Sams Teach Yourself Android Application Development in 24 Hours

✍ Scribed by Shane Conder, Lauren Darcey

• Publisher: Sams Publishing
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 512
• Edition: 2
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Android is the world's #1 mobile development platform, and with the new Android 3.0, it's becoming as popular for tablets as it is for smartphones. If you are a beginner, in just 24 lessons of one hour or less, this friendly, full-color book will help you master modern Android development. You can build a fully-featured app from scratch, learning all the skills you'll need to create your own. Each lesson builds on prior chapters, providing a solid foundation for success. This edition is thoroughly updated for Android's newest features and development tools, while still supporting the popular Android 2.0. Coverage includes: Using Eclipse to write apps quickly and efficiently Understanding the application lifecycle Building robust, friendly user interfaces Retrieving, storing, and using data Adding network, social, and location-based features Supporting the camera and other hardware Internationalizing, testing, and publishing appsRevised and simplified step-by-step instructions with full-color screenshots walk you through key tasks... updated Q and As, Quizzes, and Exercises test your knowledge..."Did You Know?" tips offer insider advice..."Watch Out!" alerts help you avoid problems. By the time you're finished, you won't just understand core Android concepts: you'll be comfortable writing, testing, and publishing your own new apps.  

✦ Table of Contents

Table of Contents......Page 6
Introduction......Page 26
Who Should Read This Book?......Page 27
How This Book Is Structured......Page 28
What Is (and Isn’t) in This Book......Page 29
What Conventions Are Used in This Book?......Page 30
An Overview of Changes in This Edition......Page 31
About the Short Links......Page 32
Supplementary Tools Available......Page 33
Introducing Android......Page 34
Familiarizing Yourself with Eclipse......Page 38
Running and Debugging Applications......Page 46
Using the Android Documentation......Page 56
Debugging Applications with DDMS......Page 58
Working with the Android Emulator......Page 64
Using Other Android Tools......Page 68
Designing a Typical Android Application......Page 72
Using the Application Context......Page 76
Working with Activities......Page 77
Working with Intents......Page 81
Working with Dialogs......Page 83
Working with Fragments......Page 84
Logging Application Information......Page 85
Using Application and System Resources......Page 90
Working with Simple Resource Values......Page 94
Working with Drawable Resources......Page 97
Working with Layouts......Page 99
Working with Files......Page 102
Exploring the Android Manifest File......Page 108
Configuring Basic Application Settings......Page 112
Defining Activities......Page 116
Managing Application Permissions......Page 118
Managing Other Application Settings......Page 121
Designing an Android Trivia Game......Page 124
Implementing an Application Prototype......Page 131
Running the Game Prototype......Page 136
Designing the Splash Screen......Page 142
Implementing the Splash Screen Layout......Page 143
Working with Animation......Page 151
Designing the Main Menu Screen......Page 158
Implementing the Main Menu Screen Layout......Page 161
Working with the ListView Control......Page 165
Working with Other Menu Types......Page 169
Designing the Help Screen......Page 176
Implementing the Help Screen Layout......Page 178
Working with Files......Page 180
Designing the Scores Screen......Page 182
Implementing the Scores Screen Layout......Page 185
Building a Screen with Tabs......Page 188
Working with XML......Page 190
Designing the Settings Screen......Page 196
Implementing the Settings Screen Layout......Page 200
Using Common Form Controls......Page 203
Saving Form Data with SharedPreferences......Page 209
Working with Activity Dialogs......Page 214
Using the DatePickerDialog Class......Page 217
Working with Custom Dialogs......Page 221
Designing the Game Screen......Page 230
Implementing the Game Screen Layout......Page 233
Working with ViewSwitcher Controls......Page 236
Wiring Up Game Logic......Page 240
Designing the Avatar Feature......Page 252
Adding an Avatar to the Settings Layout......Page 254
Working with ImageButton Controls......Page 256
Choosing and Saving the Avatar Graphic......Page 259
Working with Bitmaps......Page 264
Designing the Favorite Place Feature......Page 270
Implementing the Favorite Place Feature......Page 273
Implementing the Favorite Place Dialog......Page 277
Using Location-Based Services......Page 279
Using Geocoding Services......Page 285
Working with Maps......Page 288
Designing Network Applications......Page 294
Developing Network Applications......Page 297
Accessing Network Services......Page 299
Indicating Network Activity with Progress Bars......Page 302
Running Tasks Asynchronously......Page 304
Downloading and Displaying Score Data......Page 305
Downloading and Parsing Question Batches......Page 312
Determining What Data to Send to the Server......Page 318
Keeping Player Data in Sync......Page 319
Uploading Settings Data to a Remote Server......Page 320
Uploading Score Data to a Remote Server......Page 329
Downloading Friends’ Score Data......Page 330
Enhancing Applications with Social Features......Page 334
Adding Friend Support to Your Application......Page 336
Integrating with Social Networking Services......Page 344
Designing an App Widget......Page 350
General Internationalization Principles......Page 366
How Android Localization Works......Page 368
Android Internationalization Strategies......Page 374
Using Localization Utilities......Page 376
Configuration Management for Android......Page 380
Exploring More Core Android Features......Page 396
Designing Advanced User Interfaces......Page 398
Working with Multimedia......Page 402
Working with 2D and 3D Graphics......Page 403
Personalizing Android Devices......Page 405
Managing and Sharing Data......Page 406
Accessing Underlying Device Hardware......Page 411
Testing Best Practices......Page 416
Maximizing Test Coverage......Page 420
Understanding the Release Process......Page 434
Preparing the Release Candidate Build......Page 436
Testing the Application Release Candidate......Page 438
Packaging and Signing an Application......Page 439
Testing the Signed Application Package......Page 442
Selling on the Android Market......Page 446
Exploring Other Android Publishing Options......Page 454
Development Machine Prerequisites......Page 462
Installing the Eclipse IDE......Page 463
Installing the Android SDK Starter Package......Page 464
Installing and Configuring the Android Plug-in for Eclipse (ADT)......Page 465
Configuring Development Hardware for Device Debugging......Page 468
Organizing Imports......Page 470
Using Auto-Complete......Page 471
Editing Code Efficiently......Page 472
Organizing Code......Page 473
Fun with Refactoring......Page 474
Resolving Mysterious Build Errors......Page 475
Moving Panes Around in a Workspace......Page 476
Integrating Source Control......Page 477
Using the Source Code for This Book......Page 478
Accessing the Publisher’s Website......Page 479
Accessing the Authors’ Website......Page 480
Contacting the Authors......Page 481
Leveraging Online Android Resources......Page 482
A......Page 484
C......Page 488
D......Page 490
F......Page 493
G......Page 495
I......Page 496
K-L......Page 498
M......Page 499
O......Page 501
P......Page 502
R......Page 503
S......Page 505
T......Page 507
U......Page 508
W......Page 509
X-Z......Page 510