Android software development is the process by which new applications are created for the devices that are running in the Android operating systems. Google states that Android applications can be written using Kotlin, Java and C++ languages” using the Android software development kit (SDK), while you are using other languages is also possible. All non-JVM language code that may be supplied by the tools, likely cross-platform applications. You can consult the best android development companies in India for better results.
The android is a powerful operating system and it supports a large number of applications in smartphones. These applications are more comfortable and advanced for users. The hardware that supports android software is based on the ARM architecture platform.
The android is an open-source operating system that means that it’s free and anyone can use it. The android has got millions of apps available that can help you manage your life one or another way and it is available to low cost in the market for that reason android is very popular.
Android Official Development Tools
Android SDKs
The Android software development kit (SDKs) includes multiple sets of development tools. These include a debugger, libraries, a handset emulator based on QEMU, documentation, sample code, and tutorials. Currently supported development platforms include computers running Linux (any modern desktop Linux distribution), Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later, and Windows 7 or later. As of March 2015, the SDK is not available on android itself, but software development is possible by using specialized Android applications.
Until around the end of 2014, the officially-supported integrated development environment (IDE) was Eclipse using the Android development tools (ADT) plug-in, though IntelliJ IDEA IDE (all editions) fully supports Android development out of the box, and the net Beans IDE also supports Android development via the plug-in.
As of 2015, android studio, made by Google and powered by IntelliJ, is the official IDE; however, developers are free to use others, but the Google made it clear that ADT was officially deprecated since the end of 2015 to the focus on Android Studio as the official Android IDE.
History of Android Versions
The development of the android started in 2003 by Android, Inc, which was purchased by Google in 2005. There were at least two internal releases of the software inside Google and the OHA before the beta version was released. This beta was released on November 5, 2007, while the software development kit (SDK) was released on November 12, 2007.
Several public beta versions of the SDK were released. These releases were done through software emulations as physical devices did not exist to test the operating systems. The first public release of Android 1.0 occurred with the release of the T-mobile G1 (HTC Dream) in October 2008.
The Android 1.0 and 1.1 were not released under specific code names. The code names “Astro Boy” and “Bender” were tagged internally on some f the early pre-1.0 milestone builds and were used as the actual code names of the 1.0 and 1.1 releases of the OS.
The project manager, Ryan Gibson, converted using a confectionary-themed naming scheme for the public releases, starting with the Android 1.5 cupcake, Google announced in August 2019 they were ending the confectionery theme scheme and use numerical ordering for the future versions. The first release under the numerical order format was Android 10, which was released the following month.
Each Android app lives in its security sandbox, protected by the following Android security features:
- The Android operating system is a multi-user Linux system in which each app is a different user.
- By default, the system assigns each app a unique Linux user ID (the ID is used only by the system and is unknown to the app). The system sets permissions for all the files in an app so that only the user ID assigned to that app can access them.
- Each process has its virtual machine (VM), so an app’s code runs in isolation from other apps.
- By default, every app runs in its own Linux process. The Android system starts the process when any of the app’s components need to be executed, and then shuts down the process when it’s no longer needed or when the system must recover memory for other apps.
How To Build an Android Application
Step 1: Install Integrated Development Environment
To program in most languages, you required a piece of software called IDE or ‘Integrated Development Environment’. The most common IDE for android application development is Android Studio, which comes directly from Google itself. You can get it. An IDE is what gives you the main UI where you will enter your code ( you can’t just start typing into the notepad).
It also highlights things you get wrong. Offers suggestions and lets you run and test your creations conveniently. It creates the files you require, it provides basic layouts and generally it saves you a lot of time and effort.
What is great about Android studio is that it is designed specifically for the android development ( unlike the second most popular option, Eclipse ). This means that when you download the software, you will also get a lot of the other bits you require including the Android SDK ( a selection of tools including the Android platform itself ) and the Android Virtual Device, which is an emulator you can test your application on.
When you go through the installation, make sure you leave the boxes ticked to confirm that you want these additional components. You could manually add them later, but this will just complicate matters.
Step 2: Setting Up Android Studio
You have Android studio installed you’re taken your first, bold step towards becoming a developer! A lot of people only manage it this far and then leave the software installed on their computer for months on end, feeling guilty every time they see it in the start menu.
Eventually, they end deleting it to make space for the next AAA title on steam and so ends the whole sorry affair. Don’t end up like them – it is a time for some more affirmative action!
Before you can get started, you also require to install a Java machine to use the android studio. Specifically, you are going to install the java development kit (JDK). Java is the programming language you’re going to be using to build your applications in this instance and you need to install the JDK for the android studio to be able o interpret and compile your code ( compiling means turning the source into something that is understood by the CPU – machine code ).
You will find the java development kit from the internet through several sources. Just download and follow the instructions to install. Now you can click on the android studio and launch it. Once it opens up, you will be presented with a menu where you’ll be able to get started or configure some options.
The great thing is that everything is handled for you at this point, though you may want to familiarize yourself with the SDK to support newer versions, as well as download things like code samples or support for Google glass. But don’t worry about that now but if an android studio says you’re missing something, this is where you’ll probably require to go to find it.
Three main things are interacting when you use an android studio to create your applications.
- Android Studio itself, which is an IDE that provides you with a nice interface for the coding.
- The code you write Java, which you installed a moment ago.
- And the android SDK which you will access through your Java code to do android-type things.
I find this all a bit complicated and daunting then.. well, you don’t know you’re born. This used to be way worse.
Maybe that offers some consolation.
Step 3: Starting a New Project
Once you’ve installed your samples, you can go back to the first page you saw when you loaded up an android studio. Now you want to choose and start a new project. It’s finally happening!
Enter the name you want for your application and your ‘company domain’ Together these elements will be used to create your package name with the following format:
Step 3: Making an Actual Thing
Once your application you should see a directory tree on the left with all the different files and folders that make up your application and a picture of a phone displaying ‘hello world’ in the center. Well, hello to you as well!
(A basic application displays ‘ hello world’ is what most new developers make the first when they learn to program in a new language. Android studio cheats though, because it does it for you!)
You might notice that the open tab (along the top) is activity_main.xml’, which is what the big phone is showing on its display. You may recall that activity_main.xml is the XML code that defines the layout instructions for your main activity.
If you selected ‘Basic Activity when you started your project, then you’ll see a second XML file too called ‘content_main.xml’. For most of the part, these two do the same thing but the ‘activity_main.xml’ contains the basic layout that an android studio created for you when you selected ‘basic activity’. The stuff you want to edit is in content_main.xml, so open that up and don’t worry about it for now.
The Layout
Android studio is not showing the XML code itself here but rather a rendering of how the layout will appear on the screen. This is a visual editor a bit like Dreamweaver for web design and it makes life a little easier for us developers. You also have a bunch of options called ‘widgets’ down the left that you can add to your application.
This is your basic app stuff; so for instance, if you want to add a button saying ‘OK’ to your activity, you can simply drag it over to the screen and drop it anywhere you will like. Go ahead and dump an ‘OK button right underneath the ‘Hello World’.
Something else you will find is that you can click on either of these elements to change the text and the ‘ID’. The ID is how you’re referring to each element ( called a ‘view’ ) in your Java code while the text is of course what you display to the user. Delete the ‘Hello World’ widgets ( or view ) and changes the text on the button to ‘Hello?’. Likewise, change the ‘ID’ on the button to ‘button1’.
I am now stealthily getting you to write a little program… Notice as well that when you select a view. You can get options in the bottom right to change the text color and size etc. You can play around with these variables if you like to change the entire look of your button. We’re coming back here in a minute though so make a mental note!
Now open up your MainActivity .java.
The tab will be along the top but in the case, it isn’t, find it under App > Java. This is the code that defines the behavior of your application. At this stage, you are going to add in a little passage of code.
Now, we consider the 5 android application development fundamentals for the beginners.
The cool features that come along with the application are what draw the interests of users make phones ‘smart’ and through their benefits, apps have drastically transformed how we function today.
1. Master the Language
Java and XML are the two main programming languages used in android application development.
Knowledge and mastery over these programming languages are, therefore, perquisites to developing an Android application. Some of the fundamentals of the Java programming language include:
- Packages
- Objects & classes
- Inheritance & interfaces
- Strings & numbers, generics,
- collection
- concurrency
Proper understanding of Java and XML will help you to build/develop a more robust and elegant android application.
2. Familiarity With The Right Development Tools and Environment
It is very important that you familiarize yourself with the build automation tools as well as the integrated development environment before you start developing your application. You can use android application studio IDE or the Eclipse for the tools; they will help you learn the basics and many other things that will help to improve your code.
You can learn Apache Maven, Apache Ant, and Gradle as they provide a powerful set of tools to help in managing your builds. It is also important that you familiarize yourself with source control tools and concepts. You have to learn the git and then create a git-source repository ( by creating an account on Bitbucket or Github ). To understand the basics concepts and terms of how the platform operates, you can use the git pockets guide.
3.Knowledge of the Application Components
Application components are the essential building of android app development. Each of the components is a different point by which the system can enter to your applications. Although each one of them exists as it has own entity and plays a specific role, there are some which depend on each other, and not all of them are crucial entry points.
There are five different types of app components each serving a distinct purpose with a distinct life cycle which defines how it is created and destroyed. They include:
Activities: This is a component that represents a single screen with a user interface (for instance, an email app may have one activity showing a list of new emails, another activity composing emails, and another one reading emails). Activities work together to form a cohesive user experience in the app. However, each one of them is independent.
Services: This is a component that runs in the background to perform work for remote processes or long-running operations. It does not provide a user interface (for instance it might play music in the background while the user is in a different app).
Content providers: This is the component that manages a shared set of app data. Through this component, the data that you store either in the file system, on the web, an SQLite database can be queried or even modified (as long as the content provider allows it). This component is also useful for writing and reading data that is not shared and is private to your app.
Broadcast receivers: This is the component that responds to system-wide broadcast announcements. Most of the broadcast receivers originate from the system, and although they do not display a user interface, they can create a status bar notification that alerts the user when a broadcast event occurs. Generally, it is a gateway to the other components and it only does minimal work.
Conclusion
In this blog, we covered all the topics and concerns regarding android application development. You can read it carefully.
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