Android Beginner Tutorial Pt 1

10/9/2015
AndroidTutorialforBeginners:Part1RayWenderlich
Android Tutorial for Beginners: Part 1

DarrylBayliss onNovember10,2014
Updatenote:Thistutorialwasupdatedforthelatestversionof
AndroidStudiobyDarrylBayliss.OriginaltutorialbyMattLuedke.
ButwhendoestheAndroidversioncomeout?
ThefirstblogcommentafteranyiOSappgetsannounced.
ClearlytheresademandforAndroidappdevelopment,andits
turningtheplatformwiththelovablegreenmascotintomoreand
moreofastrongfirstchoiceratherthanjustasecondaryoptionto
iOS.
Withoveronebilliondevicesactivated,Androidisanexcitingspace
tomakeappstohelpyoucommunicate,organize,educate,entertain
oranythingelseyourepassionateabout.
Ifthatsnotenough,hereareafewmorereasonstolearnAndroid:
Youllbepluggedintotheopensourceplatformwith(atthe
timeofpress)thelargestmarketshareofsmartdevices
worldwide.
Androidspoliciesondeviceprovisioningandappsubmission
aremoreopenthanApples,meaningthatonceyoucomplete
yourfirstappasyoulldointhistutorialyouandyour
friendscanenjoyitonyourdevicesrightaway!
IfyouhaveexperiencedevelopingforiOS,youcanbecome
wellversedinthewaysthatthetwoplatformscoincideanddiffer(welldiscussafewinthistutorial)andwhatyou
likeabouteach.Thenyoullhavemoretoolsatyourdisposalforyournextmobileproject.
ItsnotjusttheiPhoneanymore.Therearesomanysmartphones,tablets,glasses,andwatchesoutthere,coming
fromsomanymanufacturers,andtheyrealltryingtojumpintothegame.Youdonthavetobeanysortofmarket
analysttoknowthatthereareafewimportantplatformsandAndroidisoneofthem.
Soifyouvebeenintenton,thinkingabout,orsimplyplayingwiththeideaoflearningAndroidMakeYourFirstAndroid
Appisthetutorialseriesforyou!
http://www.raywenderlich.com/78574/androidtutorialforbeginnerspart1
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Therearentanyprerequisitestostart.YoulllearnhowtosetupallthetoolsyouneedtobecomeanAndroiddeveloper
intraining.ThenyoullputtogetheryourownfullfledgedAndroidappfromscratch!Thisappwill,whencompleted,help
yougetdetailsaboutabookyoureinterestedinusingonlinesearchsources.
BytheendofPartThreeofthisseries,yourappwillincludeusefulfeatureslike:
Savingappdatalocallyonthephone.
Loadingandinteractingwithadynamiclistofdata.
Accessinganonlinedatasource.
Sharinglinksthroughsocialnetworks.
Android,andseveralpopularframeworksforit,makeallofthesefeaturesreallysimpletoimplement.Whynotstart
learningthiseasyandpowerfulplatformforyourself,today?
Getting Started
HowdoesAndroiddevelopmentgodown?First,thezoomedoutbasics:
YoullwriteyourprogrammingwhatyouwantyourapptodoinJavafilesanddesignyourlayoutshowyou
wantyourapptolookinXMLfiles.
Onceyourappisready,youlluseabuildtooltocompilealltheprojectfilesandpackagethemtogetherintoa
.apkfilethatyoucanrunonAndroiddevicesand/orsubmittoGooglePlay.
AllofthefilesyouusedtoputyourapptogetheraremanagedbyanIntegratedDevelopmentEnvironment(IDE).
TheIDEistheprogramyouwillopentoedityourcodefilesandtomanageyourprojects.
ThestandardIDEforAndroidusedtobeEclipse,butthisisnowbeingreplacedbyGooglesownAndroidStudio.
Ifyouzoomin(metaphorically),youllfindmoreindepthprocessesgoingonbehindthescenesduringalloftheabove
steps.Forexample,advanceduserswillwanttoinvestigatetheroleoftheDalvikVirtualMachineanditsnew
replacement,ART.
Butfornow,letsmoveon.Hereswhatyouregoingtoaccomplishinthispartofthetutorial:
1. DownloadandinstallAndroidStudio.
2. Setuptestingondevicesandemulators.
3. CreateasimpleHelloWorld!Androidappthatprintstoyourdevicesscreen.
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4. Makesmalleditstotheappsoitcancongratulateyoubyname.
Inthesecondpartofthistutorial,youllmakeanappthatrecordsamessageyoutype,addsittoalist,savesitinmemory
andsharesitwithfriends.Alongtheway,youlllearnhowtoaddandconfigurevariousUIelementssuchas
ImageViews,Buttons,ListViews,andEditTextcontrols.
Finally,thethirdpartwillcoverhowtomakeanapptosearchanonlinedatabaseofbooks,displayandsharethecover
imagesofthesearchresults,andnavigatebetweenthedifferentscreensofyournewapp!
Installing Android Studio

Itsreallytemptingtojumpin,startwritingcoderightawayandfigureoutthevariousAndroidfeaturesasquicklyas
possible.Andyouwillgettheresoon!Butoneofthemostimportantpartsofgettingstartedwithanewplatformissetting
upyourenvironment.
Especiallyforbeginners,itsimportanttotakeyourtimehereandfolloweachstepmethodically.Evenifyoufollowthe
stepsperfectly,youmayhavetotroubleshootsomesmallissue,dependingonyoursystemconfigurationorproduct
versions.
ItsimportanttonotletanyroadblockspreventyoufromyourultimategoaloflearningAndroid.Evenseasoned
professionalshavebeenknowntohavesometroublewiththenewAndroidStudio.
Note:Justasmuchasyouretraininginprogrammingsyntaxandframeworks,itsimportanttotrainyourselfto
haveasuccessfulprogrammingmindsetonethatwontacceptfileXnotfoundasafinalanswer.90%of
thismindsetissimplytrainingyourselftokeeptryingtillyoufindasolution.
Withallofthisinmind,letsquicklycheckthatyouhavetheJavaDevelopmentKit(JDK)installed.Youmightalready,
evenifyoudontknowforsure.
Tocheck,youllusetheTerminal.IfyoureunfamiliarwiththeTerminal,youmaywanttoreadagoodintroductory
tutorialaboutworkingwiththeTerminal.
Inanutshell,yourTerminalislikelookingunderyourcarshood.Itshowyoureallygettoknowthemachinefaceto
face,withoutanycomplexgraphicalinterfaceinthemiddle.YoucanfindtheTerminalappquiteeasilyonaMacusing
Spotlight.SearchforterminalandclickthetophittorunTerminal.
OnceyouhavetheTerminalopen,typeinjavaversion.Youshouldseesomeoutputthatmentionsaversion
number,likebelow.
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IfyoudonthavetheJDKinstalled,yourTerminalwilltellyoucommandnotfound.Ifthatsthecase,youshould
downloadtheJDKfromOracle.
Whenready,headovertotheAndroidStudiopageandclickthebiggreenbuttontodownloadthecorrectversionfor
yourOperatingSystem.
Googleisconstantlyupdatingthispage,sotheversionyouseemaybenewerthanthescreenshotabove.Onceyou
haveclickedthebuttonyoullbeaskedtoagreetotheTermsandConditions:
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Afterreadingthesecarefully(asyoualwaysdo)accepttheTermsandConditionsandclickthebluebuttonunderneath
titledDownloadAndroidStudio.Yourdownloadwillfinallybegin.Itmaytakeafewminutesbutoncefinishedyoucan
installAndroidStudiosimilartoanyotherprogram.
ThedownloadpagewillhelpfullyredirecttoawebpagethatcontainsinstallationinstructionsforOSX,Windowsand
LinuxOperatingSystems.Ifforsomereasontheinstructionsdontappearthenyoucanalsoviewthemhere.
NowthatyouveinstalledStudio,letsfireitup!LaunchAndroidStudio.
OnceAndroidStudiohasfinishedloading,youllbegreetedwiththeSetupWizardthefirsttimeStudioloads.
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ClickNexttomovetothenextscreen.Thisscreenwillaskwhattypeofsetupyouwouldlike.MakesureStandardis
checkedandclickNextagaintomovetothenextscreentoacceptsomelicensesforcomponentsthatwillbeinstalled
onyourcomputer.
AccepttheseandclickNextonelasttimetobegindownloadingtheextracomponentsyouwillneed.
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AfterafewminutesyouwillhaveeverythingyouneedtobeginbuildingfantasticAndroidAppsandwillmovetothe
welcomescreen.
EventhoughyoujustdownloadedAndroidStudio,youmightnotactuallyhavethelatestversion.Rightaway,youneed
tochecktoseeifanyupdatesareavailableandifnecessary,followanyinstructionstogetthelatestversion.Youcan
checkwhetheranyupdatesareavailablebyclickingcheckforupdatesatthebottomofthewelcomescreen.
Ifanupdateisavailableyouwillhaveawindowlikethisappear:
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Whenyouseethisscreen.AlwayschooseUpdateandRestart.Insomecases,youmayneedtodownloadthefull
installerinthatcaseyouwillseeaDownloadbuttonthatwilltakeyoutoinstructionsforinstalling.
Great!Asallprogrammersinthemoviessaywhentheyaresuccessfullygreetedwithanewinterface:Werein!
Optional/Advanced: Moving from Eclipse

YoucanskiptothenextsectionifyouarenewtoAndroiddevelopment.
AndroidStudioisanewIDEthatGoogleisconstantlyupdating.IfyouarealreadyinvolvedinAndroiddevelopment,you
areprobablyusingEclipse.Forthetransition,theAndroidteamhasputtogetherahelpfulguideonhowtomovefrom
EclipsetoStudio.
Theprocesscanstillbealittlebumpy,evenforadvancedusers,sothebestadviceIcanofferonthatfrontistomake
surethatyourversionofGradleisuptodate,aswellasyourversionsoftheAndroidPlatformToolsandStudioitself.
ItsalsoimportanttocheckthePATHofyourAndroidsoftwaredevelopmentkit(SDK)whenswitchingtoStudio.
Otherwise,StudiomaynotbeabletofindtherightAndroidSDKorBuildTools!
The Android SDK Manager

EachversionofAndroidhasitsownSDKyoucanusetobuildappsthatcanrunon.AspartoftheSetupWizardyouwill
alreadyhavethelatestSDKavailabletoyou,howeveritsusefultoknowhowtoinstalladditionalSDKsifyouneedto
workwitholderdevicesthatdonotrunthelatestversionofAndroid.
SDKsallowyoutocreateAVDs(AndroidVirtualDevices)totestyourAppson,customizedtoyourpersonal
configuration.WanttoseehowyourAndroidApplooksonaTVsizedscreen?Ifyouhaveascreenbigenoughyoucan
findout.MoreonAVDslater.
Letsgettoit.FromtheAndroidStudiowelcomescreen,clickConfigure.
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Themenuwillslideacrossandpresentanewmenuwithvariousoptions.TheoptionyouwantistheSDKManager.
ThisisthegotoplaceifyouneedtodownloadaspecificversionofAndroidtodeveloportestyourappon.Italso
containsotherusefulthingssuchasAPIdocumentation,versionspecificcodesamplesandevenpreviewsofsoftware
kitsthatinteractwithAndroidsuchasAndroidWearandGoogleGlass.
FornowletsfocusondownloadingaversionoftheAndroidSDK.ClicktheSDKManageroption,anewwindowwill
presentitselftoyouwithcheckboxes,foldersandstatusesacrossthepage.
Letsmakesomesenseofthis.Eachfolderisadirectoryoftools,softwareanddocumentation.Themajorityofdirectories
arespecifictoanSDKversionofAndroidbuttherearesomethatcatertomultipleversions.Thefirstfolderforexample,
entitledTools,isafolderthatcontainscomponentsthataredesignedtoassistinthedevelopmentofAndroidandwork
acrossmultipleSDKs.
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TheAndroid5.0(API21)directoryontheotherhandholdseverythingspecifictothatversionoftheAndroidSDK.
IncludingsamplecodefornewfeatureswithintheSDK,APIdocumentationandsystemimagesyoucanusetosimulate
acertainmobilearchitectureusinganAVD.
Ifyoudontunderstandwhatallthismeansthendontworry,justthinkofeachfolderasaplacewhereeachversionof
Androidandtheirtoolslivehappily.FromthelatestpreviewversionrightdowntotheoriginalAndroidBeta(API2).
YoushouldalreadyhavethelatestversionoftheAndroidSDKTools,AndroidSDKPlatformtoolsandAndroidSDK
Buildtoolsdownloadedfromthetoolsdirectory.Ifanupdateforanyofthesetoolsisavailablethenthecheckboxnextto
thetoolwillautomaticallybeticked,alongsideapolitemessageintheStatuscolumnofthewindowtellingyouwhatthe
latestversionis.
FornowletsdownloadthepreviousversionofAndroid,thatbeingAndroid4.4.2(API19).
ClickthetickboxnexttothefoldericonforAndroid4.4.2,thiswillselecteverythingwithinthatdirectoryfordownload.
YoucanalwayscomebacktotheSDKManagertodeleteanythingyoudontuse.
Important:ItsalwayworthopeningtheSDKManagereverytimeyoustartAndroidStudiotoseeifthereisany
updatestoanytoolsorSDKsyouhaveinstalled.Thisensuresyougetaccesstothelatestfeaturesinyour
alongsideanyfixesfornastybugs.
YourSDKManagerwindowshouldlooksomethinglikethis:
ClickInstallxpackages(xbeingtheamountofpackagescheckedfordownload)onthebottomrightoftheSDK
Manager.Anewwindowwillappearwithadropdownlistofthepackagesyouwishtoinstall,simplyclicktherootofthe
dropdownlistandthenclicktheAcceptLicenseradiobuttoninthebottomright.
Youmayneedtodothisformultiplelicensesdependingonwhatpackagesyoudownload.
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Finally,clicktheinstallbuttonattheverybottomrightofthewindowtobeginyourdownload.
ThewindowwilldisappearandtheSDKManagerwillbegintodownloadandinstallyourselecteditems.Gograbadrink
andtakeinwhatyouvejustdonewhilsttheSDKManageristickingaway.Thiswillbecomearegulartaskthatyouneed
togetaccustomedtosoyoucanquicklyacquireandupdatethevariousSDKsyouwanttoworkwith.
OncetheSDKManagerhasfinisheddownloadingandinstallingyouritemsyoucanmoveontocreatingyourfirst
AndroidApp!
Creating OMG Android

Itstime.Letsmakeyourfirstproject.
Youllstartsimple.ManyfirstprogramsarecalledHelloWorld.Letsfollowthattraditionandthenmakeafewsmall
editssothattheappusesyournametogreetyou.Bytheend,youllbeabletoloadyournewappontoadeviceand
showittoyourfriends!
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AndroidStudiohasanicelittlestepbysteptooltohelpyoumakeyourproject.ClickStartanewAndroidStudio
ProjectfromtheWelcometoAndroidStudioscreen:
Note:IfyoucurrentlyhaveanAndroidStudioprojectopenandtheWelcomescreenisntshowing,selectFile\New
Projectfromthemenutocreateanewproject.
Studiowillpresentyouwithyourfirstprojectcreationscreen:
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EnterOMGAndroidinApplicationnameasshownabove.FeelfreetoputyourownnameintheCompanyDomain
textfield.Asyoutype,youllnoticethePackageNamewillautomaticallychangetocreateareversedomainstylename
basedonyourApplicationnameandCompanyDomain.
ThePackageNameisusedtouniquelyidentifyyourappamongstotherapps,thatwayanyworkanAndroiddevicehas
tobeperformonbehalfoftheappalwaysknowsitssourceandcantgetconfusedbetweentwoapps.iOSdevelopers
willrecognizethisconceptasbeingsimilartotheBundleIdentifier.
YoucansettheProjectlocationtoanylocationonyourharddriveyoudonotneedtofollowthescreenshotforthat
one:]
ClickNextatthebottomofthewindowtoprogresstothenextpartoftheprojectsetup.
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Thenextscreeniswhereyouselectdevicetypesandoperatingsystemstotarget.WantanApptofocusonjustPhone
andTablet?Notaproblem!HowaboutanAppforTVandGoogleGlass?Thatsgreattoo.Fornowthoughyoujustwant
anAppthatworksonanAndroidPhone.Thisoptionisselectedasthedefault,alongsidethedefaultMinimumSDK.
TheMinimumSDKdropdownmenusetstheminimumversionofAndroidneededtorunyourapp.Selectingthisvalue
foryourownprojectsisamatterofbalancingtheSDKcapabilitiesyouwantandthedevicesyouwanttosupport.
Foryourfirstapp,youllusethedefaultAPI16,whichisAndroid4.1(JellyBean).Everyappwillhavedifferent
requirementsandyoumaywanttochoosesomethingelse,dependingonthesituation.
IfyoureallywanttogetintothedetailsofwhatMinimumSDKversionisbestforyourAppthenAndroidStudiocanhelp
youout.AsyouchangetheMinimumSDKinthedropdownmenu,thepercentageinthetextunderneathreflectswhat
percentageofdevicescurrentlyrunthatversionofAndroid.
Ifyouaremoreaboutfeaturesthannumbers,AndroidStudiohasgotyourbacktoo.ClickthehighlightedHelpme
chooseunderneaththedropdownlisttodisplayausefulnewwindow.
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Whatyouarelookingatisabarchart,splitbytheamountsofdevicesrunningaspecificversionofAndroid.Clickonany
partofthebarandthetexttotherightwillchange,tellingyouthemostsignificantfeaturesoftheAndroidVersionthat
partofthebarrepresents.UsefulifyouneedaquickoverviewofwhateachversionofAndroidprovidesforyourApp.
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TakenoteoftheCumulativeDistributionvaluesontherightofthebar.Thisrepresentsthepercentageofdevices
supportingthatparticularversionofAndroidwhichincludesbackwardscompatibility.Asyoudescenddownthebar,
theversionofAndroidincreasesandyougainmorefeaturesthatyourAppcanmakeuseof.Thedownsidetothisisthe
amountofdevicesthatcanactuallyrunyourAppisreduced.
PickingwhatMinimumSDKyourAppwillrequireisacrucialchoice.Itwillinfluencewhatfeaturesyouhaveavailableto
youinyourprojectwhilealsoinfluencinghowmanyAndroiduserscanrunyourApp.Choosewisely!
FormoreinformationonAPIversionsandtheiruse,checkouttheAndroidDashboards,whichareupdatedeveryfew
days.
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Gettingbacktothenewprojectwindow,clickNextinthebottomrighttopickmoreoptionsforyourproject.
ThisscreenletsyouchooseadefaultActivityforyourapp.ThinkofanActivityasawindowwithinyourAppthat
displayscontenttheusercaninteractwithnotunlikeaViewControlleriniOS.Anactivitycantakeuptheentirescreen
oritcouldbeasimplepopup.
AvailableactivitiesonthistemplaterangefromablankactivitywithanActionBarrightuptoanActivitywithaMapView
embedded.Youwillbemakingalotofactivities,soitsgoodtogetaccustomedwiththem.
SelecttheBlankActivityoptionandclickNext.
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Ifyouhavemadeitthisfarthenwelldone,youareatthefinalscreenbeforeyoudigintosomeactualcoding.Tospeed
thispartupalittlebityouwillusetheprepopulateddefaultvalues,butwhatisactuallydonewiththesevalues?
ActivityName.ThiswillgiveyourActivityanametorefertoincode.Oncetheprojectsetupiscomplete
AndroidStudiowillcreatea.javaclassandusethecontentsofthistextfieldtogivetheclassaname.Thisisthe
nameyouwillusetorefertoyourActivityinsideyourcode.
Note:WhatitsactuallydoingismakingasubclassofActivity.Thosefamiliarwithobjectoriented
programmingwillknowwhatthisis,butfornewcomers,thisbasicallymeansthatyourMainActivityis
goingtobeacustomizedversionofActivitythatactsjustlikethedefaultone,handlingthingslikeits
lifecycleandtheuserinterfacedisplay.
LayoutName.YouregoingtodefineyourActivityinJava,butthelayoutofeverythingitwillshowtotheuseris
definedinaspecialsortofAndroidXML.Youwilllearnhowtoreadandeditthosefilesshortly.
ClickFinish.AndroidStudiotakesthisasitscuetogodoabunchofbehindthescenesoperationsandcreateyour
project.Asitshootsoutsomedescriptionsofwhatitsdoingfromtimetotime,youmaynoticeitsaysomethinglikethe
following:
Youseeyourprojectname,whichisfamiliar.ButthenthereisthisGradleword,andthenamentionofMaveninthe
URL.ThebenefitofhavingamodernIDElikeAndroidStudioisthatithandlesalotforyou.Butasyourejustbeginning
tolearnhowtousethesoftware,itsgoodtoknow,ingeneral,whatitsdoingforyou.
Gradleisanewbuildtoolthatiseasytouse,butitalsocontainsalotofadvancedoptionsifyouinvestigateit
further.IttakesyourJavacodeandXMLlayouts,andthenusesthelatestAndroidbuildtoolstocreatetheapp
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packagefile,knownasanAPKfile.Youcancustomizeyourconfigurationstohavedevelopmentorproduction
versionsoftheappthatbehavedifferently,oradddependenciesforthirdpartylibraries.
Mavenisanotherprojectbuildtool,anditcanalsorefertotheMavenCentralrepositoryofjavalibraries.Itis
absurdlyeasytouseGradleandMavenCentralinconcertwithAndroidStudiotoincorporateallsortsof
functionalityfromtheAndroiddevelopmentcommunity.ThosewithaniOSbackgroundwillknowhowcoolthissort
ofthingcanbefromusingtheCocoaPodstool.YoulllearnmoreaboutMaveninPartThreeofthetutorial.
Afterabriefmoment,AndroidStudiowillfinishbuildingyourproject.Theprojectisprettyempty,ofcourse,butitstillhas
everythingitneedsalreadysetupsothatitcanbelaunchedonanAndroiddeviceoremulator.Youwillbedroppedoff
inthisspot:
AndroidStudiowillcontainthreewindows.Totheleftyouhaveyourprojectfolderstructure,themiddlecontainsa
previewofyourlayoutonaNexus5deviceandfinallytherightshowsyourlayouthierarchyaswellasattributesifyou
haveapartofyourlayouthierarchyselected.Beforeyougetintoanyprogramming,letstalkabouthowyouregoingto
getthisapprunning.ItstimetosayHelloworld!
Running on an Emulator or Device

Allright:YouvegotAndroidStudioandyouvecreatedanapp.Sohowdoyourunit?
IfyouhaveaphysicalAndroiddeviceavailable,youlllearnhowtousethatsoon.Butforthosewithoutone,youalso
havethechoicetorunyourApponanemulator.
AndroidStudiocomesfreewiththeabilitytosetupasoftwarebasedAndroiddeviceonyourcomputerandrunappson
it,browsewebsites,debugandeverythingyouwouldexpect.ThiscapabilityisknownastheAndroidEmulator.
Youcansetupmultipleemulatorsandsetthescreensizeandplatformversionforeachonetowhateveryoulike.Thisis
great,aswiththediversityoftheAndroidplatform,youdotherwiseneedalargeamountofdevicesfortesting.
Ifyouranthroughthesetupwizardearlierusingthestandardinstallationthenyouwillalreadyhaveanemulatorsetup
andreadyforyoutouse.MakinguseofsomeusefulsoftwaredevelopedbyInteltoensureyouremulatorrunsquicklyfor
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yourtestingneeds.
Upuntilrecently,yourcomputerwouldhavetoemulateeverythinganAndroiddevicewouldtrytodo.Everythingdown
toitshardwarewhichrunsusinganARMbasedprocessor.Mostcomputersthesedaysmakeuseofx86based
processors,whichmeansyourcomputerwouldbedoingcomputationallyintensetasksthattakeasignificantamountof
timejusttotestyourApp.
Youstillhavetheoptiontodothisifyouwanttocreateanemulatorthatisasclosetoanactualdeviceasyoucan,butbe
awarethattheinitialloadtimeshaveputoffmanyanAndroidDeveloperusingtheemulatoralltogether.
Allofthatbeingsaidletssetupanemulatoranyway,becauseyouregoingtoneedtoknowhow!
ClickAVDManager.ItsthebuttoninthetoolbarthathasanAndroidpoppingitsheadupnexttoadevicewithapurple
display.
Asyouwillsee.AndroidStudiohasalreadycreatedanAVDforyoutouse.Youllseeafewdetailsaboutit,notablywhat
typeofemulatoritis,whatAPIitisusingandwhatCPUinstructionsetituses.
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LetsrunthroughcreatinganewAVD.ClickCreateVirtualDeviceinthebottomlefttobeginconfiguringanewvirtual
device.
Thefirstdecisionyouneedtomakeiswhattypeofdeviceyouwanttoemulate.TheCategorylisttotheleftshowsallthe
typesofdeviceyoucanemulate.Clickingeachoptionshowsyouwhattypeofdevicesareavailabletoyouinthat
category.FornowyoujustwanttoemulateaphonesizeddevicebutifyouwantedtoemulateanAndroidWearwatchor
anAndroidTVthenyouhaveoptionstodosohere.
SelectNexusSinthelistofdevicesavailabletoyoufromthephonecategoryandclickNext.
YournextdecisionistodecidewhatversionofAndroidyouwantyourvirtualdevicetorun.Youwillalreadyhaveoneor
twoavailabletoyouthankstothesetupwizard,soletsuseoneofthem.
SelectLollipopandmakesuretheoneselectedhasthevaluex86intheABIcolumn.Wewanttheemulatortobe
runningasfastaspossibleonourx86computers.:)
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ClickNextoncethisisdonetomovetothefinalscreen.Thelastscreenissimplyaconfirmationofyourpreviouschoices
withtheoptiontoconfiguresomeotherpropertiesofyourdevicesuchasdevicename,startuporientation,andRAM
size.FornowleavethesesetastheirdefaultsandclickFinish
Congratulations!Withrelativeeaseyouvejustcreatedafreshvirtualdevicereadyforusetotestoutyournewapp.
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Now,closetheAVDManagertogobacktoAndroidStudiosmainview.Nowthatyouveconfiguredeverything,theres
butonestepleft
ClicktheRunbutton.Itlookslikeaplayicon.
Anewwindowwillappear,askingyoutochoosethedeviceyouwishtotestyourAppon.Youcurrentlyhavenodevices
running,soletsstarttheAVDyoujustcreated.EnsuretheLaunchEmulatorradiobuttonischeckedandyourAVDis
selectedinthedropdownmenu,thenclickOK.
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Note:IfyougetanerrorthatsaysThisAVDsconfigurationismissingakernelfile!!,checktomakesurethatyou
donthavetheANDROID_SDK_ROOTenvironmentvariablesetfromapreviousinstallationoftheAndroidSDK.
Seethisthreadformoretroubleshootingtips.
Youmayhavetowaitawhileastheemulatorloads,andyoumayevenneedtotryitmorethanoncefortheemulatorto
getitright,butonceitsready,youshouldseesomethinglikethis:
Congratulations!YoumadeyourfirstAndroidapp!
AndroidAppsusedtobesomethingyouonlyinteractedwithontheconsumerside,butnowyoureacreator.Theres
powerandpossibilityinthat.Itsworthtakingamomenttothinkaboutwhereyoumightwanttogowiththisnewfound
ability.
Whenyoureready,youneedtorevisitsomethingIquicklyglossedoverearliertestingondevices.
Navigating the Android Candy Store

OneofAndroidsadvantages,thediversityofdevicesthatcanruntheplatform,isalsoamajorcomplicationfor
developers.Youhavetoconsiderjustabouteverything,suchastheitemsonthefollowingnonexhaustivelist,tobe
variable:
Screensizes,bothphysicallyandintermsofpixels
Processorspeed
Screendensity,orthenumberofpixelspermm
Theratioofthescreenwidthtothescreenheight
Thenumberofsimultaneoustouchesthetouchscreencanregister
Thequantityandpositioning(frontvs.back)ofcameras
Bluetoothcapabilities
Platformandsoftwareversions
IfyouwanttomakeanAppthatwillrunonahundreddifferentdevices,howcanyoutellifitsgoingtowork?Well,there
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aresixmainstrategiesIcanrecommend:
1. Naildownyourtarget
2. Filteryourmanifest
3. CheckAndroidsbestpractices
4. Emulate
5. Pickatleastonerepresentativedevice
6. Fakeotherscreensonyourdevice
Letsgothroughthemonebyone.
1. Nail down your target

DoesyourApphavesomespecific,indispensablehardwareorsoftwarerequirement?Whataboutnicetohaves?Take
stockofdeviceneedsearly,sothatifyourAppiscamerabased,orcommunicateswithaspecificproductthrough
Bluetooth,yourereadytotargetyourApptodeviceswiththosecapabilities.
ChecktheoftenupdatedAndroidDashboardstoseetheprevalenceofplatformversionsaswellasscreensizesand
densities.Youcansee,forexample,thatyourchoiceinthistutorialtoonlysupportIceCreamSandwichandhigherwill
loseyoujustoveraquarterofAndroidusers.Itsareasonablesacrificeinyourcase.
2. Filter your manifest

OnceyouvedeterminedyourAppsrequirements,youneedtoletAndroidknowaboutthem.Thatway,theGooglePlay
StorecankeepnoncompatibledevicesfrompurchasingyourApp.
Thiswillsaveyoualotoffrustrationandpoorreviewsfromuserswhomighthavedownloadedyourapp,onlytofinda
strangeerrorawaitingthem.Itwont,however,absolveyoufromcommunicatinginanymarketingmaterialsthelistof
devicesyourusersshouldexpecttobeabletorunyourAppon.
Thedevicefeaturesyouneedshouldbelistedinafile.Thisfile,availableineveryproject,iscalledtheAndroidManifest.
ThisisanXMLfilethatcontainsallthehighlevelinfoaboutyourApp.RememberwhenyouchoseAPI15:IceCream
SandwichastheminimumSDKwhenyoucreatedtheOMGAndroidproject?Thatchoiceneedstobereflectedinyour
AndroidManifest.
FindyourAndroidManifest.xmlfileontheleftsideoftheAndroidStudiowindow,likelyunderapp/manifests,and
doubleclickittoopenitup.Youwillseeafewelementscontainvalues,butnothingthatlookslikeitdetermineswhat
SDKisusedinyourApp.Thatsfine,letsjustadditin.AddthefollowingtoyourAndroidManifestabovetheapplication
XMLtag.
<uses-sdk
android:targetSdkVersion="21"
android:minSdkVersion="16" />
Lookinggood.YouvejusttoldyourAndroidAppwhatversionofAndroiditistargetingandwhattheminimumversiona
deviceneedstorunit.Orhaveyou?MouseyourcursoroveryournewlyaddedXMLandyoushouldreceivethe
followingmessage.
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Asthemessagepolitelytellsyou,yournewlyinputvaluesarebeingoverriddenbyaGradleBuildScript.Letsgosee
wherethishappens,doubleclickonthebuild.gradle(Module:App)fileintheGradleScriptsfolderandyouwillbe
presentedwithsomethinglikethis.
apply plugin: 'com.android.application'
android {
compileSdkVersion 21
buildToolsVersion "21.1.2"
defaultConfig {
applicationId "com.darrylbayliss.omgandroid"
minSdkVersion 16
targetSdkVersion 21
versionCode 1
versionName "1.0"
}
buildTypes {
release {
minifyEnabled false
proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'), 'proguardrules.pro'
}
}
}
dependencies {
compile fileTree(dir: 'libs', include: ['*.jar'])
compile 'com.android.support:appcompat-v7:21.0.3'
}
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Therearequiteafewthingsgoingonhere,butfornowyouwillfocusonjustonepartthedefaultConfigelement.
InsideitscurlybracketsyouwillseesomefamiliarlookingvaluesthatareaffectingyourAppwhenitisbeingcompiled.
ThiswaswhatthemessageinyourManifestwaswarningyouabout.Fortunately,itisntaconcern,butitissomething
worthunderstanding.
WheneveryouclickRuninyourmainprojectwindow,anyvalueswithinthedefaultConfigelementofbuild.gradleare
usedtopopulatesomeadditionalinformationintoyourAndroidManifest.xmlfile.Thereasonforthisistomakeuseof
theflexibilityoftheGradleBuildToolkit.
BeforeAndroidStudio,thingssuchastryingtobuildmultipleversionsofanAppfromthesameprojectwassomethingof
apipedream.AnAppprojectonlyhasonemanifestfiletodeclareitsfeaturesandrulessoifyouwantedtotestdifferent
configurationsofyourApp,itwouldbealongandlaboredprocessbecauseyouwouldhavetomakeyourchanges,
compiletheAppandthenrepeatthisprocessuntilyouwerehappywiththeresults.
ThearrivalofGradlechangesallthat,allowingformultiplebespokeversionsofyourApptobecreatedusingspecific
rulesyoucansetyourself.Projectdependenciescanbelinkedtofromremotecoderepositories,ensuringeverytime
youbuildyourAppyouareusingthelatestversionof3rdpartylibraries.YoucanevensetrulesuptotestyourAPK
usingavarietyofsourcefilesduringthebuildprocess.
GradlemakesuseofGroovysyntax,aJavalikelanguage,soifyouareintentonlearningJavathenyouwilleasilypick
Groovyupaswell.
YoucanlearnmoreaboutGradleanditstreasurechestoffeaturesrighthereontheAndroidDeveloperswebsite.
3. Check Androids best practices

TheresagreatlistofbestpracticestoaddresscompatibilityissuesthatsavailableontheAndroidDevelopersite.Some
ofthemostusefultipsinclude:
Usedensityindependentmeasurementsinyourlayouts,soyourspecificationswillscalealongwiththescreen.
Whenputtingtogetherlayouts,userelativewidthsandheightsinsteadofabsolutevalues.
Puttinginseveralversionsofthesameimagefile,tailoredtodifferentscreendensities,canalsobeagoodidea.
ThetutorialwilldiscusstheseinmoredetailinPartTwo,whenyoulayoutviewsinXML.
4. Emulate
WhenyousetupyourEmulatorearlier,yousawhowmanyoptionsyouhavetoworkwithdifferentscreensizes.Ifyou
usedthestockemulatorthenyoualsosawhowslowitcanbe.Asmentionedearlier,therearewaystoimproveitand
alternativeemulatorsalltogetheryoucanmakeuseoftotryyourApponahugevarietyofconfigurations.
Ifthestockemulatorisntforyou,trythemoutandseewhatworksbest.
5. Pick at least one representative device

Themostexpensiveoption,unlessyoualreadyownanAndroiddevice,istogooutandbuyone.Irecommendtryingto
findaused,unlockeddevicefromtheGoogleNexusseries.Ifyourbudgetistight,gotwogenerationsback,whichatthe
momentwouldmeanaGalaxyNexus.Ofcourse,ifyouvegotthemoney,youcangoforthenewsnazzyNexus5!
Withallthetimeyouwillsaveavoidingtheemulator,ifyoucontinueonwithAndroid(whichIhopeyouwill!),itwill
definitelybeaworthwhileinvestment.
Ifyouhaveadevice,youdontneedanysillyProvisioningProfiles.YoujustneedtoturnonUSBdebuggingforyour
device.SometimesthecheckboxoptionisavailablejustbygoingtoSettings>DeveloperOptionsonyourdevice.
Checktheseinstructionsformoredetails.
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Othertimes,youhavetodosomeweirdshenanigans.Icantmakethisup!AdirectquotefromAndroid:OnAndroid4.2
andnewer,Developeroptionsishiddenbydefault.Tomakeitavailable,gotoSettings>AboutphoneandtapBuild
numberseventimes.ReturntothepreviousscreentofindDeveloperoptions.
NomatterifyouhadtodoalittledanceorwhistleaperfectCtorevealtheoption,onceUSBdebuggingison,youcan
gobacktotheRun/DebugConfigurationsscreenandsetyourTargetDevicetoUSBDevice.Thiswillserveyouwell
fortherestofthetutorial.
6. Fake other screens on your device

IfyouareluckyenoughtohaveadeviceandhaveenabledUSBDebuggingonit,thenyouhaveanothertesting
advantage:youcanuseittofakeotherscreensizes.Hereshow.
OpenyourTerminalasyoudidearlier,whenyoucheckedfortheJDK.ThenlocateatoolcalledtheAndroidDebug
Bridge(adb).WithearlyversionsofAndroidStudio,itwillbeinthe/Applications/Android\Studio.app/sdk/platform
toolsdirectory,orwhereveryouinstalledyourcopyofAndroidStudio,ifelsewhere.LaterversionsofAndroidStudiodo
notcomewiththeAndroidSDKbundledinandsoyoumighthaveyourAndroidSDKinstalledinatotallydifferent
location.
YoucanusethefollowingcommandattheTerminalprompttoseeifadbisavailableinyoursystemPATH:
adb version
Theresultshouldbesomethinglikethis:
Note:Iftheadbversioncommandresultsinanerrormessage,yourAndroidSDKfolderisprobablynotinyour
PATH.ThenyoudneedtofindtheexactlocationoftheAndroidSDKandchangetothecorrectfolder(asinthefirst
stepsinthescreenshotabove)andprefixanyadbcommandswith./.Alternatively,youcanaddtheadbpathto
yourPATH.
Theadbversioncommandisjustanexampletoshowyouhowtocalladbfromthecommandline.Itcanrunallsorts
ofcommandsandyoucangetalistofavailablecommandsbytypingadbhelp.
Ifnotalreadysetup,youcanoptionallyaddtheAndroidSDKplatformtoolsfoldertoyour$PATHsothatyoucanrunadb
fromanywhereonyoursystem.YoushouldonlydothisifyouarefamiliarwithUNIXandfeelcomfortabledoingso.
Withyourdevicepluggedinandwithitsscreenturnedoff,typethefollowing:
adb shell wm size 640x480
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Andthentype:
adb shell wm density 160
Thisrepresentsascreensizeof640480pixelswith160pixelsperinchpixeldensity.
Note:InAndroidversionsearlierthan4.3JellyBean,thesecommandsareslightlydifferent,asdocumentedhere.
Whenyouturnthedevicescreenbackon,youshouldseethattheresolutionhaschangedtomatchthenewvaluesyou
entered!
Feelfreetoturnthescreenoff,tryanothersetofdimensionsandturnitbackonagain.
Toreturnyourdevicetoitsnormalsettings,type:
adb shell wm size reset
Andthentype:
adb shell wm density reset
Soyoucouldgetafullsizetablet(likeaNexus10,perhaps)andtheneasilysimulateallsortsofsmallerdevices,without
havingtousetheemulator!Ifyouaretryingthiswithadevicethathasarelativelysmallscreenthenitsnotreallyworth
goingbeyondthedimensionsofyourscreenasitwillbegintodisplayelementsoffscreen.
IhopethatinformationhelpsyounavigatetheGingerbreads,KitKats,JellyBeans,andalltheothervarietiesofAndroid
candy.Now,backtotheappathand
So WHY did that work?

Youvegotyourfirstappbehindyou.Tostartmakingchangesandaddingcoolfeatures,itsnecessarytogetaworking
knowledgeofwhatsgoingonbehindthescenes.
TakealookattheProjectsectionofAndroidStudio,withthefilesandfoldersontheleftsideofthescreen.Youmay
needtopressthelittletabontheedge(seebelow)iftheprojectexplorerisntvisibleatthemoment.
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Browsearoundforafewminuteswithoutanyexplicitinstructions,expandingandcollapsingfoldersanddoubleclicking
onfilestoseetheircontentsinthemainwindow.Ifyounoticeanytrends,great.Ifitallstilllookscryptic,nottoworry!
Android Project Structure: The Team

Everygreatteamiscomposedofpeoplewhoplaydifferentroles.Doyouwanttodothejobright?Youneedtheright
team.AndroidProjectshaveafewkeyelementsandeachhasaroletoplay:
1. Java:TheProfessional
2. Resources:TheArtist
3. AndroidManifest.xml:TheBoss
4. Intent:TheJobitself
Java: The Professional

ItsthejobofyourJavacodetogetthingsdone.Yourcodeisallgoingtobeinthesrc/main/javadirectoryunderyour
mainprojectfolder.Youwillbegivenallthecodeyouneedtocompletethistutorial,butifyouwanttolearnorrefresh
yourJavaknowledge,hereisaniceonlineinteractivetutorial.
ItwillbeworthyourtimetolearnmoreandmoreJavaasyouexploreAndroiddevelopment.Yourteamisrelyingonthe
professional.
Resources: The Artist

Itsnotenoughtojustgetthejobdone.Itneedstobedoneinstyle.YourAppisnevergoingtostandoutunlessithas
greaticonsandimages,welldesignedlayouts,engagingcopytext,andmaybeevensomesmoothanimations.
Initially,theapp/res(Resources)foldercontains:
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Drawablefoldersthatholdimagesjustthedefaultlaunchiconfornow.
ThelayoutfolderwithXMLthatrepresentsthescreendesigns.
ThemenufolderwithXMLoftheitemsthatwillappearontheActionBar.Moreonthatlater.
ThevaluesfolderwithXMLcontainingdimensions,strings,andstyles.
AndroidManifest.xml: The Boss

Someonesgottocalltheshots.ThatsomeonewouldbetheAndroidManifest.ThisXMLfileinformsyoursystemofthe
appshardwareandsoftwarerequirementsandcontainsyourappsname,icon,andversion.
ThemanifestalsofilterstheIntentscomingin.Youneedajobdonebyyourapp?Talktothebossfirst.Now,more
aboutthejobsthemselves
Intent: The Job itself

Wanttoshowtheuserascreen?Wanttonavigatetoawebsite?Whateverthejobis,inAndroiditisgoingtotakethe
formofanIntent.IfyoucomefromaniOSbackground,paycloseattentionbecausethisisaveryAndroidconcept.
TheAndroidsystemknowsthatyouwillpotentiallyhavealotofAppsonyourdevice,andwantstomakeiteasyforthem
totalktoeachother.So,itallowsyoutosendandreceivewhatareessentiallyrequestsforjobstobedone.
AjobcouldgetpickedupbyyourAppsownboss(themanifest)oranotherApp.WhencreatinganIntent,itsuptoyou
toeitherwriteitverygenerallytohavetheoptionofpickingfromseveralAppstoperformthejob(implicit),orvery
specificallytofollowacertainpath(explicit).YoullseeanexampleofeachtypeifIntentlaterinthistutorial.
Foranimmediateexample,yourAppalreadyhasanActivitycalledMainActivity.Yourmanifesthasitlabeledwith
anintentfilterthatcausestheMainActivitytolaunchwhentheuserselectstheAppiconfromtheirhomescreen.You
couldpotentiallymovethatfiltertoanotherActivityandthenthatactivitywouldlaunchinsteadofMainActivity.
Basically,theAppdoeswhateverthebosssays.
IfyoudontfullygraspeverythingaboutIntentsrightaway,dontworry.Justkeeptheconceptinmindasyousee
Intentsthroughoutthecode,andeventuallyyouwillstarttogetanideaoftheirpotential.
Putting a Personal Stamp on Your App

YouvemadeyourfirstApp,butwhatsthefirstthingyoualwayswanttoputonanyofyourwork?Thatsright,yourname!
Navigatetores/values/strings.xmlanddoubleclickthefile.Whenyouopenthefile,youllseethreestring
resourcesinXML.
Theseresourcesareaccessedindifferentplaces,butitisveryconvenienttohaveallofthetextusedinyourAppinone
file.Ifyouneedtotranslateit,orifyourmarketingcoworkertellsyoutoremoveallthenerdyreferencesfromyourApp,it
willbeeasytomakeallthechangeshere.
Changethehello_worldstring.Thatstringistheonethattheappdisplaysonthescreen.So,changeittosomething
morepersonalthatincorporatesyourownnamesomethinglike:
<string name="hello_world">Darryl is learning Android!</string>
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Soremember:WhenyoulaunchtheApp,youreessentiallydoingthesamethingassendingalaunchIntenttothe
manifest.Astheboss,themanifesttakesalookattheIntentanddecidesithastheperfectfitforthejob:MyActivity.
TheJavadoestheheavyliftingofopeningthescreen,butforwhattodisplayitgoesandaskstheartist,eventually
leadingtostrings.xml.
ClickRun.WhentheApplaunchesagain,youllseeyourpersonalizedmessage!
Congratulations!Ifyouhaveadevice,youcangoaroundshowingoffyournewapptoyourfriendsortakeascreenshot
fromtheemulatorandsendittothem.
YouveenteredtheworldofAndroid.Youvesetupyourdevelopmentenvironment(noeasytask!),createdyourfirst
app,runitonanEmulatorordevice,andchangedtheAppsothatitspecificallyaddressesyou.Greatjob!
Updating With the SDK Manager

ThistutorialwillworkwithwhateverSDKversionyoudownloadedwithAndroidStudio,butasmentionedearlieritsa
goodideatoalwayskeepyourSDKversionsandAndroidPlatformToolsuptodate.
ToaccesstheSDKManagerquicklyfromyourproject,clickthe
button,whichallowsyoutoeasilydownloador
updateyourAndroidSDKcomponents.
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Where to Go From Here?

Theresalotstilltocome,butherearesomeextratipstothinkaboutbeforejumpingintothenextpartofthetutorial:
FollowAndroid.Thedevelopmentcommunityaroundanylanguageorframeworkcanbeitsstrongestasset.Its
nevertoosoonortoolatetostartcheckingoutGoogleI/Ovideos,followingtheAndroidDevelopersblogor
watchingDevBytesvideos.
GetthefullsourceforthissectionofthetutorialonGitHuborasa.zip.
Postanycomments/suggestions/questionsbelow.
Stickaroundforthesecondandthirdsectionsofthetutorial!Thankyou!
TheAndroidrobotisreproducedormodifiedfromworkcreatedandsharedbyGoogleandusedaccordingtoterms
describedintheCreativeCommons3.0AttributionLicense.
DarrylBayliss
DarrylBaylissisaSoftwareEngineerfromLiverpool,currentlyfocusingonMobile
Development.
Awayfromprogrammingheisusuallyreading,writingonhisblogorplayingsome
fantasticalvideogameinvolvingmagicanddragons.
FeelfreetosayhelloonTwitterorcheckouthiscodingscribblesonGitHub.
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10/9/2015

Android Tutorial for Beginners: Part 1

Installing Android Studio

Optional/Advanced: Moving from Eclipse

The Android SDK Manager

Creating OMG Android

Running on an Emulator or Device

Navigating the Android Candy Store

1. Nail down your target

2. Filter your manifest

3. Check Androids best practices

5. Pick at least one representative device

6. Fake other screens on your device

So WHY did that work?

Android Project Structure: The Team

Java: The Professional

Resources: The Artist

AndroidManifest.xml: The Boss

Intent: The Job itself

Putting a Personal Stamp on Your App

Updating With the SDK Manager

Where to Go From Here?

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