Incorrect default min SDK version ternary in build.gradle

[tombell]

I've been trying to work out why the min SDK was always being set to 19 even when I updated it to 23 every where possible.

I believe I've found an issue here https://github.com/apache/cordova-android/blob/master/bin/templates/project/app/build.gradle#L120 where it's setting the cdvMinSdkVersion to null when it's already null, else if it's not null it's setting it to the default min SDK version, meaning if you ever set a min SDK it will always change it to the default.

I believe the correct line should read:

ext.cdvMinSdkVersion = cdvMinSdkVersion == null ? defaultMinSdkVersion : cdvMinSdkVersion

[tombell]

I also noticed that gradle extensions get injected before these versions are determined, meaning any plugin relying on these sees them as null.

// ...

// PLUGIN GRADLE EXTENSIONS START
apply from: "../cordova-plugin-browsertab/mobile-BrowserTab.gradle"
// PLUGIN GRADLE EXTENSIONS END

def hasBuildExtras = file('build-extras.gradle').exists()
if (hasBuildExtras) {
    apply from: 'build-extras.gradle'
}

// Set property defaults after extension .gradle files.
if (ext.cdvCompileSdkVersion == null) {
    ext.cdvCompileSdkVersion = privateHelpers.getProjectTarget()
    //ext.cdvCompileSdkVersion = project.ext.defaultCompileSdkVersion
}
if (ext.cdvBuildToolsVersion == null) {
    ext.cdvBuildToolsVersion = privateHelpers.findLatestInstalledBuildTools()
    //ext.cdvBuildToolsVersion = project.ext.defaultBuildToolsVersion
}
if (ext.cdvDebugSigningPropertiesFile == null && file('../debug-signing.properties').exists()) {
    ext.cdvDebugSigningPropertiesFile = '../debug-signing.properties'
}
if (ext.cdvReleaseSigningPropertiesFile == null && file('../release-signing.properties').exists()) {
    ext.cdvReleaseSigningPropertiesFile = '../release-signing.properties'
}

// Cast to appropriate types.
ext.cdvBuildMultipleApks = cdvBuildMultipleApks == null ? false : cdvBuildMultipleApks.toBoolean();
ext.cdvVersionCodeForceAbiDigit = cdvVersionCodeForceAbiDigit == null ? false : cdvVersionCodeForceAbiDigit.toBoolean();
ext.cdvMinSdkVersion = cdvMinSdkVersion == null ? defaultMinSdkVersion : cdvMinSdkVersion
ext.cdvVersionCode = cdvVersionCode == null ? null : Integer.parseInt('' + cdvVersionCode)

//...

[DavidWiesner]

This is still an issue in 7.1.2. As workaround you can specify overwrite the defaultMinSdkVersion in a build-extras.gradle file in platform/android/app/

ext.defaultMinSdkVersion = 23

[dpogue]

This was not cherry-picked to the bugfix branch for 7.1.x, it will be included in the next major version.

[DavidWiesner]

@dpogue I did not understand the motivation for not including this in the bugfix branch it is documentented to work like that. So it is clearly a bug. I also add a pull request #551 for the missing type cast