Android Studio Development Essentials

Android Studio Development Essentials is currently under development. New chapters are added regularly so check back for the latest updates.

1. Android Studio Development Essentials Introduction
   
   
2. Setting up a Windows, Linux or Mac OS X Android Studio Development Environment
   • System Requirements
   • Installing the Java Development Kit (JDK)
   • Windows JDK Installation
   • Mac OS X JDK Installation
   • Linux JDK Installation
   • Downloading the Android Studio Package
   • Installing Android Studio
   • Installation on Windows
   • Installation on Mac OS X
   • Installation on Linux
   • Installing the Latest Android SDK Packages
   • Making the Android SDK Tools Command-line Accessible
   • Windows 7
   • Windows 8.1
   • Linux
   • Mac OS X
   • Updating the Android Studio and the SDK
     
     
3. Creating an Example Android App in Android Studio
   • Creating a New Android Project
   • Defining the Project and SDK Settings
   • Understanding the Support Mode Settings
   • Configuring the Launcher Icon
   • Creating an Activity
   • Modifying the Example Application
   • Reviewing the Layout and Resource Files
   • Previewing the Layout
     
     
4. A Tour of the Android Studio User Interface
   • The Welcome Screen
   • The Main Window
   • The Tool Windows
   • Android Studio Keyboard Shortcuts
   • Switcher and Recent Files Navigation
   • Changing the Android Studio Theme
     
     
5. Creating an Android Virtual Device (AVD) in Android Studio
   • About Android Virtual Devices
   • Creating a New AVD
   • Starting the Emulator
   • Running the Application in the AVD
   • Run/Debug Configurations
   • Stopping a Running Application
   • AVD Command-line Creation
   • Android Virtual Device Configuration Files
   • Moving and Renaming an Android Virtual Device
     
     
6. Testing Android Studio Apps on a Physical Android Device
   • An Overview of the Android Debug Bridge (ADB)
   • Enabling ADB on Android 4.4 based Devices
   • Mac OS X ADB Configuration
   • Windows ADB Configuration
   • Testing the adb Connection
     
     
7. The Basics of the Android Studio Code Editor
   • The Android Studio Editor
   • Splitting the Editor Window
   • Code Completion
   • Statement Completion
   • Parameter Information
   • Code Generation
   • Code Folding
   • Quick Documentation Lookup
   • Code Reformatting
     
     
8. An Overview of the Android Architecture
   • The Android Software Stack
   • The Linux Kernel
   • Android Runtime - Dalvik Virtual Machine
   • Android Runtime – Core Libraries
   • Dalvik VM Specific Libraries
   • Java Interoperability Libraries
   • Android Libraries
   • C/C++ Libraries
   • Application Framework
   • Applications
     
     
9. The Anatomy of an Android Studio Android Application
   • Android Activities
   • Android Intents
   • Broadcast Intents
   • Broadcast Receivers
   • Android Services
   • Content Providers
   • The Application Manifest
   • Application Resources
   • Application Context
     
     
10. Understanding Android Application and Activity Lifecycles
    • Android Applications and Resource Management
    • Android Process States
    • Foreground Process
    • Visible Process
    • Service Process
    • Background Process
    • Empty Process
    • Inter-Process Dependencies
    • The Activity Lifecycle
    • The Activity Stack
    • Activity States
    • Configuration Changes
    • Handling State Change
      
      
11. Handling Android Activity State Changes in Android Studio
    • The Activity Class
    • Dynamic State vs. Persistent State
    • The Android Activity Lifecycle Methods
    • Activity Lifetimes
      
      
12. Android Activity State Changes - An Android Studio Example
    • Creating the State Change Example Project
    • Designing the User Interface
    • Overriding the Activity Lifecycle Methods
    • Filtering the LogCat Panel
    • Running the Application
    • Experimenting with the Activity
      
      
13. Saving and Restoring Activity State in Android Studio
    • Saving Dynamic State
    • Default Saving of User Interface State
    • The Bundle Class
    • Saving the State
    • Restoring the State
    • Testing the Application
      
      
14. Understanding Android Views, View Groups and Layouts in Android Studio
    • Designing for Different Android Devices
    • Views and View Groups
    • Android Layout Managers
    • The View Hierarchy
    • Creating User Interfaces
      
      
15. A Guide to the Android Studio Designer Tool
    • The Android Studio Designer
    • Design Mode
    • Text Mode
    • Setting Properties
    • Type Morphing
    • Creating a Custom Device Definition
      
      
16. Designing a User Interface using the Android Studio Designer Tool
    • An Android Studio Designer Tool Example
    • Creating a New Activity
    • Designing the User Interface
    • Editing View Properties
    • Running the Application
    • Manually Creating an XML Layout
    • Using the Hierarchy Viewer
      
      
17. Creating an Android User Interface in Java Code using Android Studio
    • Java Code vs. XML Layout Files
    • Creating Views
    • Properties and Layout Parameters
    • Creating the Example Project in Android Studio
    • Adding Views to an Activity
    • Setting View Properties
    • Adding Layout Parameters and Rules
    • Using View IDs
    • Converting Density Independent Pixels (dp) to Pixels (px)
      
      
18. Using the Android GridLayout Manager in Android Studio Designer
    • Introducing the Android GridLayout and Space Classes
    • The GridLayout Example
    • Creating the GridLayout Project
    • Creating the GridLayout Instance
    • Adding Views to GridLayout Cells
    • Moving and Deleting Rows and Columns
    • Implementing Cell Row and Column Spanning
    • Changing the Gravity of a GridLayout Child
      
      
19. Working with the Android GridLayout using XML Layout Resources
    • GridLayouts in XML Resource Files
    • Adding Child Views to the GridLayout
    • Declaring Cell Spanning, Gravity and Margins
      
      
20. An Overview and Android Studio Example of Android Event Handling
    • Understanding Android Events
    • Using the android:onClick Resource
    • Event Listeners and Callback Methods
    • An Event Handling Example
    • Designing the User Interface
    • The Event Listener and Callback Method
    • Consuming Events
      
      
21. Android Touch and Multi-touch Event Handling in Android Studio
    • Intercepting Touch Events
    • The MotionEvent Object
    • Understanding Touch Actions
    • Handling Multiple Touches
    • An Example Multi-Touch Application
    • Designing the Activity User Interface
    • Implementing the Touch Event Listener
    • Running the Example Application
      
      
22. Detecting Common Gestures using Android Studio and the Gesture Detector Class
    • Implementing Common Gesture Detection
    • Creating an Example Gesture Detection Project
    • Implementing the Listener Class
    • Creating the GestureDetectorCompat Instance
    • Implementing the onTouchEvent() Method
    • Testing the Application
      
      
23. Implementing Android Custom Gesture Recognition with Android Studio
    • The Android Gesture Builder Application
    • The GestureOverlayView Class
    • Detecting Gestures
    • Identifying Specific Gestures
    • Adding SD Card Support to an AVD
    • Building and Running the Gesture Builder Application
    • Creating a Gestures File
    • Extracting the Gestures File from the SD Card
    • Creating the Example Project
    • Adding the Gestures File to the Project
    • Designing the User Interface
    • Loading the Gestures File
    • Registering the Event Listener
    • Implementing the onGesturePerformed Method
    • Testing the Application
    • Configuring the GestureOverlayView
    • Intercepting Gestures
    • Detecting Pinch Gestures in Android
    • A Pinch Gesture Example Project
      
      
24. An Introduction to Using Fragments in Android Studio
    • What is a Fragment?
    • Creating a Fragment
    • Adding a Fragment to an Activity using the Layout XML File
    • Adding and Managing Fragments in Code
    • Handling Fragment Events
    • Implementing Fragment Communication
      
      
25. Using Fragments in Android Studio - An Example
    • About the Example Fragment Application
    • Creating the Example Project
    • Creating the First Fragment Layout
    • Creating the First Fragment Class
    • Creating the Second Fragment Layout
    • Adding the Fragments to the Activity
    • Making the Toolbar Fragment Talk to the Activity
    • Making the Activity Talk to the Text Fragment]
    • Testing the Application
      
      
26. An Android Studio Master/Detail Flow Tutorial
    • The Android Master/Detail Flow
    • Creating a Master/Detail Flow Activity
    • The Anatomy of the Master/Detail Flow Template
    • Modifying the Master/Detail Flow Template
    • Changing the Content Model
    • Changing the Detail Pane
    • Modifying the WebsiteDetailFragment Class
    • Adding Manifest Permissions
    • Running the Application
      
      
27. Creating and Managing Overflow Menus in Android Studio
    • The Overflow Menu
    • Creating an Overflow Menu
    • Displaying an Overflow Menu
    • Responding to Menu Item Selections
    • Creating Checkable Item Groups
    • Creating the Example Project
    • Modifying the Menu Description
    • Modifying the onOptionsItemSelected() Method
    • Testing the Application
      
      
28. Animating User Interfaces in Android Studio using the Transitions Framework
    • Introducing Android Transitions and Scenes
    • Using Interpolators with Transitions
    • Working with Scene Transitions
    • Custom Transitions and TransitionSets in Code
    • Custom Transitions and TransitionSets in XML
    • Working with Interpolators
    • Creating a Custom Interpolator
    • Using the beginDelayedTransition Method
      
      
29. An Android Studio Transition Tutorial using beginDelayedTransition
    • Creating the Android Studio TransitionDemo Project
    • Preparing the Project Files
    • Implementing beginDelayedTransition Animation
    • Customizing the Transition
      
      
30. Implementing Android Scene Transitions – An Android Studio Tutorial
    • An Overview of the Scene Transition Project
    • Creating the Android Studio SceneTransitions Project
    • Identifying and Preparing the Root Container
    • Designing the First Scene
    • Designing the Second Scene
    • Entering the First Scene
    • Loading Scene 2
    • Implementing the Transitions
    • Adding the Transition File
    • Loading and Using the Transition Set
    • Configuring Additional Transitions
      
      
31. An Overview of Intents in Android Studio
    • An Overview of Intents
    • Explicit Intents
    • Returning Data from an Activity
    • Implicit Intents
    • Using Intent Filters
    • Checking Intent Availability
      
      
32. Android Explicit Intents – An Android Studio Example
    • Creating the Explicit Intent Example Application
    • Designing the User Interface Layout for ActivityA
    • Creating the Second Activity Class
    • Designing the User Interface Layout for ActivityB
    • Reviewing the Application Manifest File
    • Creating the Intent
    • Extracting Intent Data
    • Launching ActivityB as a Sub-Activity
    • Returning Data from a Sub-Activity
    • Testing the Application
      
      
33. Android Implicit Intents – An Android Studio Example
    • Creating the Android Studio Implicit Intent Example Project
    • Designing the User Interface
    • Creating the Implicit Intent
    • Adding a Second Matching Activity
    • Adding the Web View to the UI
    • Obtaining the Intent URL
    • Modifying the MyWebView Project Manifest File
    • Testing the Application
      
      
34. Broadcast Intents and Broadcast Receivers in Android Studio
    • An Overview of Broadcast Intents
    • An Overview of Broadcast Receivers
    • Obtaining Results from a Broadcast
    • Sticky Broadcast Intents
    • The Broadcast Intent Example
    • Creating the Example Application
    • Creating and Sending the Broadcast Intent
    • Creating the Broadcast Receiver
    • Configuring a Broadcast Receiver in the Manifest File
    • Testing the Broadcast Example
    • Listening for System Broadcasts
      
      
35. Android Threads and Thread Handlers - An Android Studio Tutorial
    • An Overview of Threads
    • The Application Main Thread
    • Thread Handlers
    • A Basic Threading Example
    • Creating a New Thread
    • Implementing a Thread Handler
    • Passing a Message to the Handler
      
      
36. Understanding Android Started and Bound Services
    • Started Services
    • Intent Service
    • Bound Service
    • The Anatomy of a Service
    • Controlling Destroyed Service Restart Options
    • Declaring a Service in the Manifest File
    • Starting a Service Running on System Startup
      
      
37. Implementing an Android Started Service in Android Studio
    • Creating the Example Project
    • Creating the Service Class
    • Adding the Service to the Manifest File
    • Starting the Service
    • Testing the IntentService Example
    • Using the Service Class
    • Creating the New Service
    • Modifying the User Interface
    • Running the Application
    • Creating a New Thread for Service Tasks
      
      
38. Implementing Local Bound Services in Android Studio
    • Understanding Bound Services
    • Bound Service Interaction Options
    • An Android Studio Local Bound Service Example
    • Adding a Bound Service to the Project
    • Implementing the Binder
    • Binding the Client to the Service
    • Completing the Example
    • Testing the Application
      
      
39. Android Remote Bound Services – An Android Studio Tutorial
    • Client to Remote Service Communication
    • Creating the Example Application
    • Designing the User Interface
    • Implementing the Remote Bound Service
    • Configuring a Remote Service in the Manifest File
    • Launching and Binding to the Remote Service
    • Sending a Message to the Remote Service
      
      
40. An Overview of Android SQLite Databases in Android Studio
    • Understanding Database Tables
    • Introducing Database Schema
    • Columns and Data Types
    • Database Rows
    • Introducing Primary Keys
    • What is SQLite?
    • Structured Query Language (SQL)
    • Trying SQLite on an Android Virtual Device (AVD)
    • Android SQLite Java Classes
    • Cursor
    • SQLiteDatabase
    • SQLiteOpenHelper
    • ContentValues
      
      
41. An Android Studio TableLayout and TableRow Tutorial
    • The TableLayout and TableRow Layout Views
    • Creating the Database Project
    • Adding the TableLayout to the User Interface
    • Adding and Configuring the TableRows
    • Adding the Button Bar to the Layout
    • Adjusting the Layout Margins
      
      
42. An Android Studio SQLite Database Tutorial
    • About the Android Studio Database Example
    • Creating the Data Model
    • Implementing the Data Handler
    • The Add Handler Method
    • The Query Handler Method
    • The Delete Handler Method
    • Implementing the Activity Event Methods
    • Testing the Application
      
      
43. Understanding Android Content Providers in Android Studio
    • What is a Content Provider?
    • The Content Provider
    • onCreate()
    • query()
    • insert()
    • update()
    • delete()
    • getType()
    • The Content URI
    • The Content Resolver
    • The <provider> Manifest Element
      
      
44. An Android Studio Content Provider Example
    • Copying the Database Project
    • Adding the Content Provider Package
    • Creating the Content Provider Class
    • Constructing the Authority and Content URI
    • Implementing URI Matching in the Content Provider
    • Implementing the Content Provider onCreate() Method
    • Implementing the Content Provider insert() Method
    • Implementing the Content Provider query() Method
    • Implementing the Content Provider update() Method
    • Implementing the Content Provider delete() Method
    • Declaring the Content Provider in the Manifest File
    • Modifying the Database Handler
      
      
45. Accessing Cloud Storage using the Storage Access Framework in Android Studio
    • The Storage Access Framework
    • Working with the Storage Access Framework
    • Filtering Picker File Listings
    • Handling Intent Results
    • Reading the Content of a File
    • Writing Content to a File
    • Deleting a File
    • Gaining Persistent Access to a File
      
      
46. An Android Studio Storage Access Framework Example
    • About the Storage Access Framework Example
    • Creating the Storage Access Framework Example
    • Designing the User Interface
    • Declaring Request Codes
    • Creating a New Storage File
    • The onActivityResult() Method
    • Saving to a Storage File
    • Opening and Reading a Storage File
    • Testing the Storage Access Application
      
      
47. An Android Studio VideoView and MediaController Tutorial
    • Introducing the Android VideoView Class
    • Introducing the Android MediaController Class
    • Testing Video Playback
    • Creating the Video Playback Example
    • Designing the VideoPlayer Layout
    • Configuring the VideoView
    • Adding Internet Permission
    • Adding the MediaController to the Video View
    • Setting up the onPreparedListener
      
      
48. Video Recording and Image Capture using Camera Intents - An Android Studio Example
    • Checking for Camera Support
    • Calling the Video Capture Intent
    • Calling the Image Capture Intent
    • Creating an Android Studio Video Recording Project
    • Designing the User Interface Layout
    • Checking for the Camera
    • Launching the Video Capture Intent
    • Handling the Intent Return
    • Testing the Application
      
      
49. An Android Studio Recording and Playback Example using MediaPlayer and MediaRecorder
    • Playing Audio
    • Recording Audio and Video using the MediaRecorder Class
    • About the Example Project
    • Creating the AudioApp Project
    • Designing the User Interface
    • Checking for Microphone Availability
    • Performing the Activity Initialization
    • Implementing the recordAudio() Method
    • Implementing the stopAudio() Method
    • Implementing the playAudio() method
    • Configuring Permissions in the Manifest File
    • Testing the Application
      
      
50. Working with the Google Maps Android API in Android Studio
    • The Elements of the Google Maps Android API
    • Getting Ready to use the Google Maps Android API
    • Installing the Google APIs
    • Downloading the Google Play Services SDK
    • Adding the Google Play Services Library to the Gradle Build Configuration
    • Obtaining Your Developer Signature
    • Registering the Project in the Google APIs Console
    • Adding Map Support to the AndroidManifest.xml File
    • Checking for Google Play Services Support
    • Understanding Geocoding and Reverse Geocoding
    • Adding a Map to an Application
    • Displaying the User’s Current Location
    • Changing the Map Type
    • Displaying Map Controls to the User
    • Handling Map Gesture Interaction
    • Map Zooming Gestures
    • Map Scrolling/Panning Gestures
    • Map Tilt Gestures
    • Map Rotation Gestures
    • Creating Map Markers
    • Controlling the Map Camera
      
      
51. Printing with the Android Printing Framework in Android Studio
    • The Android Printing Architecture
    • The HP Print Services Plugin
    • Google Cloud Print
    • Printing to Google Drive
    • Save as PDF
    • Printing from Android Devices
    • Options for Building Print Support into Android Apps
    • Image Printing
    • Creating and Printing HTML Content
    • Printing a Web Page
    • Printing a Custom Document
      
      
52. An Android Studio HTML and Web Content Printing Example
    • Creating the HTML Printing Example Application
    • Printing Dynamic HTML Content
    • Creating the Web Page Printing Example
    • Designing the User Interface Layout
    • Adding the Print Menu Option
      
      
53. An Android Studio Custom Document Printing Example
    • An Overview of Android Custom Document Printing
    • Custom Print Adapters
    • Preparing the Custom Document Printing Project
    • Creating the Custom Print Adapter
    • Implementing the onLayout() Callback Method
    • Implementing the onWrite() Callback Method
    • Checking a Page is in Range
    • Drawing the Content on the Page Canvas
    • Starting the Print Job
    • Testing the Application
      
      
54. Generating a Signed Release APK File in Android Studio
    • The Release Preparation Process
    • Changing the Build Variant
    • Creating a Keystore File
    • Generating a Private Key
    • Creating the Application APK File
    • Register for a Google Play Developer Console Account
    • Uploading New APK Versions to the Google Play Developer Console
      
      
55. An Android Studio Google Play In-app Billing Tutorial
    • Installing the Google Play Billing Library
    • Creating the Example In-app Billing Project
    • Adding Billing Permission to the Manifest File
    • Adding the IInAppBillingService.aidl File to the Project
    • Adding the Utility Classes to the Project
    • Designing the User Interface
    • Implementing the “Click Me” Button
    • Google Play Developer Console and Google Wallet Accounts
    • Obtaining the Public License Key for the Application
    • Setting Up Google Play Billing in the Application
    • Initiating a Google Play In-app Billing Purchase
    • Implementing the onActivityResult Method
    • Implementing the Purchase Finished Listener
    • Consuming the Purchased Item
    • Releasing the IabHelper Instance
    • Modifying the Security.java File
    • Testing the In-app Billing Application
    • Building a Release APK
    • Creating a New In-app Product
    • Publishing the Application to the Alpha Distribution Channel
    • Adding In-app Billing Test Accounts
    • Configuring Group Testing
    • Resolving Problems with In-App Purchasing[
      
      
56. An Overview of Gradle in Android Studio