Viewing text file without extension in Android app?

Question

I have thousands of text files with notes that I would like to be able to view on my Android phone. Most of them don't have an extension. Many of them are simply called README. As far as I understand it, the Dropbox App, being rather basic, is still lacking the functionality to view these files. However, there is the possibility to open files with 3rd party apps, and I found one that can open text files. It’s a Vim clone for Android and rather cumbersome to use. I am looking for a simpler solution, and just for viewing. I don't want to edit files.

Is there a simple 3rd party text file viewer that I can use to view files in my Dropbox on Android?

feklee · Answer

Thanks for the suggestion! But I don't want to change the extension of files just to get around limitations in Dropbox. That would be a terrible idea as it would break many things. I understand that the Dropbox app is just a last resort if one doesn't have a PC around, so no surprise that it's missing important features.

What feature does a text viewing app need to have so that it integrates with Dropbox? (technical explanation welcome, I'm a dev)

The VIM clone I mentioned earlier must be DroidVim. It is the only 3rd party app so far that I can use to view text files from the Dropbox app, but it's cumbersome. I wonder what other text viewers are missing. They are not visible when selecting "Open with..." from within the Dropbox app.

Walter · Answer

Hi @feklee; how are you today?

It's true that the mobile app won't be able to preview a file without extension at this moment and while I won't be able to suggest a 3rd party app for this, I'll leave this thread open in the hopes that a similar minded user has more to offer.

Also, note that we have a dedicated area if you'd like to share your ideas, feature requests and/or suggestions and you could post your ideas there so other users can chime in and upvote them as well to show their interest.

In the meantime -and as you probably know- you can edit the files to append them with an extension our mobile app can handle and/or try a 3rd party app/service that was made for that specific reason, i.e. previewing extensionless text files.

I know it's not the answer you were looking for, however, I hope it helps to some extent.