What is an intent and intent filter?

INTENT
o Android Intent contain an action carrying some information. Intents allow you to interact with components that
belong either at the same application or outside that application.
o The dictionary meaning of intent is intention or purpose. So, it can be described as the intention to do action.
o Intent can be used to:
• To start an activity,
• To start a service
• To deliver a broadcast

INTENT-FILTER
o An intent filter is an expression in an app's manifest file that specifies the type of intents that the component would
like to receive.
o Android must know what kind of intent it is launching so intent filters give the information to android about intent
and actions.
o The Intent-Filter defines the relationship between the Intent and the application.

HOW THE INTENTS WORK

The Intent Filter uses the following information to map the Intent to the appropriate Android component:
‒ The action
‒ Data and URI
‒ The category
i) <action>
The action attribute of an Intent is typically a verb; for example: VIEW, PICK, or EDIT.
A few built-in Intent actions are defined as members of the Intent class.

ii) <category>
It defines the name of an intent category to be accepted and it must be the literal string value of an action, not
the class constant.

iii) <data>
It defines the type of data to be accepted.
It is expressed in the form of a URI and can be virtually any piece of information, such as a contact record, a
website location, or a reference to a media clip.
What is activity? Explain the activity. Life cycle in android with a neat diagram.
What is an Activity in Android?
o An Activity in Android represents a single screen with a user interface. It is one of the most fundamental
components of an Android app.
o An app typically consists of multiple activities, each focused on a specific task or feature. When a user interacts with
an app, they are usually interacting with an activity.
o In simpler terms, an activity acts as the entry point for user interaction with your app. For example, in a social media
app, there could be activities for viewing a feed, posting a new update, viewing profiles, etc.
What is a Service?
• A Service is a background process that runs for a long time in Android, even when the app is not in focus.
• It performs tasks without providing a UI and can broadcast intents and interact with other applications.
• Example tasks include playing music in the background or fetching data from the network without user
interaction.
Key Features:
• No UI: It runs independently without requiring a user interface.
• Runs in the background: Can continue to run even after the user switches apps.
• Broadcasts intents: It can communicate with other components or applications.

Example Implementation:
• A service is implemented as a subclass of the Service class.
• The example code shows a class MyService extending Service and implementing the Runnable interface. The
onCreate() method creates and starts a new thread for background tasks.
• The run() method contains the code that the thread will execute.
• The onBind() method provides binding for the service, allowing other components to interact with it (this part is
optional).

Types of services:
1. Foreground Service:
• A service that performs tasks visible to the user.
• Example: A music player playing audio, which remains active even when the app is not in use.
2. Background Service:
• A service that performs tasks not directly visible to the user.
• Example: A service updating a database or compacting storage.
3. Bound Service:
• A service that runs when an application component binds to it using the bindService() method.
• It remains active as long as another component is bound to it and stops once all components are unbound.
What is a Broadcast Receiver?
• A Broadcast Receiver is a component that responds to broadcast messages from other applications or the system.
• It doesn't have a user interface but can notify users through status bar notifications.
• Example: A broadcast receiver can respond to events like an incoming call or a received text message.

How to Register a Broadcast Receiver:

• In AndroidManifest.xml: You can define a <receiver> element that specifies the receiver's class and enumerates
the intents it listens for.
• At runtime: You can register the receiver programmatically using the registerReceiver() method from the Context
class.

Implementing a Broadcast Receiver:

• A BroadcastReceiver is a subclass of BroadcastReceiver.
• The onReceive() method is used to process incoming intents when the receiver is triggered by an event.

Example:
The code snippet shows how to create a BroadcastReceiver class called MyReceiver and override the onReceive() method.
It also shows how to register the receiver in the AndroidManifest.xml file using an <intent-filter> for a specific action, such
as receiving an SMS message.
Explain content providers in android.
What is a Content Provider?
• Purpose: Content Providers manage access to a central repository of data and enable data sharing between
different applications.
• Usage: If an application component (like an Activity, Service, or BroadcastReceiver) needs to access data from
another application, it uses the other application's Content Provider.
• Functionality: It standardizes methods to access data (e.g., querying, updating, deleting), often using
ContentResolver class methods. Data managed by Content Providers can be stored in different formats, such as
SQLite databases, files, or even XML.
Implementation
• A Content Provider is implemented as a subclass of the ContentProvider class.

Data Management
• Content Providers enable different applications to share data securely and efficiently.
• Data can be stored in various formats such as SQLite, files, or XML.
Content URIs
• Data from a Content Provider is accessed using Content URIs.
• The URI format is:
1. LinearLayout
Description:
• LinearLayout arranges its child views in a single direction—either vertically or horizontally.
• It respects the order in which views are added. By default, it arranges elements in a vertical orientation, but you
can change this to horizontal using the android:orientation attribute.
• It supports the weight attribute, allowing you to allocate extra space among child views.
Key Features:
1. Orientation: Can be set to either vertical or horizontal.
2. Weight Distribution: Distributes available space using layout_weight.
3. Simple Structure: Ideal for straightforward, linear layouts.
Example:

2. RelativeLayout
Description:
• RelativeLayout positions its child views relative to each other or relative to the parent container.
• You can align views to the parent's edges (like alignParentTop) or to sibling views (like layout_below or
layout_toRightOf).
• Offers more flexibility for dynamic positioning but can get complex for nested elements.
Key Features:
1. Relative Positioning: Views can be positioned relative to siblings or parent.
2. Overlapping Views: Supports layering views on top of each other.
3. Flexible Design: Great for complex, adaptive layouts.
Example:
3. AbsoluteLayout (Deprecated)
Description:
• AbsoluteLayout allows positioning its child views using exact x and y coordinates.
• This layout is deprecated because it does not adapt well to different screen sizes and orientations, making it less
suitable for responsive design.
Key Features:
1. Fixed Positioning: Uses exact coordinates (layout_x and layout_y).
2. Non-Responsive: Not suitable for modern Android development.
3. Simple for Prototyping: Useful for quick mockups but should be avoided in production.
Example:

4. FrameLayout
Description:
• FrameLayout is designed to hold a single child view, making it ideal for displaying a single item or for overlapping
multiple views.
• If multiple views are added, they are drawn on top of each other, with the most recently added view on top.
Key Features:
1. Single View Display: Primarily used to show one child view.
2. Overlapping Views: Later children will overlay earlier ones.
3. Dynamic Content: Often used for fragment transitions and dynamic content.
Example:
5. TableLayout
Description:
• TableLayout arranges its children into rows and columns, similar to an HTML table. Each row is defined using the
TableRow element.
• It doesn't show borders between cells and allows you to span columns.
Key Features:
1. Row & Column Arrangement: Organizes views into rows and columns.
2. Column Span: Supports spanning across multiple columns.
Example:

6. GridLayout
Description:
• GridLayout arranges its children in a grid format, providing more control over cell positioning compared to
TableLayout.
• It allows specifying the number of rows and columns and supports spanning across rows/columns.
Key Features:
1. Grid-Based Layout: Defines a grid with rows and columns.
2. Flexible Cell Spanning: Supports row and column spans.
3. Dynamic Layouts: Suitable for complex, responsive designs.
Example:
Write a program to illustrate different drawing graphics in android
Develop a mobile application to display two images using frame layout and switch the images when clicked.
Explain any two kinds of android components.
In Android development, components are the building blocks of an Android application. Two key kinds of Android
components are:
1. Activity:
An Activity is a component that provides a screen with which users can interact. It represents a single user
interface (UI) screen, like a login screen, a settings screen, or a list of items. Every Android app has at least one
activity, and when the app is launched, the first activity is started. Activities manage the lifecycle of user
interactions and are responsible for managing the UI, responding to user input, and navigating between different
UI states.
Key features of an Activity:
o Handles user interactions and events.
o Manages UI elements like buttons, text fields, and images.
o Supports lifecycle methods (e.g., onCreate(), onStart(), onResume(), etc.) to manage the app's state.
2. Service:
A Service is a component that runs in the background to perform long-running tasks without a user interface.
Services do not interact directly with the user but can perform operations like playing music, handling network
requests, or managing data synchronization. Services can run independently of activities and continue to run even
if the user switches to another app or the activity is destroyed.
Key features of a Service:
o Runs in the background without a UI.
o Can be used for long-running tasks like downloading files, playing music, or updating data.
o Can run indefinitely, even after the user switches to another app.
o Can be started and stopped by other components or system services.
How animation is created in Android? Explain