Read and write a text file to internal storage

When simple name/value pairs are not sufficient, Android also supports regular file operations, including working with text and binary data.

The following recipe demonstrates how to read and write a file to internal or private storage.

Getting ready

Create a new project in Android Studio and call it InternalStorageFile. Use the default Phone & Tablet options and select Empty Activity in the Add an Activity to Mobile dialog.

How to do it...

To demonstrate both reading and writing text, we'll need a layout with an EditText and two buttons. Start by opening main_activity.xml and follow these steps:

1. Replace the existing <TextView> element with the following views:

<EditText
android:id="@+id/editText"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:inputType="textMultiLine"
android:ems="10"
app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent"
app:layout_constraintBottom_toTopOf="@+id/buttonRead"
app:layout_constraintLeft_toLeftOf...