Android: upgrading DB version and adding new table

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1. About onCreate() and onUpgrade()

onCreate(..) is called whenever the app is freshly installed. onUpgrade is called whenever the app is upgraded and launched and the database version is not the same.

2. Incrementing the db version

You need a constructor like:

MyOpenHelper(Context context) {
   super(context, "dbname", null, 2); // 2 is the database version
}

IMPORTANT: Incrementing the app version alone is not enough for onUpgrade to be called!

3. Don’t forget your new users!

Don’t forget to add

database.execSQL(DATABASE_CREATE_color);

to your onCreate() method as well or newly installed apps will lack the table.

4. How to deal with multiple database changes over time

When you have successive app upgrades, several of which have database upgrades, you want to be sure to check oldVersion:

onUpgrade(SQLiteDatabase db, int oldVersion, int newVersion) {
   switch(oldVersion) {
   case 1:
       db.execSQL(DATABASE_CREATE_color);
       // we want both updates, so no break statement here...
   case 2:
       db.execSQL(DATABASE_CREATE_someothertable); 
   }
}

This way when a user upgrades from version 1 to version 3, they get both updates. When a user upgrades from version 2 to 3, they just get the revision 3 update… After all, you can’t count on 100% of your user base to upgrade each time you release an update. Sometimes they skip an update or 12 🙂

5. Keeping your revision numbers under control while developing

And finally… calling 

adb uninstall <yourpackagename>

totally uninstalls the app. When you install again, you are guaranteed to hit onCreate which keeps you from having to keep incrementing the database version into the stratosphere as you develop…

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