Practical Android Projects

✍ Scribed by Lucas Jordan, Pieter Greyling

• Publisher: Apress
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 418
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Take a practical approach to becoming a leading-edge Android developer, learning by example while combining the many technologies needed to create a successful, up-to-date web app. Practical Android Projects introduces the Android SDK and development tools of the trade, and then dives into building cool-looking and fun apps that put Androids amazing capabilities to work.
Android is the powerful, full-featured, open source mobile platform that powers phones like Google Nexus, Motorola Droid, Samsung Galaxy S, and a variety of HTC phones and tablet computers.
This book helps you quickly get Android projects up and running with the free and open source Eclipse, NetBeans, and IntelliJ IDEA IDEs. Then you build and extend mobile applications using the Android SDK, Java, Scripting Layer for Android, and languages such as Python, Ruby, javascript/HTML, Flex/AIR, and Lua.
What youll learn
In Practical Android Projects youll work on real-world projects such as:
Hosting an Android BASIC interpreter
Extending your Java-based Android applications with embedded LUA
Scripting your Android device with SL4A
Adding Twitter and Facebook to your applications
Using 2D graphics and animations for casual games
Creating cross-platform apps with javascript/HTML and Flex with AIR
Who this book is for
Practical Android Projects is for any developer new to the Android platform who wants to learn to build mobile applications. Knowledge of the fundamentals of Java programming is assumed.
Table of Contents
Android Fundamentals
Development Tools in Practice
Roll Your Own Android Scripting Environment
Embedding Lua in Android Applications
Introducing SL4A: The Scripting Layer for Android
Creating a GUI with HTML/javascript and AIR
Using REST with Facebook and Twitter
Using the Google App Engine with Android
Game Development: Graphics
Game Development: Animation
App Invento

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
......Page 1
Contents at a Glance......Page 3
Contents......Page 409
About the Authors......Page 414
About the Technical Reviewer......Page 415
Acknowledgments......Page 416
Preface......Page 417
Android Fundamentals......Page 4
Installing the Android SDK......Page 5
Android SDK and Target Platforms......Page 6
Android SDK Test Drive......Page 12
Android Architecture and Background......Page 23
The Android Platform Stack......Page 24
The Android Runtime: Dalvik Virtual Machine (DVM)......Page 26
Using an Integrated Development Environment (IDE)......Page 30
On the Web: Eclipse for Android Development......Page 31
Quickstart: The Eclipse Android Development Tools (ADT) Plugin......Page 32
On the Web: NetBeans for Android Development......Page 36
Quickstart: The NetBeans Android (NBAndroid) Plugin......Page 37
On the Web: JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA for Android Development......Page 45
Quickstart: The IntelliJ IDEA Android Plugin......Page 46
Summary......Page 50
Development Tools in Practice......Page 51
Ensure that Development Kit Locations Are on the Path......Page 52
Preparing an Android Virtual Device (AVD)......Page 53
Frequently Used Android Development Kit Tools......Page 54
Selecting a Code Editor......Page 55
Configuring the Editor for Android Work......Page 58
The Example Application Project......Page 60
Generating the Foundation Android Project......Page 61
The Android Project Directory Structure......Page 62
Starting a Debugging Session......Page 63
Replacing the Default Generated Code......Page 65
Creating a Log Filter for the Application in the DDMS......Page 66
Running the Example Application......Page 68
What Does the Demo Application Do?......Page 69
A Walk through the Core Application Files......Page 76
Using the Android Log API......Page 83
Centralizing Application GUI Initialization Code......Page 87
Exiting an Application Activity......Page 88
Enabling and Disabling Buttons (and other Views)......Page 89
Creating Controls Dynamically (at Runtime in Code)......Page 90
Showing an Android Alert Dialog......Page 92
Creating and Showing an Android System Notification......Page 93
Using a Private Application File......Page 94
Making Menus......Page 97
Create a New Android Project from the Copy of the Project......Page 99
Create and Test a New Run Configuration for the Project......Page 100
Deploying to a Real Device......Page 101
Creating a Signed APK Package of the Example Application......Page 103
Summary......Page 106
Roll Your Own Android Scripting Environment......Page 107
The Components of a Scripting System......Page 108
The Component Roles in a Scripting System......Page 109
Designing for Resource-Constrained Systems......Page 111
Programming with BASIC......Page 112
Cocoa—A BASIC Interpreter for Java......Page 113
Understanding the Cocoa-BASIC AWT Application Design......Page 114
Running the Cocoa-BASIC AWT Desktop Application......Page 116
Reviewing the Cocoa-BASIC AWT Source Code......Page 120
A Preflight Checklist......Page 122
Understanding the CocoaDroid Application Design......Page 123
Running the CocoaDroid Android Application......Page 124
Summary......Page 155
Embedding Lua in Android Applications......Page 156
Lua Resources......Page 157
Using Kahlua2 in Your Android Java Applications......Page 158
The Kahlua2 Project......Page 159
Setting up the Kahlua2 Runtime Files Project......Page 160
Building from an IDE......Page 161
The Kahlua2 Runtime Libraries......Page 162
Setting up the Project......Page 163
Building from an IDE......Page 164
Running the Kahlua2 Android Interpreter......Page 165
Understanding the Basics of Embedding Kahlua2......Page 166
The KahluaDroid Project......Page 169
Running the KahluaDroid Application......Page 170
Running Lua Code On or Off the Main GUI Thread......Page 177
Exposing Android Application Methods to Kahlua2......Page 181
Calling Application Methods as Lua Functions......Page 184
Implementing an Application Startup Script......Page 186
Summary......Page 193
Introducing SL4A: The Scripting Layer for Android......Page 194
Using SL4A......Page 195
The SL4A Code Repository......Page 196
Development Environment Configuration......Page 197
Installing the SL4A APK on the Android Emulator......Page 198
Running SL4A on the Android Emulator......Page 199
Installing SL4A Interpreters......Page 203
Communicating Using JavaScript Object Notation (JSON)......Page 210
Summarizing the SL4A Architecture......Page 211
Reviewing Local Proxy Implementations......Page 212
Getting the SL4A Source Code......Page 216
Cloning the SL4A Source Code......Page 217
SL4A Hello World Examples......Page 220
Summary......Page 221
Creating a GUI with HTML/JavaScript and AIR......Page 222
Setting Up an Android Project to Display a Web Application......Page 223
The Android Project......Page 224
Calling Android Methods from JavaScript......Page 226
JavaScript Application......Page 227
Graphics and Animation......Page 232
User Interaction......Page 236
Using Flash and Flex Apps on Android with AIR......Page 239
Writing a Flex Application for Android......Page 240
Building and Deploying......Page 241
Creating the Flex UI with MXML......Page 245
Writing ActionScript......Page 247
Summary......Page 251
Using REST with Facebook and Twitter......Page 252
Understanding REST......Page 253
REST and JSON......Page 254
REST from an Android Application......Page 256
Asynchronous Tasks......Page 259
Twitter......Page 260
Examples in Code......Page 262
Tweeting on Behalf of the User......Page 266
Confirming the User Wants to Tweet......Page 267
Facebook and Authentication......Page 269
Facebook’s Social Graph API......Page 273
Summary......Page 275
Using the Google App Engine with Android......Page 276
Getting Started with GAE......Page 277
Using Eclipse with GAE......Page 279
GAE Project Structure......Page 281
Charges for the Google App Engine Service......Page 284
Google App Engine Services......Page 285
Examining a Sample GAE Application......Page 288
Adding the HighScore Service......Page 291
Querying the HighScore Service......Page 294
Consuming GAE Services with Android......Page 298
Exploring the Top Ten Activity......Page 301
Viewing the Users of a Game......Page 304
Viewing a User’s Location (MapView)......Page 306
Summary......Page 311
Game Development: Graphics......Page 312
Understanding XML Layout......Page 313
Layout in Code......Page 318
Custom Component......Page 321
Drawable Class......Page 329
Drawable Subclasses......Page 331
NinePatchDrawable......Page 335
Direct Rendering......Page 337
Summary......Page 341
Android Animations......Page 342
Creating Views and Animations......Page 344
Frame By Frame Animations......Page 354
Mixing Views and SurfaceViews......Page 360
Summary......Page 361
Setting Up App Inventor......Page 362
Working with Blocks......Page 366
Understanding the Types of Blocks......Page 368
Creating Application Logic with the Block Editor......Page 377
Limitations of App Inventor......Page 384
Limited Set of Components......Page 385
Limitations in Block Editor......Page 386
Summary......Page 387
A......Page 388
C......Page 391
D......Page 393
F......Page 394
G......Page 395
H......Page 396
K......Page 397
L......Page 398
M......Page 399
P......Page 400
R......Page 401
S......Page 402
T......Page 404
Y, Z......Page 405