Many of you may have an interesting idea about having an application but you are not sure where to start the process. Let me tell you in this very post that how you can, with very little knowledge of programming, can develop an android application. So, if you have a great idea for app and are ready to turn it in to reality and sell in the market, you are at right place.
If you want to start from the basic, it is difficult to learn how to write code and it gets more complicated when you have to do it for android development as for this, you need to work on many things. First of all, you need to understand the ABC of Java. You are also required to download all Android specific software and need to learn that how to develop an android application with all its essentials. This is not it, you must know that developing an android application is an uphill task as it requires Integrated Development Environment known as IDE, Software Development Kit (SDK), JDK (Java Software Kit) etc. and there are a lot more processes involved which you need to look into deeply like API levels, Google Play Services, screen sizes etc. for making an app with the known yet complicated procedures.
So, it is evident from the discussion above that android app development is a pretty difficult task and many people give in before they even start and their idea never gets conceptualized. So here I am going to simplify the process of how to develop a basic android app which can give you a head start so that later after experimenting, you can perfect it for market accordingly. The very step you need to follow is to
Download android Studio:
First of all, to start the process of android app development, you need Integrated Development Environment. It is software which is known as IDE and Android Studio is the most commonly used IDE for development of Android which is provided directly by Google. IDE is the platform which provides you with the main UI where you can type your codes as you cannot simply do it in Notepad. It is a very efficient tool as it provides abundant help in highlighting all errors you make and give possible suggestions. It also allows you to test your code easily. It also helps provide a very basic layout and creates all files you need which saves you a lot of time. This tool has been specifically designed for android application development so when you install it, it also provides you with other needed tools like Android Virtual Device and Android SDK. The former is an emulator for testing and the later features tools you would need, including Android platform.
So, when you are downloading the program, make sure that you don’t forget to check boxes for these additional tools which come handy a lot.
Although there are some other tools available which you can use for android app development Dubai like Eclipse, Unity3D and Basic4Android etc. but they are a bit more complex and need more time to focus.
So, here we will focus only on Android Studio as this is the most convenient and meets the industry standards in case you want to sell in market later.
So, now as I have made myself clear that Android Studio is a better option as it gives you more control and can help you become a professional developer, let’s move on to next step!
How to set up Android Studio?
So, once you have downloaded the Android Studio in your system, now you need to buckle up as you are embarking on the journey of a professional app developer. So, once Android Studio is downloaded, also download Java Development Kit. After that,
- launch the Android Studio
- Configure the options.
Remember that there are three main tools you will be focusing on for app development.
- Android Studio, an IDE that facilitates a great interface for coding.
- Code which you will write in Java
- And the last but not least, the Android SDK that will be accessible through Java Code for doing Android typing.
- Start a new project:
As you have installed all samples, click back to the first page which you encountered when you downloaded Android Studio. After that click on “Start new Android Studio Project”. Then you can enter your company domain name and application name. Resulting a format like this: “com.companyname.appname”, the both mentioned elements will help create your package name. This package will then be compiled in APK file which will eventually be uploaded on Google Play Store so choose your app names wisely.
The last field you will be fulfilling is the directory where all your files related to you app will be stored. It is better to save in DropBox as it will let you have a sure back up of your code.
The next thing you need to decide is to choose the device for which you want to develop you app for. In this article, we will start with Tablet and Phone option. You can also explore other options too in future as you get skilled.
After that you need to decide about the ‘Minimum SDK’. What is this? This is lowest version of Android which you want to support at this point. You cannot immediately select the latest version as many people do not have that installed in their phones. So, phones which are on older versions of Android won’t be able to access your application. So, at this stage, it is better to choose Default option. It will do things easier for you.
You will get more options to work with, in the next page. Here you will basically have to select appearance of your ‘Activity Module’. This is simply the main page of your android application. These are just like templates where you decide about UI filling your whole display or how title should go on the screen etc.
One thing you need to remember here that an application can have several activities which will behave like separate pages on a website. For example, there can be a main activity and a setting activity which means that an activity is not exactly an app rather a single page of your app. So, for beginning you need to start with “Basic Activity” which displays a single activity. After that move on to next option!
Here you will have to select a name for your activity and layout. You should choose a simple and logical word for this as the activity name will be mentioned in your code for reference. On the other hand, your layout name represents a file which determines the layout of any activity. This features a separate code which runs with main activity but helps you define about many elements like menus, fonts and images.
After that you need to choose names for title and menu. Try to choose a title which attracts users as your users will see it some time. After that click next and there you go! You can see your app and it is blank as because this is the point from where you will start the real work.
As you open the app, on left, you will see a directory tree which contains all files and folders which make your app. As you selected “Basic Activity” on beginning of the project, you will see an XML file with the name ‘content_main.xml’ where you can edit the stuff.
Remember, Android Studio will not show XML code rather it will display how a layout will look on screen.
You can click on left for “widgets” which will provide you different options to add in your application.
After that, you are needed to open MainActivity.java which will let you write code for your application and here comes you little information about programming very handy.
Now when you are done with all coding, you just need to run your application. From the top drop down menu, you can run the app. For this, you need to have your Android Virtual Device installed. Then follow the steps for emulator to run your application as mentioned in the program and there you go! You first android application!
This is the very basic technique which allows you to create basic application.
Android app development Dubai is not a complicated procedure if you have some background of programming. You can use all tools mentioned in the article above for giving a start to your app development career. Here I have introduced you to the fundamentals of development procedure for android which you can master by experimenting with time.
