In Android, Intents are objects that are used to communicate between different components of an Android application, such as Activities, Services, and Broadcast Receivers. Intents can be used to start new activities, to launch services, or to send broadcasts to other components. An Intent carries information, in the form of key-value pairs called Extras, which can be used by the receiving component.
An Intent Filter is a set of rules that specifies the type of Intent that a component can receive. An Intent Filter can be used to specify the types of data that a component can receive, such as text, images, or audio files. It can also be used to specify the actions that a component can respond to, such as "view", "send", or "edit". Additionally, an Intent Filter can specify the category of the Intent, such as "default" or "launcher".
When an Intent is sent by an application, the Android system compares the Intent against the Intent Filters of all the components registered with the system. If a component matches the Intent, it is launched and the Intent is delivered to it. If multiple components match the Intent, the user is prompted to choose which component to launch.
Overall, Intents and Intent Filters are a powerful mechanism in Android that allow different components of an application to communicate with each other, as well as with other applications installed on the device.
Android Intents are messaging objects that allow Android components, such as activities, services, and broadcast receivers, to communicate with one another. They facilitate communication between different components of an application, as well as between different applications.
Intent Filters are used to specify the types of Intents that a component can receive. An Intent Filter is a declaration in the Android manifest file that describes the types of Intents that an application or component can respond to. It includes information such as the type of action, data scheme, and category of the Intent.
For example, if an application wants to receive Intents that are sent to open a particular type of file, it would include an Intent Filter in its manifest file that specifies the action "ACTION_VIEW" and the data type "application/pdf". This would allow the application to be launched when a PDF file is opened, either from within the application or from another application.
Intent Filters can also be used to specify that a component can respond to specific categories of Intents, such as those related to browsing the web or taking a photo. This allows different components to handle Intents based on their specific functionality.
In summary, Intents and Intent Filters are powerful tools in the Android platform that enable different components of an application or different applications to communicate with each other seamlessly.