Rdex for Android


Rdex is a freeform database. Use it to store addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, recipes, or a million other pieces of miscellaneous information.

Rdex is also available for Windows, and in Java for Mac and Linux, and the database can be sync'd with Android using a cloud storage service.
http://pnewman.com/rdex/


OPENING FILES

Cloud Storage:
Storing your data in the cloud allows you to access it from multiple devices: laptops, desktops, tablets and smart phones. Since about Feb 2023 the Dropbox Android app will no longer open an Rdex cardfile (.rdx) stored on Dropbox. Dropbox doesn't even sync files on Android either but fortunately Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive do.

To use Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive (assuming they are already installed on the device) open the Rdex app, select File/Open Local File from the menu and use the file picker to locate the Rdex file under OneDrive or Google Drive. If the file has recently been modified using a different device make sure you download a fresh copy using File/Open Local File or File/Recent Files to keep the file in sync.

To get started using Rdex Android on cloud storage without a PC or laptop create a new local cardfile using File/Create Local Cardfile and either upload it to the cloud service or move it to the cloud service local file space on the device using a file browser.

Local Files:
Local files can be stored on the device in any publicly accessible area. Create a new cardfile with File/Create Local Cardfile. Open an existing local file with File/Open Local File and save a plain text copy with File/Save Local Copy. A file browser app such as 'MyFiles' can be used to create a new folder and copy, rename, move or delete files.

Private Files:
Rdex has its own private storage area on the device in the folder Android/data/com.pnewman.rdex/files. Android security now prevents other apps, even file manager apps, from accessing this private storage. Open an existing private file with File/Open Private File and save a plain text copy with File/Save Private Copy. (These are the old legacy Rdex file handling functions from the days before the Android security restrictions.)

Recent Files:
The recent files menu can be used to open a recently used local or private file. Rdex will attempt to load the most recently used local or private file when it starts up. You can find out which file Rdex is using, and its file format, from the About Rdex menu item.


BRIEF INSTRUCTIONS

To create a new card or edit an existing card, select "Edit/New Card" or "Edit/Edit Card." Type in the text you want or use copy and paste. When you are done press the "Save" button. You can delete a card using "Edit/Delete Card" from the edit submenu. A new empty cardfile can be created using "File/Create Local Cardfile." The cardfile is always saved after any changes. A copy of the cardfile can be saved using File/Save Copy.

To prevent any accidental changes to the cardfile you can select "Read Only Mode" in Menu/Preferences. The edit submenu is disabled in Read Only Mode.

To find a card, type some text into the Search Box and tap the search icon. Search text is not case sensitive. Tap the search icon again to find the next occurrence. If the Search Box is blank, you simply jump to the next card. If you type some text into the Search Box and tap <Enter> or <Done> on the keyboard, Rdex will list the first line of every card that contains that text. If the Search Box is blank the first line of all cards will be listed. There is also an icon to the left of the Search Box that will clear the Search Box and list the first line of all cards.

There's an option in the Preferences menu to display the card sequence number in the title bar. This is only a sequence number not a card identifier; if you add or delete a card the sequence numbers for the following cards will change.

Wildcards can be used in a search. A single "?" matches any single character, two "??"s will match any two characters and so on. A "*" matches zero or more occurrences of any character up to a limit of 50 characters. "**" will double the limit to 100 characters and so on. (To search for a literal "?" or "*" use "\?" or "\*" and use "\\" to mach a literal "\".)

To copy an email address or web link to the clipboard simply tap it. It will be highlighted showing exactly what was copied to the clipboard. You can then switch to another app and paste in the text from the clipboard (with a long press). To copy an entire section to the clipboard, tap the first word then tap the last word. The whole section will be highlighted and copied to the clipboard. Additionally, you can enable active links for telephone numbers, email addresses and web links in the Preferences menu. Any text recognized as a phone number, email address or web link will be colored and underlined. If you tap such text Android will attempt to bring up the appropriate app to handle it: phone, email app or web browser.


FILE FORMATS

Two plain text file formats are available in Rdex, ASCII and UTF-8, and one AES-128 encrypted format.

The UTF-8 file format is used for new cardfiles created on an Android device. UTF-8 is able to handle all symbols and characters in all writing systems. Characters will not get confused when shared across different computer systems (e.g. Windows and Android). However, Rdex UTF-8 format is not supported by versions of Rdex for Windows earlier than 1.5.


ENCRYPTION

Rdex supports an AES-128 encrypted file format as of version 1.5.5 for Windows, 2.6.2 for Java and 2.4.17 for Android. A default passphrase option is available. This allows all encrypted files to use the same passphrase stored in the Rdex application data. It is convenient in that encrypted files can be opened without typing in the passphrase. However, it is not very secure. Use it for protecting data files stored in the cloud or backup copies of the data on a flash drive.

For the highest security do not use the default passphrase option. Use an unguessable passphrase specific to the file you are protecting. The level of security is directly related to the length of the passphrase and how easily it can be guessed.

Rdex encryption is not intended for high value data such as bank account numbers and sensitive account login credentials. For these you should use a password safe. Keepass <keepass.info> is a free and popular password safe. A password safe encrypts each entry separately and only decrypts an entry when it is displayed. Rdex must decrypt the entire file so that the file can be searched. It remains decrypted in the memory while you are using it. (This includes when you leave it running in the background after you finish using it. This is the default Android behavior.)

Set or clear the default passphrase using Encryption/Set Default Passphrase. Encrypt a file or change the passphrase using Encryption/Encrypt File. An option to use the default passphrase or type in a specific passphrase is given in the dialog. You can remove encryption by using Encryption/Remove File Encryption. The file will be saved in UTF-8 plain text format.

Be careful using encryption. There is no way to recover a forgotten passphrase. Forget the passphrase and the data is lost. It is a good idea to save a plain text backup copy of the data in a safe place from time to time. File/Save Local Copy can be used to save a plain text backup copy. (It is also useful in the unlikely event of an error while saving an encrypted file.)


If you find any bugs or other undesirable features, please email the author <rdex@pnewman.com>.


LICENSE

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License for more details: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/.

Copyright (C) 2023 Peter Newman
