[Tool]File(1) command for Android (ver 5.11)

samveen · Apr 22, 2012

After wandering around looking for an android build of the file command, I finally went ahead and compiled it myself.

The attached package contains the file binary (v5.11), the libmagic.so shared library, the associated magic files and the build specific files that I needed (over and above the source) to build it. The paths of the files are relative to '/'.

Refs:
source: file website (www_darwinsys_com/file/)
compiling: Native Vim on Android (gdr_geekhood_net/gdrwpl/vim-android.php)

Note: Add the location of libmagic.so to LD_LIBRARY_PATH to get rid of the "CANNOT LINK EXECUTABLE" error. (I use /data/local/lib)

samveen · Apr 24, 2012

Compiled a dynamically linked library and associated binary instead of the monolithic binary built earlier.

royale1223 · May 26, 2012

samveen said:
After wandering around looking for an android build of the file command, I finally went ahead and compiled it myself.

The attached package contains the file binary (v5.11), the libmagic.so shared library, the associated magic files and the build specific files that I needed (over and above the source) to build it. The paths of the files are relative to '/'.

Refs:
source: file website (www_darwinsys_com/file/)
compiling: Native Vim on Android (gdr_geekhood_net/gdrwpl/vim-android.php)

Note: Add the location of libmagic.so to LD_LIBRARY_PATH to get rid of the "CANNOT LINK EXECUTABLE" error. (I use /data/local/lib)

I followed your instructions and it works perfectly.

Code:

$ echo $LD_LIBRARY_PATH
/data/local/lib:/data/local/lib:/data/local/lib:/system/lib:/vendor/lib
$ file
Usage: file [-bchikLlNnprsvz0] [--apple] [--mime-encoding] [--mime-type]
            [-e testname] [-F separator] [-f namefile] [-m magicfiles] file ...
       file -C [-m magicfiles]
       file [--help]
$ getprop  | grep device
[ro.cm.device]: [jordan]
[ro.product.device]: [umts_jordan]

I have been looking for this for a while. Man!! This post needs some serious attention. Great work.

Sent from my MB525 usiIng XDA

osm0sis · Mar 19, 2014

@samveen Any chance you could compile it with libmagic statically linked again to make it portable? Thanks for your time.

samveen · Mar 19, 2014

osm0sis said:
@samveen Any chance you could compile it with libmagic statically linked again to make it portable? Thanks for your time.

@osm0sis Sure. I'll add in a statically linked binary, but it'll take a little time (2-3 days).

Computoncio · Mar 19, 2014

samveen said:
@osm0sis Sure. I'll add in a statically linked binary, but it'll take a little time (2-3 days).

I was just looking for this. Great tool.
Thanks for your work.

osm0sis · Mar 23, 2014

samveen said:
@osm0sis Sure. I'll add in a statically linked binary, but it'll take a little time (2-3 days).

Any luck? I think it only needs libmagic statically linked to be portable; the other NDK/Bionic stuff can probably stay dynamic to keep the filesize down. I see file 5.17 source is available now too if you wanted to update your builds to the latest.

Computoncio · Mar 23, 2014

osm0sis said:
Any luck? I think it only needs libmagic statically linked to be portable; the other NDK/Bionic stuff can probably stay dynamic to keep the filesize down. I see file 5.17 source is available now too if you wanted to update your builds to the latest.

If you want only the system file type, the workaround i use is this (eval $(/sbin/blkid /dev/block/mmcblk0p11 | /sbin/awk ' { print $3 } '); /sbin/busybox echo $TYPE)

In a script just add a var like this

TYPE=$(eval $(/sbin/blkid /dev/block/mmcblk0p11 | /sbin/awk ' { print $3 } '); /sbin/busybox echo $TYPE) and you will have the FS type in $TYPE.

osm0sis · Mar 23, 2014

Computoncio said:
If you want only the system file type, the workaround i use is this (eval $(/sbin/blkid /dev/block/mmcblk0p11 | /sbin/awk ' { print $3 } '); /sbin/busybox echo $TYPE)

In a script just add a var like this

TYPE=$(eval $(/sbin/blkid /dev/block/mmcblk0p11 | /sbin/awk ' { print $3 } '); /sbin/busybox echo $TYPE) and you will have the FS type in $TYPE.

Interesting but nope; I need file to determine a filetype. Compressed archives via a script, to be specific.

samveen · Mar 24, 2014

@osm0sis I got the code compiled (both with a dynamic libmagic.so, and libmagic compiled into file) but I need a little more time to compile the magic data (it requires running file on the target device to compile the magic data into a binary datafile). Once I have that figured out (either by compiling it or by creating a script to allow the users to do it themselves, I'll post it all in one go (need one more day).

osm0sis · Mar 24, 2014

samveen said:
@osm0sis I got the code compiled (both with a dynamic libmagic.so, and libmagic compiled into file) but I need a little more time to compile the magic data (it requires running file on the target device to compile the magic data into a binary datafile). Once I have that figured out (either by compiling it or by creating a script to allow the users to do it themselves, I'll post it all in one go (need one more day).

Awesome! Thanks so much. The magic file isn't terribly important since you can grab one a lot of places and specify it with the -m parameter; keeps the file size down too if you were thinking of including it in the binary somehow!

osm0sis · Mar 31, 2014

Alright. I just wanted to thank you again for your work but I managed to make a static native compile (~440kb) of file-5.17 using my N7 and a kbox build environment I set up. It's available in my ARM Android Image Kitchen linked in my sig. Cheers!

amit.bagaria · Jan 8, 2015

osm0sis said:
Alright. I just wanted to thank you again for your work but I managed to make a static native compile (~440kb) of file-5.17 using my N7 and a kbox build environment I set up. It's available in my ARM Android Image Kitchen linked in my sig. Cheers!

@osm0sis - Can you please share how did you static compile this? I have setup the Ubuntu 13.10 image on Android using Complete Linux Installer (with all the necessary build tools setup).

I am able to compile this, but it's linking the shared library "libmagic.la".

ericlnu · Jan 8, 2015

Need to pass --static to ./configure and have a cross compiler set up, for ARMv7.

amit.bagaria · Jan 8, 2015

ericlnu said:
Need to pass --static to ./configure and have a cross compiler set up, for ARMv7.

I don't think that's a valid option.

Code:

 $ ./configure --static
configure: error: unrecognized option: `--static'
Try `./configure --help' for more information

ericlnu · Jan 8, 2015

amit.bagaria said:
I don't think that's a valid option.

Code:

$ ./configure --static configure: error: unrecognized option: `--static' Try `./configure --help' for more information

Nope, seems not ^_^. Sorry, it usually is with autoconf derived configure scripts.

osm0sis · Jan 8, 2015

amit.bagaria said:
@osm0sis - Can you please share how did you static compile this? I have setup the Ubuntu 13.10 image on Android using Complete Linux Installer (with all the necessary build tools setup).

I am able to compile this, but it's linking the shared library "libmagic.la".

Haven't tried it using a full Linux image on Android, just made it native compile in KBox2 on my N7'13 for awhile by editing in the gettext functions it was complaining about, and have since moved on to cross-compiling on my Windows 7 desktop in Cygwin using the NDK. There were still a few tricks to getting it to be a true static compile. It's all linked in my post here:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=54510825

My latest compile included in my AIK-mobile package is file 5.20. :good:

Restl3ss · Mar 4, 2016

I don't suppose you could do a quick compile with the -fPIE flag? Trying to use this on 5.0 + and don't want to patch my linker.
Tried to compile it myself (it sort-of worked, file --version is operational) but when I try to actually use it for something my terminal borks out and switches to some weird font after about 20 warnings. (configure also seems to be using the -rpath flag apparently, linker complains about it) hmm

EDIT: I've got it working after some trial and error. If anyone requests I'll post it

EDIT 2: android 6.0's linker seems less forgiving than 5.0/5.1, need to compile without -rpath (so no just using ./configure) will keep posted

Harshiv989 · Apr 30, 2016

Can you please post the file binary you built with -pie ?

[Tool]File(1) command for Android (ver 5.11)

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