What Every Android App Developer Should Know Today: Android 6 Tools, App/UI Design, Testing, Publishing, and More

Introduction to Android(TM) Application Development, Fifth Edition, is the most useful real-world guide to building robust, commercial-grade Android apps with the new Android 6 SDK, Android Studio, and latest development best practices. Bigger, better, and more comprehensive than ever, this book covers everything you need to start developing professional apps for modern Android devices. If you're serious about Android development, this guide will prepare you to build virtually any app you can imagine!

Three well-respected experts guide you through setting up your development environment, designing user interfaces, developing for diverse devices, and optimizing your entire app-development process. Up-to-date code listings support in-depth explanations of key API features, and many chapters contain multiple sample apps.

This fifth edition adds brand-new chapters on material design, styling applications, design patterns, and querying with SQLite. You'll find a treasure trove of Android Studio tips, plus a brand-new appendix on the Gradle build system. This edition also offers

• Updated coverage of the latest Android 5.1 and 6 APIs, tools, utilities, and best practices
• New coverage of the Android 6.0 permission model
• Powerful techniques for integrating material design into your apps
• An all-new chapter on using styles and reusing common UI components
• Extensive new coverage of app design, architecture, and backward compatibility
• A full chapter on using SQLite with persistent database-backed app data
• Revised quiz questions and exercises to test your knowledge

Download this book's source code at informit.com/title/9780134389455 or introductiontoandroid.blogspot.com.

Joseph Annuzzi, Jr. is a code warrior, graphic artist, entrepreneur, and author. He usually can be found mastering the Android platform; implementing cutting-edge HTML5 capabilities; leveraging various cloud technologies; speaking in different programming languages; working with diverse frameworks; integrating with various APIs; tinkering with peer-to-peer, cryptography, and biometric algorithms; or creating stunningly realistic 3D renders. He is always on the lookout for disruptive Internet and mobile technologies. He graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a BS in managerial economics and a minor in computer science, and lives where much of the action is, Silicon Valley. When he is not working with technology, he has been known to lounge in the sun on the beaches of the Black Sea with international movie stars; he has trekked through the Bavarian forest in winter, has immersed himself in the culture of the Italian Mediterranean, and has narrowly escaped the wrath of an organized crime ring in Eastern Europe after his taxi dropped him off in front of the bank ATM they were liquidating. He also lives an active and healthy lifestyle, designs and performs custom fitness training routines to stay in shape, and adores his loyal beagle, Cleopatra.

Acknowledgments xxxi

About the Authors xxxiii

Introduction 1

Part I: Platform Overview

Chapter 1: Presenting Android 11

The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) 11

The Open Handset Alliance 12

Android Platform Uniqueness 16

The Android Platform 21

Android beyond the OHA and GMS 26

Summary 28

Quiz Questions 28

Exercises 28

References and More Information 29

Chapter 2: Setting Up for Development 31

Configuring Your Development Environment 31

Exploring the Android SDK 38

Summary 48

Quiz Questions 48

Exercises 48

References and More Information 48

Chapter 3: Creating Your First Application 51

Testing Your Development Environment 51

Building Your First Android Application 57

Summary 73

Quiz Questions 74

Exercises 74

References and More Information 74

Part II: Application Basics

Chapter 4: Understanding Application Components 77

Mastering Important Android Terminology 77

The Application Context 78

Performing Application Tasks with Activities 80

Organizing Activity Components with Fragments 85

Managing Activity Transitions with Intents 87

Working with Services 90

Receiving and Broadcasting Intents 91

Summary 92

Quiz Questions 92

Exercises 93

References and More Information 93

Chapter 5: Defining the Manifest 95

Configuring Android Applications Using the Android Manifest File 95

Managing Your Application's Identity 99

Enforcing Application System Requirements 100

Registering Activities in the Android Manifest 103

Working with Permissions 105

Exploring Other Manifest File Settings 109

Summary 109

Quiz Questions 109

Exercises 110

References and More Information 110

Chapter 6: Managing Application Resources 111

What Are Resources? 111

Adding Simple Resource Values in Android Studio 116

Working with Different Types of Resources 120

Working with Layouts 140

Referencing System Resources 144

Summary 145

Quiz Questions 146

Exercises 146

References and More Information 146

Chapter 7: Exploring Building Blocks 147

Introducing Android Views and Layouts 147

Displaying Text to Users with TextView 148

Retrieving Data from Users with Text Fields 152

Giving Users Choices Using Spinner Controls 157

Allowing Simple User Selections with Buttons and Switches 159

Retrieving Dates, Times, and Numbers from Users with Pickers 166

Using Indicators to Display Progress and Activity to Users 168

Adjusting Progress with Seek Bars 171

Other Valuable User Interface Controls 173

Summary 177

Quiz Questions 177

Exercises 177

References and More Information 178

Chapter 8: Positioning with Layouts 179

Creating User Interfaces in Android 179

Organizing Your User Interface 184

Using Built-in Layout Classes 185

Using Container Control Classes 203

Summary 210

Quiz Questions 210

Exercises 211

References and More Information 211

Chapter 9: Partitioning with Fragments 213

Understanding Fragments 213

Using the Android Support Library Package 228

Additional Ways to Use Fragments 231

Summary 232

Quiz Questions 232

Exercises 233

References and More Information 233

Part III: Application Design Essentials

Chapter 10: Architecting with Patterns 237

Architecting Your Application's Navigation 237

Encouraging Action 251

Summary 267

Quiz Questions 267

Exercises 267

References and More Information 268

Chapter 11: Appealing with Style 269

Styling with Support 269

Themes and Styles 269

Colors 272

Layout 273

Application Branding 278

The Results Applied 280

Typography 280

Summary 282

Quiz Questions 282

Exercises 283

References and More Information 283

Chapter 12: Embracing Material Design 285

Understanding Material 285

The Default Material Theme 286

The SampleMaterial Application 286

Implementing the SampleMaterial Application 286