an auxiliary android shell script that keeps your Apps "staying" on your SD card after an update

psd

#!/system/bin/sh

# What is this?
#  PSD (Pin to the SD card), is an auxiliary script that keeps your Apps "staying" on your SD card.
#  "staying" is quoted because what it actually do is moving your app back to the SD card again after an update.

# Why?
#  a. Since Android Lollipop, the apps you moved to the SD card will back to internal storage after an update.
#  b. My phone has a small internal storage and running Android Lollipop.
#  c. I am not going to buy another phone or downgrade to Kitkat.
#  d. The internal storage can't hold all my apps.
#  combination of a,b,c,d,e is the reason why.

# How to use?
#  I just mention one way to use, my way. There are many other ways out there for it is just a shell script.
#  What you need: the "terminal" app, that's it.
#  Let me assume you put your script at /sdcard/psd
#  0x0.
#   you have to move your apps to the SD card manually the very first time.
#  0x1. (backup)
#   run the command below in Terminal.
#   # sh /sdcard/psd d
#   this creates a file that contains all names of which need to be moved. 
#   consider it a screenshot.
#  0x2. (restore)
#   run the command below in Terminal.
#   # sh /sdcard/psd l
#   move the apps to the sdcard according to the file that 0x1 creates
#  0x3.
#   it is up to you when to backup and restore
#
# !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IMPORTANT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
# This script is tested ONLY on my phone, use at your own risk.
# 
# See Copyright Notice at the end of this file


# the file that contains all your apps on the sdcard
db=/sdcard/psd_db

psddump(){
    echo "[*] dumping..."
    # do a backup, just in case
    mv "$db" "$db.old"

    touch "$db" || echo "[!] failed to create db"
    test -f "$db" || exit 1

    # for all apps:
    for i in $(pm list packages)
    do
        #check if it is on the sdcard
        pm path ${i:8}|grep mnt >/dev/null || continue

        echo "[*] adding ${i:8} ..."
        echo ${i:8} >> "$db"
    done
    echo "[*] finished"
    exit 0
}

psdload(){
    echo "[*] loading"

    # make sure we can read
    cat "$db" 2>&1 >/dev/null || exit 1

    # for each app listed in the file:
    for p in $(cat "$db")
    do
        # get the app's path if it is not already on the sdcard
        pkgpath=$(pm path $p|grep -v mnt)

        # cannot get the path , could be uninstalled or unnecessary to be moved
        # simply skip for either reason
        test -z "$pkgpath" && continue

        echo "[*] moving $p to sdcard..."
        pm install -rs -i "$p" "${pkgpath:8}" > /dev/null
    done
    echo "[*] finished"
}
case "$1" in
d)
  psddump
  ;;
l)
  psdload
  ;;
*)
  echo "Move your apps back to the sdcard after update."
  echo "usage: "
  echo " $0 l : move the apps back according to the dump file"
  echo " $0 d : dump all your now-on-sdcard apps to file(so that we know what to be move back)"
esac

# Copyright (c) 2016 dkw72n

# Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
# of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
# in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
# to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
# copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
# furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

# The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
# copies or substantial portions of the Software.

# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
# EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
# MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.
# IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM,
# DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR
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# OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.