What is Android?
● mobile operating system maintained by Google
– originally purchased from Android, Inc. in 2005
● runs on phones, tablets, watches, TVs, ...
● based on Java (dev language) and Linux (kernel)
● the #1 mobile OS worldwide
– and now #1 overall OS worldwide!
● has over 1 million apps published in Play Store
● code is released as open source (periodically)
– easier to customize, license, pirate, etc. than iOS
Why develop for Android?
● Why not just write a web site? Android has a browser...
– better, snappier UI with a more consistent user experience
– able to use different kinds of widgets/controls than in a web page
– more direct access to the device's hardware (camera, GPS, etc.)
– users highly prefer apps over mobile web browsing
Why not iOS?
● Why not write apps for iOS, which runs on iPhones and iPads?
– familiar programming language
(Java instead of Obj-C or Swift)
– free developer tools
(Apple charges $$$ for theirs)
– more liberated app store
(can make an app and put on your phone or others')
– Android has a larger install base
– there is already a CS 193P class for building iOS apps! Take it!
Android architecture
● Android OS provides libraries for many system features like
contacts, phone dialing, notifications, 2D/3D graphics, database
access, security / encryption, camera, audio, input/output, ...
– Android Java code is compiled into a special Dalvik binary format
Android version history (link)
Version API level Date Name
1.0-1.1 1,2 Sep 2008 none
1.5 3 Apr 2009 Cupcake
1.6 4 Sep 2009 Donut
2.0-2.1 5,6,7 Oct 2009 Eclair
2.2 8 May 2010 Froyo
2.3 9,10 Dec 2010 Gingerbread
3.0 11,12,13 Feb 2011 Honeycomb
4.0 14,15 Oct 2011 Ice Cream
Sandwich
4.1-4.3 16,17,18 Jun 2012 Jelly Bean
4.4 19,20 Sep 2013 Kit Kat
5.0 21 Jun 2014 Lollipop
What about latest android version ?
Android version distribution
Version issues
● Check your phone's version of Android:
– Settings → System → About Device → Android version
– "Why wouldn't my phone have the newest Android version?
Can't I just update it?"
● Several companies affect whether your device is up-to-date:
– Google; phone manufacturer; service provider; ...
● If any company in the chain doesn't want to push out an update
for your device, it can become out of date.
Android Studio
● Google's official Android IDE, in v1.0 as of November 2014
– replaces previous Eclipse-based environment
– based on IntelliJ IDEA editor; free to download and use
Project structure
● AndroidManifest.xml
– overall project config and settings
● src/java/...
– source code for your Java classes
● res/... = resource files (many are XML)
– drawable/ = images
– layout/ = descriptions of GUI layout
– menu/ = overall app menu options
– values/ = constant values and arrays
– strings = localization data
– styles = general appearance styling
● Gradle
– a build/compile management system
– build.gradle = main build config file
Virtual Devices (AVDs)
● allows you to run your project in an emulator
– a software simulation of an entire Android tablet, phone, watch
– when you click the "Run" button in Android Studio,
it builds your app, installs it on the virtual device, and loads it
● must set up virtual device first
in Android Studio
● alternative: install your app
on your actual Android device!
– pro: app will run faster,
better test of real execution
– con: requires Android device,
must be plugged into dev PC
App build process
Top-down design
● Let's start from a design of an app that we want to create and
then learn the necessary skills to build that app.
● "Bigger Number" game (really dumb)
– user is shown two numbers
– must choose which one is bigger by
clicking on the appropriate button
– game pops up brief "correct" / "incorrect"
message after each guess
– get points for each correct answer
(lose points for incorrect answers)
Creating a new project
Android terminology
● activity: a single screen of UI that appears in your app
– the fundamental units of GUI in an Android app
● view: items that appear onscreen in an activity
– widget: GUI control such as a button or text field
– layout: invisible container that manages
positions/sizes of widgets
● event: action that occurs when user interacts with widgets
– e.g. clicks, typing, scrolling
● action bar: a menu of common actions at top of app
● notification area: topmost system menu and icons
Android widgets
Analog/DigitalClock Button Checkbox Date/TimePicker
EditText Gallery ImageView/Button ProgressBar
RadioButton Spinner TextView MapView, WebView
Designing a user interface
● open XML file for your layout (e.g. activity_main.xml)
● drag widgets from left Palette to the preview image
● set their properties in lower-right Properties panel
Events
● event: An external stimulus your program can respond to.
● Common kinds of events include:
– Mouse motion / tapping, Keys pressed,
– Timers expiring, Network data available
● event-driven programming: Overall
execution of your program is largely dictated by user events.
– Commonly used in graphical programs.
● To respond to events in a program, you must:
– Write methods to handle each kind of event ("listener" methods).
– Attach those methods to particular GUI widgets.
Setting an event listener
● select the widget in the Design view
● scroll down its Properties until you find onClick
● type the name of a method you'll write to handle the click
● switch to the Text view and find the XML for that button
● click the "Light Bulb" and choose to "Create" the method
Event listener Java code
View objects
● each widget has an associated Java object you can access
● they are subclasses of parent class View
– examples: Button, TextView, EditText, ...
● View objects have many get and set methods that correspond
to the properties in the Design view:
– background, bottom, ID, left, margin, padding, right, text,
textAlignment, textSize, top, typeface, visibility, x, y, z, ...
– example: for a Button's text property, there will be methods:
public String getText()
public void setText(String text)
– Find list of properties in Design view, or typing ".get" on a button in Java
code, or at: https://developer.android.com/reference/
Interacting with widgets
● accessing a widget in the Java code:
1. in Design view, give that view a unique ID property value
2. in Java code, call findViewById to access its View object
● pass it a parameter of R.id.your_unique_ID
● cast the returned value to the appropriate type (Button, TextView, etc.)
public void button1_onclick(View view) {
TextView tv = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.mytextview);
tv.setText("You clicked it!");
}
Exercise: Number game
● New let's build that "Bigger Number" game! Recall:
– user is shown two numbers
– must choose which one is bigger by
clicking on the appropriate button
– game pops up brief "correct" / "incorrect"
message after each guess
– get points for each correct answer
(lose points for incorrect answers)
Displaying Toasts
Toast.makeText(this,
"message",
duration).show();
– where duration is Toast.LENGTH_SHORT or LENGTH_LONG
● A "Toast" is a pop-up message that appears for a short time.
● Useful for displaying short updates in response to events.
● Should not be relied upon extensively for important info.
