Apps Copying app+data between emulator and device?

[ComingFromPalmOS]

Hello,

I'm currently researching several topics concerning Android before buying a device, probably the HTC Desire or similar.

I read the overview topics of the SDK, and found mention of an emulator. I assume you can emulate at least a generic android device on the PC.

Here's my question: is it relatively straightforward to take an app from a real device and copy it (together with all its data, settings, etc.) to the emulation and vice versa? By "straightforward" I do not necessarily mean that it is a one-button process, but that it can be done with practically any app out there.

Or is that very much dependant on the app?

As far as I understand, the app with its ressources is contained in a single archive, then there's some data files the app can create (which, I assume, are physically stored together in a unique directory for this app), and finally there can be an optional SQLite DB (hopefully also stored in said directory)? Would it then work (with a rooted device) to copy all of this between the emu and the device? Or are the names of those storage areas containing things like device-dependant IDs etc., making it very difficult?

Thanks!

 

[miXer]

As you mentioned you need a rooted phone to get access to the directory containing all the apps and settings. The directory name is /data/data/app_name i think, and i think its the same on all phones.

 

[ComingFromPalmOS]

Well, I didn't find anything in the docs, but installing the SDK and just looking in the emulator worked fine.

Looks like everything is layed out plain and simple - prefs, individual data files and SQLite dbs seem to be under /data/data/<appname>. I couldn't find an obvious occurence of some device-dependent ID, so they should be portable between a true device and the emulator.