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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!

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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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