Android Studio 4.2 Development Essentials - Java Edition

Neil Smyth

• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN: 9781803238210
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Application Development
• Index: Computer Science

Developing Android applications using Android Studio 4.2, Java, and Android JetpackKey Features• Design complex and responsive user interface layouts with the Android Studio 4.2 IDE• Build view model-based apps using the Jetpack architecture and use the latest Material Design components to build modern user interface designs• Integrate with SQLite databases and the Android Room Persistence LibraryBook DescriptionAndroid Studio is an Integrated Development Environment based on the JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA. It provides developers with a unique platform to design and develop Android apps using various developer tools. The new Android Studio 4.2 has an upgraded IntelliJ platform and a variety of new features designed to improve the productivity of Android app developers. Fully updated for Android Studio 4.2, the objective of this book is to help you master the skills necessary to develop Android applications using Java as the programming language. This book begins by outlining the steps necessary to set up an Android development and testing environment and introducing programming in Java, describing data types, flow control, functions, lambdas, and object-oriented programming. It includes an overview of Android Studio, covering areas such as tool windows, the code editor, and the Layout Editor tool. An introduction to Android architecture is followed by an in-depth explanation of the design of Android applications and user interfaces using the Android Studio environment. Early chapters detail Android Architecture components like view models, lifecycle management, Room database access, the Database Inspector, app navigation, live data, and data binding. Advanced topics such as intents are also covered, as are touch screen handling, gesture recognition, and the recording and playback of audio. You will also explore printing, transitions, cloud-based file storage, and foldable device support. Detailed descriptions of the concepts of material design are provided, including the use of floating action buttons, Snackbars, tabbed interfaces, card views, navigation drawers, and collapsing toolbars. Some key features of Android Studio 4.2 and Android discussed in-depth include the Layout Editor, the ConstraintLayout and ConstraintSet classes, MotionLayout Editor, view binding, constraint chains, barriers, and direct reply notifications. Later chapters cover advanced features of Android Studio such as App Links, Dynamic Delivery, the Android Studio Profiler, Gradle build configuration, and submitting apps to the Google Play Developer Console.What you will learn• Install and configure Android Studio on Windows, macOS, and Linux• Learn to code using Java programming language• Understand Android architecture and app lifecycle• Animate your user interfaces using Android MotionLayout• Monitor app performances using the Android Studio Profiler tool• Add printing support from within your own appsWho this book is forThis book is for anyone who wants to learn Android application development. Existing Android developers who want to upgrade their skills and get into the Kotlin ecosystem.To get the most from this book, you should have some previous programming experience. You will be required to download Android Studio and the Android SDK for this course. Make sure you have access to a Windows, Mac, or Linux system and some creative app ideas to develop.

1. Introduction

Fully updated for Android Studio 4.2, the goal of this book is to teach the skills necessary to develop Android based applications using the Java programming language.

Beginning with the basics, this book provides an outline of the steps necessary to set up an Android development and testing environment. An overview of Android Studio is included covering areas such as tool windows, the code editor and the Layout Editor tool. An introduction to the architecture of Android is followed by an in-depth look at the design of Android applications and user interfaces using the Android Studio environment.

Chapters are also included covering the Android Architecture Components including view models, lifecycle management, Room database access, the Database Inspector, app navigation, live data and data binding.

More advanced topics such as intents are also covered, as are touch screen handling, gesture recognition, and the recording and playback of audio. This edition of the book also covers printing, transitions, cloud-based file storage and foldable device support.

The concepts of material design are also covered in detail, including the use of floating action buttons, Snackbars, tabbed interfaces, card views, navigation drawers and collapsing toolbars.

Other key features of Android Studio 4.2 and Android are also covered in detail including the Layout Editor, the ConstraintLayout and ConstraintSet classes, MotionLayout Editor, view binding, constraint chains, barriers and direct reply notifications.

Chapters also cover advanced features of Android Studio such as App Links, Dynamic Delivery, the Android Studio Profiler, Gradle build configuration, and submitting apps to the Google Play Developer Console.

Assuming you already have some Java programming experience, are ready to download Android Studio and the Android SDK, have access to a Windows, Mac or Linux system and ideas for some apps to develop, you are ready to get started.

1.1 Downloading the Code Samples

The source code and Android Studio project files for the examples contained in this book are available for download at:

https://www.ebookfrenzy.com/retail/androidstudio42/index.php

The steps to load a project from the code samples into Android Studio are as follows:

1. From the Welcome to Android Studio dialog, select the Open an Existing Project option.

2. In the project selection dialog, navigate to and select the folder containing the project to be imported and click on OK.

1.2 Feedback

We want you to be satisfied with your purchase of this book. If you find any errors in the book, or have any comments, questions or concerns please contact us at [email protected].

1.3 Errata

While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the content of this book, it is inevitable that a book covering a subject area of this size and complexity may include some errors and oversights. Any known issues with the book will be outlined, together with solutions, at the following URL:

https://www.ebookfrenzy.com/errata/androidstudio42.html

In the event that you find an error not listed in the errata, please let us know by emailing our technical support team at [email protected]. They are there to help you and will work to resolve any problems you may encounter.

2. Setting up an Android Studio Development Environment

Before any work can begin on the development of an Android application, the first step is to configure a computer system to act as the development platform. This involves a number of steps consisting of installing the Android Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE) which also includes the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) and OpenJDK Java development environment.

This chapter will cover the steps necessary to install the requisite components for Android application development on Windows, macOS and Linux based systems.

2.1 System Requirements

Android application development may be performed on any of the following system types:

•Windows 7/8/10 (32-bit or 64-bit though the Android emulator will only run on 64-bit systems)

•macOS 10.10 or later (Intel based systems only)

•ChromeOS device with Intel i5 or higher and minimum 8GB of RAM

•Linux systems with version 2.19 or later of GNU C Library (glibc)

•Minimum of 4GB of RAM (8GB is preferred)

•Approximately 4GB of available disk space

•1280 x 800 minimum screen resolution

2.2 Downloading the Android Studio Package

Most of the work involved in developing applications for Android will be performed using the Android Studio environment. The content and examples ...

Table of contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Setting up an Android Studio Development Environment
• 3. Creating an Example Android App in Android Studio
• 4. Creating an Android Virtual Device (AVD) in Android Studio
• 5. Using and Configuring the Android Studio AVD Emulator
• 6. A Tour of the Android Studio User Interface
• 7. Testing Android Studio Apps on a Physical Android Device
• 8. The Basics of the Android Studio Code Editor
• 9. An Overview of the Android Architecture
• 10. The Anatomy of an Android Application
• 11. An Overview of Android View Binding
• 12. Understanding Android Application and Activity Lifecycles
• 13. Handling Android Activity State Changes
• 14. Android Activity State Changes by Example
• 15. Saving and Restoring the State of an Android Activity
• 16. Understanding Android Views, View Groups and Layouts
• 17. A Guide to the Android Studio Layout Editor Tool
• 18. A Guide to the Android ConstraintLayout
• 19. A Guide to Using ConstraintLayout in Android Studio
• 20. Working with ConstraintLayout Chains and Ratios in Android Studio
• 21. An Android Studio Layout Editor ConstraintLayout Tutorial
• 22. Manual XML Layout Design in Android Studio
• 23. Managing Constraints using Constraint Sets
• 24. An Android ConstraintSet Tutorial
• 25. A Guide to using Apply Changes in Android Studio
• 26. An Overview and Example of Android Event Handling
• 27. Android Touch and Multi-touch Event Handling
• 28. Detecting Common Gestures Using the Android Gesture Detector Class
• 29. Implementing Custom Gesture and Pinch Recognition on Android
• 30. An Introduction to Android Fragments
• 31. Using Fragments in Android Studio - An Example
• 32. Modern Android App Architecture with Jetpack
• 33. An Android Jetpack ViewModel Tutorial
• 34. An Android Jetpack LiveData Tutorial
• 35. An Overview of Android Jetpack Data Binding
• 36. An Android Jetpack Data Binding Tutorial
• 37. An Android ViewModel Saved State Tutorial
• 38. Working with Android Lifecycle-Aware Components
• 39. An Android Jetpack Lifecycle Awareness Tutorial
• 40. An Overview of the Navigation Architecture Component
• 41. An Android Jetpack Navigation Component Tutorial
• 42. An Introduction to MotionLayout
• 43. An Android MotionLayout Editor Tutorial
• 44. A MotionLayout KeyCycle Tutorial
• 45. Working with the Floating Action Button and Snackbar
• 46. Creating a Tabbed Interface using the TabLayout Component
• 47. Working with the RecyclerView and CardView Widgets
• 48. An Android RecyclerView and CardView Tutorial
• 49. A Layout Editor Sample Data Tutorial
• 50. Working with the AppBar and Collapsing Toolbar Layouts
• 51. An Android Studio Primary/Detail Flow Tutorial
• 52. An Overview of Android Intents
• 53. Android Explicit Intents – A Worked Example
• 54. Android Implicit Intents – A Worked Example
• 55. Android Broadcast Intents and Broadcast Receivers
• 56. A Basic Overview of Java Threads, Handlers and Executors
• 57. An Overview of Android Services
• 58. Implementing an Android Started Service – A Worked Example
• 59. Android Local Bound Services – A Worked Example
• 60. Android Remote Bound Services – A Worked Example
• 61. An Android Notifications Tutorial
• 62. An Android Direct Reply Notification Tutorial
• 63. Foldable Devices and Multi-Window Support
• 64. An Overview of Android SQLite Databases
• 65. The Android Room Persistence Library
• 66. An Android TableLayout and TableRow Tutorial
• 67. An Android Room Database and Repository Tutorial
• 68. Accessing Cloud Storage using the Android Storage Access Framework
• 69. An Android Storage Access Framework Example
• 70. Video Playback on Android using the VideoView and MediaController Classes
• 71. Android Picture-in-Picture Mode
• 72. An Android Picture-in-Picture Tutorial
• 73. Making Runtime Permission Requests in Android
• 74. Android Audio Recording and Playback using MediaPlayer and MediaRecorder
• 75. Working with the Google Maps Android API in Android Studio
• 76. Printing with the Android Printing Framework
• 77. An Android HTML and Web Content Printing Example
• 78. A Guide to Android Custom Document Printing
• 79. An Introduction to Android App Links
• 80. An Android Studio App Links Tutorial
• 81. A Guide to the Android Studio Profiler
• 82. An Android Biometric Authentication Tutorial
• 83. Creating, Testing and Uploading an Android App Bundle
• 84. An Overview of Android Dynamic Feature Modules
• 85. An Android Studio Dynamic Feature Tutorial
• 86. An Overview of Gradle in Android Studio
• Index