {
    // TODO Auto-generated method stub
    return 0;
}

@Override
public int delete(Uri uri, String selection, String[] selectionArgs) {
    // TODO Auto-generated method stub
    return 0;
}

@Override
public Uri insert(Uri uri, ContentValues values) {
    // TODO Auto-generated method stub
    return null;
}

@Override
public String getType(Uri uri) {
    // TODO Auto-generated method stub
    return null;
}
}

And the Code for the ContentResolver from App B:

public class MainActivity extends Activity {

private static final String TAG = MainActivity.class.getSimpleName();
public static final String AUTHORITY = "de.test.TestContentProvider";
public static final String TABLE_NAME = "nameoftable";

    ...

@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

    ContentResolver cr = getContentResolver();

    // show entries of db
    listEntries(cr);
}

@Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
    // Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present.
    getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.main, menu);
    return true;
}

private void listEntries(ContentResolver cr) {
    Uri uri = Uri.parse("content://" + AUTHORITY + "/" + TABLE_NAME);
    Cursor c = cr.query(uri, null, null, null, null);

    if (c == null) {
        Log.d(TAG, "Cursor c == null.");
        return;
    }
    while (c.moveToNext()) {
        String column1 = c.getString(0);
        String column2 = c.getString(1);
        String column3 = c.getString(2);

        Log.d(TAG, "column1=" + column1 + " column2=" + column2 + " column3=" + column3);
    }
    c.close();
}
}

I hope this can help someone to understand it better.

Answer 2

but it seems like everything is correct

Not exactly.

<permission android:name="READ_DATABASE" android:label="@string/app_read"       android:protectionLevel="normal"></permission>
<permission android:name="WRITE_DATABASE" android:label="@string/app_write" android:protectionLevel="normal"></permission>

First, you really really really really really really should put a namespace on those permission names. Make them com.company.contentprovider.READ_DATABASE and com.company.contentprovider.WRITE_DATABASE.

<provider android:name="AplicacaoContentProvider"
    android:authorities="com.company.contentprovider"
    android:exported="true"
    android:readPermission="@string/app_read"
    android:writePermission="@string/app_write"
   />

Second, your android:readPermission and android:writePermission values need to use the android:name value from <permission>, not android:label. android:label is a display name only. So, the above snippet should be:

<provider android:name="AplicacaoContentProvider"
    android:authorities="com.company.contentprovider"
    android:exported="true"
    android:readPermission="com.company.contentprovider.READ_DATABASE"
    android:writePermission="com.company.contentprovider.WRITE_DATABASE"
   />

(though, bonus points for explicitly putting android:exported="true", which is a good idea)

<uses-permission android:name="android.permissions.READ_DATABASE"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permissioms.WRITE_DATABASE"/>

Third, your other manifest does not use your old android:name, nor my suggested revised android:name, nor android:label, but something else entirely, where you elected to say that these are in the android.permission namespace, and they are not. This should be:

<uses-permission android:name="com.company.contentprovider.READ_DATABASE"/>
<uses-permission android:name="com.company.contentprovider.WRITE_DATABASE"/>

(though it is possible that com.company.contentprovider.WRITE_DATABASE will be sufficient -- I don't know if android:writePermission will automatically imply android:readPermission or not)

Make those changes, and I think you will have better luck.

Answer 3

I was facing the same problem, then I remember I forgot to

add export tag for provider in the Manifest

   <provider
        android:name=".UsersProvider"
        android:authorities="com.xyz.demoapplication"
        android:exported="true">
   </provider>

To access in another app you need to export true this allows other application to access Content Provider from this host application