Rdex for Android

Rdex is available for Android devices. If you use Rdex in conjunction with a cloud storage service you can maintain synchronization between Rdex for Windows, Rdex Java and Android.

Install Rdex 2.4.23 for Android—released April 2023

Google Play privacy policy statement for Rdex.

Download Rdex 2.4.23 for Android
Here's the apk for those who want to install it manually:
Rdex-2-4-23.apk, 101,886 bytes
md5 hash: 98bd477418b01f8ec43fb4e881c548d7

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 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' or Astro File Manager 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 (though you can access it from a PC or laptop via a USB cable). 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 from the About Rdex menu item. Rdex Android supports all Rdex file formats: ASCII, UTF-8, and AES-128 encrypted format. See the file formats page for a description of file formats.

Brief Instructions

To create a new card or edit an existing card, access the edit submenu with "Menu/Edit" and select "New Card" or "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 from the edit submenu using "Delete Card." A new cardfile can be created from the edit submenu 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 database you can select "Read Only Mode" in Menu/Preferences. The edit menu 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. The list icon at the top left of the main screen will list the first line of every card. Select the desired card by tapping it.

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 addreses and web links in Menu/Preferences. 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 dialler, 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. (Details of each file format are discussed in the file formats page.)

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. (Details of the encryption algorithm are discussed in the file formats page.)

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 higest 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 is 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 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 in use. (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.

Rdex 2.4.23 for Android—April 2023

• Fix crash on startup when attempting to open a local file that was deleted.
• Update helpfile for opening files stored in the cloud.
• Update to Android 12.

Rdex 2.4.22 for Android—July 2022

• Add local file access via Android Storage Access Framework to files menu.
• Combine local and private (legacy) files in recent files list.
• Display file name for files from content server.

Rdex 2.4.21 for Android—May 2022

• Fix file browser can select incorrect file if filename starts with non-alphanumeric char.
• Fix options menu rendered in black text on dark background in Android 9.0.
• Add app exit dialog for encrypted files on back button press.

Rdex 2.4.20 for Android—Jan 2022

• Fix problem with corruption of file from content server after deleting a card in Android 10.

Rdex 2.4.19 for Android—Dec 2021

• Restored support for plain text files.
• Updated to Android 11.

Rdex 2.4.18 for Android—Oct 2020

• Improved security of password handling for encrypted files.
• Added an option to open in List View.
• Updated to Android 10.

Rdex 2.4.17 for Android—May 2018

• Added AES-128 encrypted file format.
• Added a Save As menu item to save a backup copy of the file.
• Improved all error messages in file read/write operations.

Rdex 2.4.16 for Android—Jly 2017

• Removed unnecessary menu button.
• Improved icons and layout for buttons.
• Replaced context menu by adding a submenu to the main menu.

Rdex 2.4.15 for Android—Jun 2017

• Added support for content servers—Android 7.0 no longer permits direct file transfer between apps.
• Added support for plain text files.
• Limited the number of entries in the list all cards operation to prevent a possible crash.

Rdex 2.4.14 for Android—Jly 2016

• Fixed excessively large font size in edit card screen.

Rdex 2.4.13 for Android—May 2016

• Sorts list cards view into alphabetic order.
• If list cards view only contains a single card, just show card.
• Fixed trailing star bug in wildcard search.

Rdex 2.4.12 for Android—Jan 2016

• Fixes an issue with the Edit Card window and soft keyboard.
• Adds access to the Edit Menu from the Options Menu.
• Adds a menu button in case it is not provided in the the action bar.

Rdex 2.4.11 for Android—Nov 2015

• Fixes a bug in Rdex 2.4.10 that could cause the app to crash.

New in Rdex 2.4.10 for Android—Aug 2015

• Added a list all cards button.
• Wildcard search: "?" matches any single character, "*" matches zero to 50 occurrences of any character.
• Added an option to display the card number in the titlebar.

New in Rdex 2.4.7 for Android—Dec 2013

• Added current filename to titlebar.
• Support for new UTF-8 file format.

Source Code

Rdex 2.4.23 for Android source code.

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: www.gnu.org/licenses.