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VetroLog

ADB Device & App Discovery

VetroLog features an intelligent background discovery pipeline that monitors connected Android devices and debuggable applications without user intervention.

🔌 Discovery State Machine

When VetroLog starts, its internal discovery engine runs through an automated 4-stage pipeline:

graph TD
    A[Scanning USB & Emulators] -->|Device Found| B[Scanning Debuggable Apps]
    B -->|App Selected| C[Discovering SQLite Databases]
    C -->|Database Picked| D[Syncing Table Schemas & Row Badges]
    D --> E[Ready for Live Inspection]


    A -->|No Device| F[Helpful Setup Guide & Rescan Button]
    B -->|No Debug Apps| G[Launch Debug App Prompt & Rescan Button]

🎬 Discovery in Action

VetroLog Device & App Discovery Demo

1. Device Detection (scanning_devices)

  • VetroLog queries adb devices -l every 3 seconds in the background.
  • Detects physical phones over USB, wireless ADB (ip:5555), and local emulators (emulator-5554).
  • Extracts readable model names (such as motorola_edge_50 or Pixel_7_Pro_API_34) and hardware transport IDs.

2. App Package Detection (scanning_apps)

  • Automatically scans third-party packages installed on the selected device.
  • Filters strictly for debuggable packages (android:debuggable="true").
  • Uses dumpsys activity activities to identify which app is currently focused in the foreground and marks it with an (Active) tag for instant 1-click selection.

3. Database Discovery (discovering_databases)

  • Executes non-invasive run-as <package> commands inside the app’s private sandbox.
  • Discovers:
    • Standard SQLite databases in databases/
    • Flutter sqflite files in app_flutter/
    • Android XML preferences in shared_prefs/

4. Table Schema Synchronization (loading_schema)

  • Fetches table metadata: column names, SQLite data types (INTEGER, TEXT, REAL, BLOB), primary keys (PK), foreign key relations, and record counts.

📱 Switching Between Multiple Devices

If you have multiple devices connected (e.g. a physical phone and an emulator simultaneously):

  1. Click on the Device Selector in the top header.
  2. Choose your desired device from the list.
  3. VetroLog immediately transitions to the new device and rescans its debuggable packages without restarting the application.

🔄 Graceful Hot-Unplug & Recovery

If you unplug your USB cable while inspecting a database:

  • VetroLog detects device disconnection instantly.
  • The UI transitions into a clean disconnected state with clear guidance.
  • As soon as you plug the device back in, VetroLog automatically restores connection and resyncs your active table.

Next Steps