Introduction to Android Application Development
I am an Android app developer and this
is my first tutorial on Android application development for beginners
to guide them how to develop simple but effective Android
applications. We'll start by the procedure of installing Android
SDK with Eclipse ADT plugin, and using these two softwares
we'll develop a simple program, "Hello World", So
let's do it.
First-of-all, we'll learn about installing Android SDK
Requirement for the installation
» I am using Windows 7 as operating
system in this tutorial, the procedure may differ if you are using an
OS other than Windows 7.
» Java development kit is a very
essential component for the installation, so just make sure whether
it is installed in your computer or not. If it is not installed, than
you can download it from the link below and simply follow the
installation instructions link from the page.
» As Android app development requires the
basic knowledge of JAVA programming and
XML based scripts, so if you are
not familiar with these programming languages then you can download
online tutorial from internet and learn java programming using them.
Installation of Android SDK
» Download
the latest Android SDK from this given official link according to
your requirement: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
» Choose
your Android SDK according to your requirement, (I am using Windows 7
64 bit version, so I will download installer_r22.6.2-windows.exe)
» When the download
gets completed, extract the zip file in any folder of your choice,
but remember that there shouldn't be any white space in the file
path.
» Now you can begin
the installation by choosing the SDK platform that you need to
install, you can also install various code samples, documentation and
add-ons.
» Congratulations,
you're done with the installation of Android SDK.
Installation of Eclipse IDE and ADT Plugin
» Download the latest
version of Eclipse IDE & ADT plugins from the link given below.
You can also download IDE and ADT plugins for JAVA developers.
» After downloading
the components, extract them in a folder.
» Now, open the
Eclipse IDE and choose Windows > Preferences
» Choose Android
within the setup and set the SDK location. Click Apply
and then OK.
» Now, we'll install
the Eclipse ADT plugin. Choose Help > Install New Software...
» Click
on Add...
Type Eclipse ADT
in front of Name and place the path
http://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse/
for location, as shown in the picture below.
» At last, just check
the Developer Tools and click Next to install. Accept
the required agreements and follow all the instructions.
Congratulations,
you have installed Android SDK, Eclipse IDE and ADT plugins
successfully.
Now, let's create the first Android program
» It's
very essential to make a new Virtual
Device, before creating
an Android project. Open
SDK Manager and choose
Virtual Devices in it. Click on New...
to create new Virtual Device.
» Check-out the
picture provided below, and set all the options according to the
given picture and click Create AVD.
» Now we are done
with Virtual Device. Next step, open File > New >
Project.... Choose Android Project and then Next....
» Check-out the two
pictures provided below, fill-out the details accordingly and click
Finish.
» Now, it's the time
to test the application, Click on the Run button and a Run As
window will appear, choose Android Application. Wait until the
Virtual Device appears.
» Finally, you'll see
a screen like this, and you have created your first Android
application successfully.
Check-out these
free online sources to learn more about Android application
development
- https://developer.android.com/training/basics/firstapp/index.html?hl=p
- http://www.tutorialspoint.com/android/
- http://www.coreservlets.com/android-tutorial/
- http://www.javacodegeeks.com/2010/10/android-full-application-tutorial.html
- http://thenewboston.org/list.php?cat=6
- https://www.udemy.com/android-tutorial/
- http://www.vogella.com/tutorials/Android/article.html
Want to develop your own Android applications to deliver your business needs?
Android is a nice
platform for beginners to begin with. Please share your thoughts
about this article in the comments section below.