5 Android App Development Fundamentals for Beginners
1. Master the Language
Java and XML are the two main programming languages used in
Android App development. Knowledge and mastery over these programming languages
are, therefore, prerequisites to developing an Android app. Some of the
fundamentals of the Java programming language include:
Packages
Objects & classes
Inheritance & interfaces
Strings & numbers, generics,
Collections
Concurrency
Proper understanding of Java and XML will help you
build/develop a more robust and elegant android app.
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 app. You can use Android app studio IDE or the
Eclipse for the tools; they will help you learn the basics and many other
things that will help 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. Learn the git and then create a git-source
repository (by creating an account on Bitbucket or GitHub). To understand the
basic concepts and terms of how the platform operates, you can use the Git
Pocket Guide.
3. Knowledge of the Application Components
Application components are the essential building blocks of
Android app development. Each of the components is a different point by which
the system can enter your app. Although each one of them exists as its own
entity and plays a specific role, there are some which depend on each other,
and not all of them are actual 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 which runs in the background
to perform work for remote processes or long-running operations. It does not
provide 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, a 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.
Activating components: A synchronous message referred to as
intent activates 3 of the 4 components (i.e. services, activities and broadcast
receivers). Intents also bind individual components to one another at runtime
whether the component belongs to your app or not.
4. Awareness over Fragmentations, Android
Application,Threads, Loaders and Tasks
Android is a fragmented market with many different devices
and operating system versions. Note that, if your device supports more devices
and/or versions it will definitely require more maintenance and testing as well
as the related costs. The vice-versa is also true. You also require appropriate
fonts, assets and layouts that will help in ensuring that the best possible
experiences in the various screen characteristics are given. You should also
consider the array of android supported sensors or UI facilities. All android
apps have an application class, one or more activities and one or more
fragments.
Sometimes, you may have services for background tasks that
should run continuously but other times you may not. If you want to deliver a
great and smooth user interface, always ensure that the thread is never
blocked. Therefore, the long operations (computations, I/O, network, etc.)
should all be run asynchronously in the background (mainly on a different
thread of execution). This is why it is important to learn the Java language
concurrency facilities.
5. Making the Right Choice over Needed Tools
The simple tools that you need for Android app development
are just a Mac or Windows PC, any type of Linux, and Eclipse, the ADT Plug in,
and the Android SDK—all of which are free. You can go through the installation
guide on Google to learn how to set up your development environment; it
provides documentation of everything needed. Android has some unique parameters
that you should consider when writing an Android app. Some of them include:
Performance and responsiveness: You should always respond to
user input within five seconds otherwise the operating system will ANR you.
(ANR-application not responding – the only option that you will have is to
force close your app.)
Lags of more than 100ms will be noticed by the users: As
mentioned above, the UI thread should never be blocked because it is only one.
Limited resources: Wake-locks (mechanism that forces the
device to do a certain thing despite the recommendation to put the device to
sleep by the battery manager) should be used sparingly. Do not unnecessarily
poll hardware (e.g. GPS or accelerometer) because it will quickly run down the
battery.
Conclusion
77% of Americans today own a smartphone, and apps are where the majority of their time
is spent. In fact, in 2017, 197 billion apps were downloaded, ensuring that a
career as an Android App Developer is a stable one with lots of opportunity for
growth. There’s a lot to learn, so consider getting started with Simplilearn’s
Google-authorized Certified Android App Developer training course. You’ll learn
to master Android fundamentals along with the other skills you need with
hands-on experience, developing six trending applications during the course.
The course is aligned with the Associate Android Developer (AAD) Exam conducted
by Google. Happy
app-developing![Source]-https://www.simplilearn.com/android-app-development-fundamentals-article
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