1page.title=<manifest>
2parent.title=The AndroidManifest.xml File
3parent.link=manifest-intro.html
4@jd:body
5
6<dl class="xml">
7<dt>syntax:</dt>
8<dd><pre class="stx">&lt;manifest xmlns:<a href="#nspace">android</a>="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
9          <a href="#package">package</a>="<i>string</i>"
10          android:<a href="#uid">sharedUserId</a>="<i>string</i>"
11          android:<a href="#uidlabel">sharedUserLabel</a>="<i>string resource</i>" <!-- ##api level 3## -->
12          android:<a href="#vcode">versionCode</a>="<i>integer</i>"
13          android:<a href="#vname">versionName</a>="<i>string</i>"
14          android:<a href="#install">installLocation</a>=["auto" | "internalOnly" | "preferExternal"] &gt;
15    . . .
16&lt;/manifest&gt;</pre></dd>
17
18<p>
19<dt>contained in:</dt>
20<dd><i>none</i></dd>
21
22<p>
23<p>
24<dt>must contain:</dt>
25<dd><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/application-element.html">&lt;application&gt;</a></code></dd>
26
27<dt>can contain:</dt>
28<dd><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/compatible-screens-element.html">&lt;compatible-screens&gt;</a></code>
29<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/instrumentation-element.html">&lt;instrumentation&gt;</a></code>
30<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/permission-element.html">&lt;permission&gt;</a></code>
31<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/permission-group-element.html">&lt;permission-group&gt;</a></code>
32<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/permission-tree-element.html">&lt;permission-tree&gt;</a></code>
33<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/supports-gl-texture-element.html">&lt;supports-gl-texture&gt;</a></code>
34<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/supports-screens-element.html">&lt;supports-screens&gt;</a></code>
35<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-configuration-element.html">&lt;uses-configuration&gt;</a></code>  <!-- ##api level 3## -->
36<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-feature-element.html">&lt;uses-feature&gt;</a></code>
37<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-permission-element.html">&lt;uses-permission&gt;</a></code>
38<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-permission-sdk-23-element.html">&lt;uses-permission-sdk-23&gt;</a></code>
39<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html">&lt;uses-sdk&gt;</a></code></dd>
40
41<p>
42<dt>description:</dt>
43<dd itemprop="description">The root element of the AndroidManifest.xml file.  It must
44contain an <code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/application-element.html">&lt;application&gt;</a></code> element
45and specify {@code xmlns:android} and {@code package} attributes.</dd>
46
47<dt>attributes:</dt>
48<dd>
49<dl class="attr">
50<dt><a name="nspace"></a>{@code xmlns:android}</dt>
51<dd>Defines the Android namespace.  This attribute should always be set
52to "{@code http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android}".</dd>
53
54<dt><a name="package"></a>{@code package}</dt>
55<dd>A full Java-language-style package name for the Android application. The
56  name should be unique.  The name may contain uppercase or lowercase letters
57  ('A' through 'Z'), numbers, and underscores ('_').  However, individual
58  package name parts may only start with letters.
59
60<p>To avoid conflicts with other developers, you should use Internet domain ownership as the
61basis for your package names (in reverse). For example, applications published by Google start with
62<code>com.google</code>. You should also never use the <code>com.example</code> namespace when
63publishing your applications.</p>
64
65  <p>
66  The package name serves as a unique identifier for the application.
67  It's also the default name for the application process (see the
68  <code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/application-element.html">&lt;application&gt;</a></code>
69  element's
70  <code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/application-element.html#aff">process</a></code>
71  process</a></code> attribute) and the default task affinity of an activity
72  (see the
73  <code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-element.html">&lt;activity&gt;</a></code>
74  element's
75  <code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-element.html#aff">taskAffinity</a></code> attribute).
76  </p>
77
78  <p class="caution"><strong>Caution:</strong> Once you publish your application, you
79<strong>cannot change the package name</strong>. The package name defines your application's
80identity, so if you change it, then it is considered to be a different application and users of
81the previous version cannot update to the new version.</p>
82
83</dd>
84
85<dt><a name="uid"></a>{@code android:sharedUserId}</dt>
86<dd>The name of a Linux user ID that will be shared with other applications.
87By default, Android assigns each application its own unique user ID.
88However, if this attribute is set to the same value for two or more applications,
89they will all share the same ID &mdash; provided that they are also signed
90by the same certificate.  Application with the same user ID can access each
91other's data and, if desired, run in the same process.</dd>
92
93<dt><a name="uidlabel"></a>{@code android:sharedUserLabel}</dt>
94<dd>A user-readable label for the shared user ID.  The label must be set as
95a reference to a string resource; it cannot be a raw string.
96
97  <p>
98  <!-- ##api level indication## -->
99  This attribute was introduced in API Level 3.  It is meaningful only if the
100  <code><a href="#uid">sharedUserId</a></code> attribute is also set.
101  </p>
102</dd>
103
104<dt><a name="vcode"></a>{@code android:versionCode}</dt>
105<dd>An internal version number.  This number is used only to determine whether
106one version is more recent than another, with higher numbers indicating more
107recent versions.  This is not the version number shown to users; that number
108is set by the {@code versionName} attribute.
109
110  <p>
111  The value must be set as an integer, such as "100".  You can define it however
112  you want, as long as each successive version has a higher number.  For example,
113  it could be a build number.  Or you could translate a version number in "x.y"
114  format to an integer by encoding the "x" and "y" separately in the lower and
115  upper 16 bits.  Or you could simply increase the number by one each time a new
116  version is released.
117  </p>
118</dd>
119
120<dt><a name="vname"></a>{@code android:versionName}</dt>
121<dd>The version number shown to users.  This attribute can be set as a raw
122string or as a reference to a string resource.  The string has no other purpose
123than to be displayed to users.  The {@code versionCode} attribute holds
124the significant version number used internally.
125</dd>
126
127<dt><a name="install"></a>{@code android:installLocation}</dt>
128<dd>The default install location for the application.
129
130<p>The following keyword strings are accepted:</p>
131
132<table>
133<tr>
134   <th>Value</th>
135   <th>Description</th>
136</tr><tr>
137   <td>"{@code internalOnly}"</td>
138   <td>The application must be installed on the internal device storage only. If this is set,
139the application will never be installed on the external storage. If the internal
140storage is full, then the system will not install the application. This is also the default behavior
141if you do not define {@code android:installLocation}.</td>
142</tr><tr>
143   <td>"{@code auto}"</td>
144   <td>The application may be installed on the external storage, but the system will install the
145application on the internal storage by default. If the internal storage is full, then the system
146will install it on the external storage. Once installed, the user can move the application
147to either internal or external storage through the system settings.</td>
148</tr><tr>
149   <td>"{@code preferExternal}"</td>
150   <td>The application prefers to be installed on the external storage (SD card). There is no
151guarantee that the system will honor this request. The application might be installed on internal
152storage if the external media is unavailable or full. Once installed, the user can move the application to
153either internal or external storage through the system settings.</td>
154</tr>
155</table>
156
157<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> By default, your application will be installed on the
158  internal storage and cannot be installed on the external storage unless you define this attribute
159  to be either "{@code auto}" or "{@code preferExternal}".</p>
160
161<p>When an application is installed on the external storage:</p>
162<ul>
163  <li>The {@code .apk} file is saved
164to the external storage, but any application data (such as databases) is still saved on
165the internal device memory.</li>
166  <li>The container in which the {@code .apk} file is saved is encrypted with a key that allows
167the application to operate only on the device that installed it. (A user cannot
168transfer the SD card to another device and use applications installed on the card.) Though,
169multiple SD cards can be used with the same device.</li>
170  <li>At the user's request, the application can be moved to the internal storage.</li>
171</ul>
172
173<p>The user may also request to move an application from the internal storage to the external
174storage. However, the system will not allow the user to move the application to external storage if
175this attribute is set to {@code internalOnly}, which is the default setting.</p>
176
177<p>Read <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/data/install-location.html">App Install Location</a> for
178more information about using this attribute (including how to maintain backward compatibility).</p>
179
180<p>Introduced in: API Level 8.</p>
181
182
183</dd>
184
185</dl>
186</dd><!-- end attributes -->
187
188<!-- ##api level indication## -->
189<dt>introduced in:</dt>
190<dd>API Level 1 for all attributes, unless noted otherwise in the attribute description.</dd>
191
192<p>
193<dt>see also:</dt>
194<dd>
195<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/application-element.html">&lt;application&gt;</a></code></dd>
196
197</dl>
198