CHAPTER 2

Setting Up Your Android Development

Environment
 Course Outline Chapter 2
• Android Development Environment
• Acquiring the Integrated Development Environment(IDE)
• Tuning up the hardware
• Installing and configuring support tools
• Acquiring the Android SDK
 Chapter 2: Setting Up Your Android
Development Environment
• Mobile Application Development Options

• Android Development Environment

• Installing Android Studio

• Android Growth
• Android Versions
• Android Architecture
• Hardware Tools
• Software Tools
 Mobile Application Development Options
• Native apps are specific to a given mobile platform (iOS or Android) using
the development tools and language that the respective platform
supports.
• iOS : Swift (Xcode), Objective-C
• Android : Java, Kotlin
• Window Mobile : C-Sharp
• Hybrid apps embed HTML5 apps inside a thin native container.
• use standard web technologies—typically HTML5, JavaScript and CSS.
• This write-once-run-anywhere approach to mobile development
creates cross-platform mobile applications that work on multiple
devices.
• Can create sophisticated apps with HTML5 and JavaScript alone, BUT
some vital limitations remain at the time of writing, specifically
session management, secure offline storage, and access to native
device functionality (camera, calendar, geolocation, etc.)
 Native Mobile Applications
• Provide the best usability, the best features, and the best overall mobile experience.
• There are some things you only get with native apps:
• Multi touch - double taps, pinch-spread, and other compound UI gestures
• Fast graphics API - the native platform gives you the fastest graphics, which may not be a big deal if
you’re showing a static screen with only a few elements, or a very big deal if you’re using a lot of
data and require a fast refresh.
• Fluid animation - related to the fast graphics API is the ability to have fluid animation. This is
especially important in gaming, highly interactive reporting, or intensely computational algorithms
for transforming photos and sounds.
• Built-in components - The camera, address book, geolocation, and other features native to the
device can be seamlessly integrated into mobile apps. Another important built-in components is
encrypted storage, but more about that later.
• Ease of use - The native platform is what people are accustomed to, and so when you add that
familiarity with all of the native features they expect, you have an app that’s just plain easier to use.
• Documentation - There are over 2500 books alone for iOS and Android development, with many
more articles, blog posts, and detailed technical threads on sites like StackOverflow.
 Native Mobile Applications (cont.)
• Developed using an integrated development environment (IDE).
• IDEs provide tools for building debugging, project management, version
control, and other tools professional developers need.
• iOS and Android apps are developed using different IDEs and
languages.
• Use the tools required by the device.
FOR THIS COURSE
Android apps develop using
Android Studio IDE
Old Developer Android
Environment
 Eclipse IDE: type code in, compile,
not Android‐specific

 Android Dev Tools (ADT): Eclipse

plugin, adds Android functionality

 Android Software Dev Kit (SDK):

Tools to build, test and run apps

 Packages: Enables developing for

various Android versions
New Developer Android
Environment
 Google developed it’s own IDE called
Android Studio
 Combines tools in old development
environment into 1
 Cleaner interface specifically for Android
Development (e.g. drag and drop app design)
 In December 2014, Google announced it will
stop supporting Eclipse IDE

Android Studio
 Tuning up the hardware
• Operating system:
Android supports these platforms
• Windows XP or later
• Mac OS X 10.5 or later
• Linux with GNOME or KDE
• Computer Specification
• OS version Microsoft Windows 10/8/7 (32- or 64-bit)
• 3 GB RAM minimum, 8 GB RAM recommended; plus 1 GB for the Android Emulator
• 2 GB of available disk space minimum, 4 GB Recommended (500 MB for IDE + 1.5
GB for Android SDK and emulator system image)
• HDD - 20 GB :- Updated SDKs, Data files, etc. (preferred)
• At least 8-10 GB free in your C Drive so that the programs will be having enough space to
process while running.
• 1280 x 800 minimum screen resolution
• Java version Java Development Kit (JDK) 8
 Installing and configuring support tools
Need to install and configure a few tools:
• Android Studio: An easy to use Integrated Development Environment
(IDE) that brings together Java and the Android SDK to make it simple
to write Android apps.
• Java JDK: The Java Development Kit. Lays the foundation for the
Android SDK.
• Android SDK: Included in Android Studio. Provides access to Android
libraries and allows you to develop for Android.
 Installing Android Studio
 Step 1: Install Java (the latest version)
 Note: You may already have Java installed. Check first

 Step 2: Set JAVA_HOME system variable

 This variable tells applications that need Java where it is installed

 Step 3: Install Android Studio (the latest version)

 Bucky Roberts (thenewboston): nice youtube Android tutorials

 Tutorial 1: Install Java [ Watch it ]
 Tutorial 2: Install Android Studio [ Watch it ]
STEP 1: Install Java
 Install Java : Step 1a
• Installing the Java Development Kit (JDK) on Windows
• http://
www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/in
dex.html
 Install Java : Step 1b

• Downloading the
JDK on Windows
 Install Java : Step 1c
• Executing the JDK
Wizard on Windows
• C:\Java
Install Java : Step 1d
STEP 2: Set JAVA_HOME system
variable
Set JAVA_HOME system variable : Step 2a
• Configuring Environmental Variables on Windows
Set JAVA_HOME system variable : Step 2b
• Configuring System variable on Windows
Set JAVA_HOME system variable : Step 2c
• Edit the PATH environmental variable on Windows
• Place your cursor at the end of the Variable Value field and type the
following:
;%JAVA_HOME%\bin

• In the command-line window, issue the following command and press

Enter:
java –version
STEP 3: Install Android Studio
 Install Android Studio : Step 3a
• Installing Android Studio https://
developer.android.com/studio/index.html
 Install Android Studio : Step 3b
• Once the download is complete, execute the file you just
downloaded.
 Install Android Studio : Step 3c
• Select locations for Android Studio and the SDK
 Install Android Studio : Step 3d
• Completing the Android Studio setup
 Tour of Android Studio Interface
 Quickoverview of main sections of Android
Studio
 Windows menu bar
 Android tool bar
 Project window
 Editor Window
 Palette for Drag‐and‐Drop Design of Android buttons

 More detailed coverage of specific UI aspects

later
Typical Windows Menu Bar (File, edit, etc)
Tool Bar: Shortcuts to Frequently used Android-specific Functions
(E.g. One-click access to SDK manager)
Path to Current File in IDE Window (Clickable)
Editor Window (Allows editting of current file we are working on)
Clicking on Editor Window Tabs switches between Java code and Visual Interface
Project Window (Allows between project files, packages, etc)
Palette of Drag-and-Drop Elements for Designing Interface (Layout, widgets, etc)
Parameters of Drag-and-Drop Elements for Designing Interface
(e.g. colors, dimensions of widgets, etc)
 Importing Existing Code

 Can also import existing code

 The text comes with lots of free code you can learn from,
use in projects as starting point
 Can import from gitHub repository
 Trying out the API and SDK samples
http://d.android.com/samples/
Android Versions/API Levels
 References
• Slides from Prof. Emmanuel Agu, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, CS
528, Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing Class, Fall 2017,
• 2017 J.F. DiMarzio, Beginning Android Programming with Android
Studio, 4th Edition, Indianapolis, Indiana