Android Application Development Cookbook - Second Edition

Including resource files in your project

Android provides two options for including files in your project: the raw folder and the Assets folder. Which option you use depends on your requirements. To start, we'll give a brief overview of each option to help you decide when to use each option:

• Raw files
  • Included in the resource directory: /res/raw
  • As a resource, accessed through the raw identifier: R.raw.<resource>
  • A good place for storing media files such as MP3, MP4, and OOG files
• Asset files
  • Creates a filesystem compiled in your APK (does NOT provide a resource ID)
  • Access files using their file names, generally making them easier to use with dynamically created names
  • Some APIs do not support a Resource Identifier and therefore require including as an ...