ANDROID Programming Concepts TRISH CORNEZ UNIVERSITY OF REDLANDS RICHARD CORNEZ UNIVERSITY OF REDLANDSWorld Headquarters Jones & Bartlett Learning ‘5 Wall Sueet Burlington, MA 01803, 978-443-5000 info@ jlearning.com wo jlearning.com Jones & Bartlet Learning books and products are available through most bookstores and online booksellers. To contact Jones & Bartlet Learning directly, call 800-832-0034, fax 978-443-8000, of vst our Website, ww jblearning.com. Substantial discounts on bulk quantities of Jones & Barlet Learning publications are available to corporations, profes- sional associations, and other qualified organizations, Por details and specie discount information contact the special sales department at Jones & Barlet Learning via the above contact information of send an email to specialsales@ jblearning.com. Copyright © 2017 by Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC. am Ascend Learning Company llrightsreserved. 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Android Programming Concept isan independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by the owners ofthe trademarks or service marks referenced in this product. ‘There may be images inthis book that Feature models; these models do not necessarily endorse. represent, or participate in the activities represented in the images. Any screenshots in this product are for educational and instrwetive purposes only. [Any individuals and scenarios featured inthe ease studies throughout this product may be real or fititious, but are used for instructional purposes only o7915-9 Production Credits ‘Composition: $4Carlisle Publishing Services VP, Executive Publisher: David D. Cella ‘Cover Design: Kristin E, Parker Publisher: Cathy L. Esperti Rights and Media Research Coordinator: Abigail Reip Acquisitions Editor: Laura Paghuica ‘Media Development Assistant: Shannon Sheehan Editorial Assistant: Taylor Ferracane ‘Cover Image: © Involved Channe/Shutterstock Production Editor: Sara Kelly Printing and Binding: RR Donnelley Senior Marketing Manager: Andrea DeFronzo ‘Cover Printing: RR: Donnelley VP, Manufacturing and Inventory Control: Therese Connell Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Come, Trish Android programming concepts/Trish Corner, Universiy of Redlands, Redlands, California, [and] Richard Corne?, University of Redlands, Redlands, California, pages Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978.1-284.07070-5 (pbk) 1. Android (Electronic resoutee) 2. Application software—Development. 3. Tablet computers —Proramining. 4. Smartphones—Programming. 1. Comez, Richard. I. Tite. (QA76.774.453C67 2017 005.26°8—ae23 2015008371 oa Printed in the United States of America 18 171615 10987654321Contents Preface ix Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Ld Android Platforms 1 1.2 Javavs. Android Java 5 1. Android Studio IDE 8 14 The Basics of App Design 9 1.5 The Anatomy of an Android Project 10 1.5.1 Android Manifest File 12 1.5.2 Java Source Code and Activity Class Files 13 1.5.3 Drawable Resources 13 1.54 Layout XML Files 14 1.5.5 Value Resources. 15 1.5.6 Gradle Scripts 16 1.6 Building Basic Applications in Android Studio 17 1.7 Model-View-Controller 67 1.8 Debugging Android Applications 77 1.9 Sharing your Android Applications 81 Exercises 87 Chapter 2 Building User Interfaces and Basie Appli 89 21 Android User Interface 89 22 Layouts 90 23 TheviewClass 96 24 — Text Input and Output 97 25 Soft Keyboards 100 2.6 Androids Form Widgets for User Interfaces 118 2.6.1 RadioButton and checkBox 118 2.6.2 ToggleButton 119 2.6.3 switch 120 2.64 ProgressBar 120 2.6.5 SeekBar 121Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Graphics, Drawing, and Audio 373 5.1 52 53 54 55 6 Graphics in Android 373 Adding and Manipulating ImageViews 374 Drawing and the Canvas Class 392 Recursive Drawing 402 Frame-by-Frame and Film Loop Animations 415 Animate Library 436 Audio 446 5.7.1 SounaPool 447 5.7.2 MediaPlayer 449 Exercises 459 hreads, Handlers, and Programmatic Movement 461 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 6.10 a 72 73 14 75 16 WW 18 19 Multithreading and Multicore Processing 461 Main Thread and Background Thread 464 Thread Approaches 465 6.3.1 Implementing a Runnable Interface 465 6.3.2 Extend the Thread Class 466 UI Modification and the Handler Class. 466 Loopers 477 Canvas Movement and Views 490 SurfaceViews 499 Efficient Threading 512 Materials and Functionality 525 AsyncTasks 541 Exercises 553 pouch Gestures 555 Touchscreens 555 Touch Gestures 556 The Basics of Touch Events 557 Gesture Detector 559 The MotionEvent Class 570 ‘The Drag-and-Drop Gesture 591 Fling Gesture 611 Fling Velocity 630 Multitouch Gestures 644 Exercises 656Conrenrs Chapter 3 Chapter 4 a9 28 29 2.10 211 34 35 3.6 37 2.6.6 RavingBar 121 26.7 spinner 121 Unique ID of a View Object and the R Class 123 The ViewGroup 125 2.8.1 RadioGroup 126 Adaptive Design Concepts—Screens and Orientations 142 ‘Tablebayout and TableRow 153 Container Views 170 2411 Listview, Griaview, and ExpandableListview 171 2.11.2 Scrollview and Horizontalscroliview 171 2.113 searchview 171 214 videoview 172 Using an Adapter 172 Exercises 183 ities and Intents 185 Activity Lifecycle 185 Starting, Saving, and Restoring an Activity 191 Multiple Activities and the Intent Class 202 3.3.1 Explicit Intents 204 3.3.2 Implicit Intents 205 Handling Keyboard Visibility in an Activity 205 Passing Data between Activities 223 Basic Transitions between Activities 243 Scene Transitions 258 Exercises 276 Fragments, ActionBar, and Menus 279 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 Fragmentation and Android Fragments 279 The Fragment Lifecycle 280 Action Bar 284 ActionBar Configurations 298 4.4.1 Overflow on the Action Bar 302 4.4.2 Adding an Action View 304 Responsive Design with Fragments 318 Animation in Fragment Transactions 338 ListViews and Adapters 352 Handling Click Events in a ListView 363 Exercises 371Contents Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Index 809 Sensors and Camera 687 81 8.2 83 84 85 8.6 87 88 8.9. File Storage, 9 92 93 94 95 96 Sensors and Mobile Devices 657 Android Sensors 658 8.2.1 Motion Sensors 658 8.2.2. Environmental Sensors 660 8.2.3 Positional Sensors 661 Working with Sensors 661 Coordinate System 666 Accelerometer and Force 682 Sensor Batching 694 8.6.1 Step Counter and Step Detector 694 Composite Sensors 696 Camera 705 8.8.1 The Built-in Camera Application 707 Manipulating Photos 721 Exercises 740 hared Preferences, and SQLite 741 Storing Data 741 Shared Preferences 742 File Storage—Internal and External Storage 744 Android Database with SQLite 747 SQLiteOpenHelper 751 Adapters and Adapterviews 765 Exercises 807Preface Mobile device users experience their environments through a variety of computing sereens, The devices most often used are computers, tablets, and phones, Users today increasingly expect a connected and highly personalized experi across all connected devices, including television, home automation gadgets, wearable computers, and cars. Android is the operating system that powers many of these con- As of early 2015, Android is the largest installed base of any mobile nce that is seamless nected de platform Initially created by Android Inc. by a team led by Andy Rubin, the Android operat- ing system was acquired by Google in 2005. The first commercial version of Android was released in 2008 on an HTC phone named Dream; also known as the T-Mobile GI. Since its initial release, the operating system has undergone an extreme metamor- phosis, evolving quickly and frequently, with new and updated versions released at an unprecedented rate. ‘Asa Linux-based system, Android is run as an open s anyone can adapt the code for his or her own purposes. This permissive model makes Android unique in that it allows companies and developers to modify and distribute the software freely. Device manufacturers creating phones and tablets often customize the Android operating system to the specific needs of their particular mobile devices. In this text, readers will learn how to design and implement applications that will run on a variety of Android-driven devices. Building sophisticated applications that are optimized, responsive, and able to perform complex interactions at fast speeds requires patience, skill, and practice. The concepts and techniques you will learn this text will provide you with the building blocks needed to master the art of mobile programming. Text Objectives This text was conceived with two types of individuals in mind: programming stu- dents and professional software developers who wish to broaden their expertise. It is essential that readers know how to program in an OOP language, preferably Java,PRrerace before using this text. For non-Java programmers, familiarization with the Java API is recommended. This text is intended as a textbook, not as a tutorial. We have designed the text, using an easy-to-understand andl straightforward approach, to integrate key concepts relating to application development that students see daily on Android devices. Each chapter presents Android concepts and methodologies with complete abbreviated ap- plication examples that are relevant to current platforms. How to Use This Text ‘The first three chapters provide an introduction to the foundation of application devel ‘opment. Chapter I incorporates two step-by-step tutorials to help readers get started n creating basic applications. Chapters 2 and 3 provide key core concepts For build- ing well-designed applications. It is important that readers are comfortable with these ‘early chapters before proceeding, ‘After reading the first three chapters, Chapters 4 through 9 do not need to be read in sequential order. Readers wishing to acquire the most invaluable concepts first should start with Chapter 4 and proceed to Chapters 7, 8, and 9; however, multithreading ‘concepts (discussed in Chapter 6) are a prerequisite for the last three chapters. A detailed reading of Chapter 5 is not required for Chapter 6. Instructor and Student Resource Material ‘The following ancillary materials are available on the text website: g0,jbleaming.com/ComezAndroid + Source code fil for lab example + Instructor's Manual containing solutions to end-of-chapter exerci + Lecture Slides in PowerPoint format + Test bank Acknowledgments We have received invaluable support from friends, students, and colleagues in the preparation of the text. The University of Redlands has provided the resources and means for us to complete the project. Jones & Bartlett Learning offered an excellent team of professionals who handled the book from manuse especially want (o thank Laura Pagluica, Taylor Ferracane, Sara KAcknowledgme We are thankful to Jordan Vega and Sam Marrs for many useful suggestions. We are indebted to Jim Bentley and Pani Chakrapani for giving us the opportunity to schedule several mobile programming classes that allowed us to classroom-test por tions of our text. Jim Bentley was kind enough to offer department funds for devices for some of our students, who might not otherwise have been able to participate We would like to thank the following reviewers, who offered us indispensable pedagogical and content guidance for revision: Sonia Arteaga Hartnell College Jeremy Blum, DSc Associate Professor of Computer Scien: Penn State Harrisburg Georgia Brown, MS Instructor Northern Illinois Unive ity George Duda Instructor in Computer Science and Software Engin Penn State Erie, The Behrend College ing Robert Steinhoff, PhD. rida Memorial University Michael Ziray Boise State University Last but not least, thanks to our many students whose struggles, challenges, and Suecesses gave us all the evidlen we needed to improve the text.Introduction Chapter Objectives In this chapter you will: * Understand the features of Android. + Learn the differences. between Java and Android Java. + Examine the Android project structure. * Build a basic application using Android Studio. + Learn about the Model-View-Controller design. @ 1.1 Android Platforms When the first-generation Android phones were released in 2008, they did not include many of the features that users are familiar with today. For example, the first commer- cial version of Android seen on the HTC Dream did not incorporate multitouch capa- bilities or even a virtual onscreen keyboard. Since 2008, Android has been enhanced in 4 multitude of ways, improving its performance, the user interface design, and adding many features, such as voice searching. By October 2014, Google released a version of Android comprising a powerful core of set standards that work on virtually every device, along with a refined visual component, By 2015, Android applications were including fluid animations, bold color palettes, and sophisticated multitasking menus that featured voice interactions. Table 1-1 shows the evolution of Android, beginning with Android 1.0, the first jon used on the HTC Dream. With each subsequent version of An- droid, features from previous versions were improved. and enhancements were made that targeted overall performance. AS each major version of Android is released, it is identified by a code name, organized in alphabetical order; all of the code names are the names of desserts. The first publicly code-named version of Android appeared in 2009 and was given the name Cupeake. In addition to the code name, each version of Android is given an API (application program interface) number and platform version number. Updates commercial veCuarrer 1 INrRopucrion ‘TABLE 1-1. Common Android Platforms Platform Version Version _| API Levels) Name Important Features 5.0 23 Lollipop. Tuned to work on devices with 64-bit ARM, Intel, and MIPS processors 44 19 2013 KitKat Optimized to run with a minimum of ‘512 MB of RAM 43 8 2013, [JellyBean | Efficient and refined user interface 42 7 2012 Google Voice Search 4 16 4.0.4, 4.03, 15 2012 Ice Cream Compatibility with most Android 402,401, | 14 2011 |Sandwich | 23x 4.0 API fixes and refinements 32 3 2011 [Honeycomb | Tablet-only support 34 12 3.0 W 234,233, 10 2011 Gingerbread | Enhancements for game developers 232,23.1,23 |9 2011 ‘Support for multicore processors 22 8 2010 | Froyo Android Cloud support 21 7 7010 | Eclair Google Maps Navigation 201 6 New camera features 20 5 Bluetooth Speech-to-text 16 4 2009 Donut Integrated camera and camcorder Expanded gestures Introduction of Quick Search Box 18 3 2009 [Cupcake | Soft keyboard Copy and paste Video recording wl 2 7009 Bug fixes to Android 1.0 10 1 7008 Gmail Notifications Widgets are designed so that a new API remains compatible with earlier versions of the API. ‘The API identification is important to developers, as well as to Google Play, because it allows the Google Play store to filter applications so that users can easily download that are compatible with their devices. New versions of Android also bring tion of new APIs for developers, such as notification controls or aids to make applications more memory effAndroid Platforms Google services have been integrated into the Android operating system since the first installment, Two of the most substantial inclusions of Android 1.0 were Google Maps and Notifications, which supported a pull-down window that revealed an- nouncements and messages. The Notifications feature remai an important part of the Android user interface. In current releases of Android, this feature has been refined to include chat messages and calendar events that support synchroni Android devices, as shown in Figure I-1 ation across all 0 ‘new message 2now messages | FIGURE 1-1 Android Lotlipop Notifications By the time Cupeake appeared in 2009, such ref self-refres sis ts as the inclusion of 1@ Widgets and copy-and-paste had been implemented. One of the most ificant features that emerged with Cupeake was the introduction of a soft key- board, which also brought the first forms of keyboard skins. Created by third-paCuaprer 1 INrRopucTioN developers, keyboard skins provide enhancements to an existing soft keyboard. Unique to Android, skins allow users to personalize their keyboards, for example, by choosing abackground texture, an icon set, and a color palette. When Google releases its latest version of Android, device manufacturers typically customize that software for t brand of phone and tablets. Skins have evolved alongside Android and have shifted beyond basic appearance and into more extensive behavior than originally seen in Cupcake. Today, Android device manufacturers regularly offer skins that enhance the user experience by adding functionality to the design. Created in 2010, Android 2.2 was able to execute far faster than previous vers because of the new Dalvik Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler, first seen on Froyo. Dalvik, which will be discussed in more detail in the next section, allowed for better CPU per- formance, which significantly enhanced processing power. Along with the bolstered speed, Froyo’s browser came with a new JavaScript engine, making Internet browsing, nearly three times faster than the previously released version of Android. Froyo also brought native support for tethering, This built-in feature, along with mobile hotspot support, gave users the ability to turn their phone into a wireless modem and a Wi-Fi hotspot for the first time. Gingerbread became the prevailing version of Android from 2011 through most ‘of 2012. [twas the first version of Android that backed multicore processing on mobile devices. For application developers, Gingerbread brought support for new technolo- gies, such as NFC (Near Field Communication) and SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). ‘The SIP API provides developers with tools to create applicatio conferencing and instant messaging. Honeycomb was released as the first version of Android specifically implemented for tablets. Prior to Honeycomb, Android tablets were running on phone operating systems that were stretched to fit the screen of a larger tablet. With the release of [ce Cream Sandwich, Android was rebuilt to combine the best ‘characteristics of Gingerbread and Honeycomb into a single operating system that would work for tablets and phones. Ice Cream Sandwich was able to bring many of the design elements of Honeycomb to smartphones, while refining the Android experi- ‘ence. The Ul was notably more refined and stylish. In addition, navigation buttons be- ‘came available as soft keys, and the voice input engine provided an open-microphone ‘experience. When Jelly Bean was released in 2012, it was the fas Android versions. Along with its Google Voice Search feature, Jelly Bean was a jump in magnitude of performance, This version of Android was often referred to as a turn- ing point for Android, where services and customization optior onsive design guidelines. KitKat looked similar to Jelly Bean; however, because of its size of 512 MB, it was able to run on a much larger array of devices. Previously, Android required 1GB 0 3 GBs to run, cir hat perform and smoothest of all the metresJava vs. Android Java As of early 2015, Lollipop is the latest version of Android used by develope: Lollipop and 64-bit chips provide enhanced performance with graphics, decoding and encoding of high-resolution video, and algorithms for facial recognition and speech nteraction. With so many versions of Android currently being supported, itis often difficult to choose the appropriate target version for which to compile an application. In fact, the latest version of Android is not always the most common version installed on Android phones and tablets. The ability to build an application that runs om multiple versions of Android is an important requirement for developers. For example, in early 2015. the most common version of Android was Jelly Bean, with KitKat a close second. However, Ice Cream Sandwich and Gingerbread were still being used on a small, but significant, number of the mobile devices worldwide. Targeting popular earlier versions of Android therefore allows developers to reach a larger number of users, but there can be tradeoffs. An application may require functionality that an older platform cannot support. In this case, an application developer should target a newer platform when building an application. Java is the recommended Language for developing Android applications. In this text- book, all Android apps will be developed with Java. It is essential that readers know how to program and have a familiarity with Java libraries before continuing. A large number of Java libraries are available in the Android platform. As any Java program- mer knows, Java comes with a library of classes providing a collection of utility func tions that most Java programs cannot do without. This class library, called the Java API, has several thousand classes, with tens of thousands of methods that can be used in Android programs. Android applications use Java, along with the extension libraries that Android provides in the Android software development kit (SDK). The SDK includes a com- prehensive set of development tools, including a debugger, software libraries, and an emulator for an Android devie Important differences distinguish the Java API from the Android API. To understand Android Java, we first need to understand what characterizes Java. Java differs from other programming languages in several noteworthy ways; the crucial difference is plat- form independence. One reason Java is so popular is that Java programs can be run on any computer with an installed Java Runtime Environment (JRE). Figure 1-2 ilh Java's platform independence. Java files are compiled to an i jon rather than directly to a platform-specific machine code. This intermediate repre- sentation, Java bytecode, is analogous to machine code. The major difference between strate ermediate representa-Cuaprer 1 INTRODUCTION bytecode and machine code is that bytecode instructions are interpreted by a virtual ma- ‘chine (VM) written specifically for the host hardware, A virtual machine is a software implementation of a machine (i.c., a computer) that executes programs like a physical machine. To run non-Android Java programs, a Java compiler must translate the source code files into class files. These files can then be executed on a Java virtual machine (VM), which interprets the intermediate language on a target computer. By preparing a. IVM for each platform, a program translated into the intermediate language can be run on many different computers. The Java virtual machine is called “virtual” because it is am abstract computer defined by a specification. Each Java application runs inside a runtime instance of some concrete implementation of the abstract specification of the JVM. The JVM runs on all kinds of hardware executing the Java bytecode without changing the Java execution code, Java bytecode runs in a JRE, which is composed of the Java API and the JVM. CE ee wee FIGURE 1-2 Java programs are compiled into bytecode and run in Java Runtime Environments. There no Java virtual machine in the Android platform; instead, there is Dalvik, which is a specialized virtual machine. Once Java has been compiled into bytecode by the Java compiler, it is compiled again into a proprietary bytecode, as illustrated in Figure 1-3. The bytecode loaded by the Dalvik virtual machine should not be confused.Java vs. Android Java with Java bytecode. The dex bytecode is a compact Dalvik executable format designed for Android systems, which are constrained in terms of memory and processor speed. ‘The Android Software Development Kit includes the Dalvik dx tool, used to translate Java bytecode into Dalvik bytecode. Dalvik is referred to a JIT (Just-In-Time) engine because it compiles bytecode al time. A new Android Run Time (ART) was introduced in 2014 that takes advantage of current hardware advances. ART relies on an AOT (Ahead of Time) compiler, which compiles bytecode before execution. The ART virtual machine is the default of Lollipop and compiles an application to native machine code when installed on a user’s device. ART is designed to be fully compatible with Dalvik’s existing bytecode format. Dalvik and ART do not align to all Java class library profiles. Specifically, Abstract Window Toolkit and Swing are not supported by Dalvik and ART. Instead, Android user interfaces are built using the View framework, which is similar to Swing. This framework will be discussed in detail in Chapter 2. in 1 FIGURE 1-3 Java bytecode is compiled into Dalvik bytecode and executed on a Dalvk VM.Cuarrer | INrRopucrion @ 13 Android Studio IDE Android applications are often built to take several forms, such as phone, tablet, Wear, and Google Glass. In addition, the project structure of an application consists of many moveable pieces. These factors lead to a complex project structure. To make the de- velopment pros 1, it is recommended that developers use an integrated d velopment environment (IDE) to build applications. This textbook relies on Android Studio. Based on IntelliJ, Android Studio is the official IDE for building Android ap- plications. Developed by Google, this environment focuses exclusively on Android development and comes bundled with the Android Software Development Kit (SDK). ‘The SDK provides developers with a packaged set of developer tools and API libraries for building complete applications, testing them on virtual devices, and performing debugging and optimization. For readers intent on finding an alternative to Android Studio, it is possible 10 install a stand-alone SDK tool set that does not include a complete development envi- ronment. This option allows developers to access the core SDK tools from a command. line or possibly from another IDE, such as Eclipse. This approach is not recommended for first-time developers. Android Studio is available for download from Android’s developer website: developer.android.com/sdk/installing/studio.hum! Updates and improvements are made frequently to Android Studio, as well as to the required plug-ins. You may find that your version of Android Studio looks some- what different from the images you will see in this text. The core functionality remains the same. Android Studio requires the Java Development Kit (JDK) for building appli and components. One of the most important tools in the JDK is the ava compiler. Java code featured in this textbook has been compiled with JDK 7. The following development components are included in Android Studio, or must be added, just as newly released versions of an SDK should be added: Java ‘The Java programming language editor contains common IDE Editor features, such as compile-time syntax checking, auto-completion, and integrated documentation for the Android framework APIs. Layout Android Studio includes a graphical layout editor for building Editor and editing user interface files. Specifically, this graphical layout editor allows for easy drag-and-drop functionality for designing and previewing user interfaces. Android The Android SDK is a collection of API libraries, tools, script SDK and documentation. The SDK separates tools, platforms, andThe Basics of App Design ‘other components into packages that can be downloaded as needed. As new SDK versions and tools become available, they should be added to Android Studio. The Android SDK archive initially contains the basic SDK tools. It does not contain an Android platform or third-party libraries In order to start developing applications, you must install the platform tools and at least one version of the Android platform, using the SDK Manager, Platform tools contain build tools that are periodically updated to support new features in the Android platform, AVD ‘To run the Android Emulator, an Android Virtual Device (AVD) is constructed to define the characteristies of the device on which an application can be tested. This includes the system image and sereen size, the hardware, data storage, etc. To test an application ‘on multiple Android devices, a unique AVD device must be cre- ated for emulation. In Tutorial 1 of this chapter, you will create an AVD to test a simple application. Gradle Gradle is the build system used by Android Studio. Provided as a plug-in to Android Studio, it can also be used to build Android apps from the command line. The build configuration of a given Android project is defined inside simple text files that use op- tions from Gradle. 14 The Basics of App Design In the early days of mobile devices, very few apps existed. A mildly interesting and useful application had a fairly decent chance of becoming successful during the first years of Android devices. Today, the competition is far more intense. It is not enough ‘o produce an interesting and useful app, particularly if similar apps are on the mar- ket. In addition to a good idea, a promising Android application must perform well, interesting than a competing application, and offer a user experience that is ing. ig an outstanding application involves considerable thought and analysis of usability and user interface design. These two elements require attention both before and during the development process. In addition to performance, usability and the user experience can often be indicators of th. s or failure of an application. The process for building an application, as depicted in Figure 1-4, begins with an initial idea. Sometimes, research follows to determine the value and demand of an app idea, The initial concept for an application can be somewhat vague at the beginning stage, even if some specifications have been outlined. To evolve design concepts i suce10 Cuarrer 1 INrRopucrion a workable model, it is advisable to generate a user narrative that recreates a user's experience, given the technical constraints of the application. FIGURE 1-4 The process for building begins with an idea and ends with delivery. Design ideas are generated from the exploration of user experiences. Ideas can start with a simple sketch on paper and evolve into cutout prototypes. Sketches can include design usage scenarios to explore ideas for structuring a navigation system related to the aesthetic qualities of interaction. Cutout prototypes, as shown in Figure 1.5, can serve as micro experiments to explore strengths and weaknesses that involve actual tactile handling. These can also influence technical decisions, | FIGURE 1-5 Use of physical mockups can make application user experiences better understood M15 The Anatomy of an Andr Project A certain amount of technical machinery is necessar to write even the sim- plest applications. As you learn to develop apps, we will sometimes give you a prelimi- nary explanation and you will have to wait for more complete detail in a later chapter.‘The Anatomy of an Android Project ‘The Android SDK tools expect that your project will follow a specific structure so it can compile and package the application correctly, Gradle is atthe foundation of the Android SDK build system and is used to automate the building, testing, publishing, and deployment of Android apps. A project built in Android Studio will be structured similarly to Figure 1-6. The project structure is organized by source code, the application’ s resources, manifest set- tings, and build files. All of these files are eventually packaged into an apk (Andi application package) file, which represents the final application that will be installed and then run on an Android-powered device, sac ain aap in a prenanl © e000 ‘pied bythe density Bema Sees fhe = enotero Soeewrie Speeoton oe ¥ Bie Bean as pea Soe Biermcarats Soman ites ed ‘iene fe Daum = » Benno Bere Berra Stetow man Sus Gide bl Siren —"" Fi cetaing cle 2G sro momento ‘Soa gan font pence Biesimce pasar Binet (lea prperees 0% Lc 1 FIGURE 1-6 Sample Android App Project Structure Many of the application files and directories shown in Figure 1-6 are automatically generated and contain default content, Additional files have been generated and hid den from view. At this early stage, it is important that we understand the following components found in the project structure. Once we understand the purpose of these files, the development process will fit into a more comprehensible context and will be ‘easier to implement. uwPreR 1 INTRODUCTION 1.5.1 Android Manifest File An AndroidManifest .xml, is required for every Android application. This file uses XML code to define specific application information. The information ean in- clude general application-wide settings, such as the application’s style and launch icon. In the example AndroidMani fest .xm1 code shown below, Line 6 sets the launch icon to a graphic image stored in the drawable folder. Line 7 sets the style of the application so that it has a black background and utilizes a full screen. capplication android: icon-"@drawable/icon" ndroid::style/Thene. Black .NoTitleBar-Fullscreen" ‘The AndroidManifest file is also used to specify an application's hardware re- ‘quirements or special permissions, A permission system is part of the Android security model. For example, permissions can be used to grant or deny services, such as loca- tion services, access to external storage, and SMS. ‘The following example of XML code is used in an AndroidManifest file to require that a device include a camera in order to run the application. In addition, two permis- sions are requested: camera permission and the ability to write to extemal storage to save a photograph. android :nane="android.hardware.Camera" /> android:required="true" /> permission android :nane="android.permiss ion.CAMERA"/> permission android :nane= "android. permiseion.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"/>‘The Anatomy of an Android Project structure. A layout is the visual representation of a given interface screen containing all the visual objects on display. As shown in Figure 1-8, the design and arrangement of the elements on the screen are implemented using XML code in a layout fil When a layout appears on the screen, it is managed by an Activity. An Activity is a Java class that drives the actions and movements that will occur on the screen. Chapter 2 will explore techniques for designing various screen layouts. activity. my.xma) —____ 1 FIGURE 1-8 The User Interface ofan application is defined by an XML file 1.55 Value Resources The res /values directory within an Android proj sources for the application. This includes strings, colors, dimensions, and styles used by the application. Value resources are implemented as XML files. ‘Android encourages the separation of functionality and resources. This philoso- phy of keeping values separate from funetions can be very helpful for developers. For example, when developing an application that will be translated into multiple foreign Tanguages, string values can be changed without affecting the deployment of the app. ‘The application can be translated from the first language to a second language by recus- tomizing the strings .xm1 file. In this way, the application apk can remain intact. Value resource files are organized by the various types of data they contain. A collection of text strings is stored as strings .xm1, while color definitions can be stored in colors .xm1. tis used to manage value re 15‘The Anatomy of an Android Project 1.8.2 Java Source Code and Activity Class Files The Java source code of an application is placed in the java directory of the project structure. A main file, often named MainAct ivity or sometimes MyActivity, is a Java file that is auto-generated when the project is first built. It may have a different name, depending on the Android Studio version you are using. This Java file repre- sents an application activity and is important because it controls the behavior of the application when it is first launched. An Android activity corresponds with a single, focused activity that the user can perform, Applications are made up of one or more Activities. For example, consider a banking application that requires the user to log into the account securely before it is possible to access the account information. The login sercen would be represented by one activity, while the account overview would be represented by a separate activity. Each Activity is represented by a visual interface to the user, called a layout, along with source code, such as MainActivity. java, that drives it Activities are essentially defined using two types of files: + Tava class determines the behavior of the activity. + Layout det ines the visual layout of the activity. When an application is designed with multiple activities, one activity must be designated as the main activity when the application is launched for the first time. By default, this activity is the one first created and named when the application project is first set up. 1.5.3 Drawable Resources The drawable folder is located in the res directory, which contains the application resources. Drawable resources are image files, such as application icons, buttons, and background textures. Mobile applications typically require many visual elements, which are often managed as drawable resources, For example, in a chess game appli cation, the chess pieces are drawable image files imported into the application project. ‘The most common drawable resource used in an application is a PNG file. Android recommends the use of graphics that are not interlaced and are stored with a 24-bit depth. Images and icons do not need to be restricted to. web-safe colors. Android runs on a variety of devices, ranging from low-density small screens t0 high-density large screens. A density-independent pixel (dp) is a virtual pixel unit that is equivalent to one physical pixel on a 160-dpi (dots per inch) screen. This is the base- line density assumed by the system for a medium-density screen. The conversion of dp units to screen pixels (px) is: px = dp X ( -android .com/apk/rea/androia" sapplication android :allowBackup="true" cone"@drawable/ic_ abel="@string/app_) android:thene="@style/AppThene" > android android patring/app_nane" > category android :nanes"android. intent category. LAUNCHER™ /> Part 4: Adding and Editing Application Resources Before we can build a user interface and code the application, we need to add the required resources to the project structure, The resources for a basic application will typically consist of text values, graphic files, data values, and color definitions. AILBuilding Basic Applications in Android Studio resources should be identified during the conceptual design phase of the application, such as the one we will use from Figure 1-6. This Hello Goodbye application will require three types of resources as follows: Drawables: Three graphic fi String valu es will be added to the project structure to en- hance the application visually. hello” and Text strings will be used to store the exclamation ‘goodbye”) and the text that appears on the button. Color values: A color definition that will be used to color the “Hello” and. Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4: Step 5: Stop 6: ‘Goodbye” text generated and displayed by the application. Assemble the drawable resour es 10 be used in the application Before constructing the application project, make sure that you have all neces- sary external application elements, For this tutorial, there will be three image files used in the application: a background image, a button image, and a small ‘graphic for decoration, These elements, shown in Figure 1-21, can be found in the textbook resources. All image file names must contain only lowercase letters. Within the drawable folder for Tutorial 1, you will find three folders hold- ing the background .png, greetimage .png and exclamat ion- btn .png image files. The png files located in these folders have been ‘customized for the screen pixel density specified in the directory’s name. In production value applications, it is important to provide images for the ‘erent screen pixel densities in your projects. xxhdpi —extra-extra-high-density screens (approximately 320 dpi) xhdpi _extra-high-density screens (approximately 240 dpi) Providing different images will reduce artifacts from images being scaled up and down. All of the images in your project will be installed with your app, and the operating system will choose the best one for that specific device. Drag the xxhdpi version of greet image .png to the drawable folder in the project structure, as shown in igure 1-22. If the file cannot be dragged, perform a copy/paste Select the xxhdpi destination directory, as shown in Figure 1-23. ‘Choose the name of the file, as shown in Figure 1-24. Verify greetimage .png appears in the drawable folder, a8 shown in Figure 1-25. Add the xhdpi version of greet image .png to the drawable folder. Use the same method from Step 4. 29

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