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. 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
     
     
2. 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
     
     
3. 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
     
     
4. 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
     
     
5. 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
     
     
6. 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
     
     
7. 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
     
     
8. 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
     
     
9. Handling Android Activity State Changes in Android Studio
   • The Activity Class
   • Dynamic State vs. Persistent State
   • The Android Activity Lifecycle Methods
   • Activity Lifetimes
     
     
10. 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
      
      
11. 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
      
      
12. 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
      
      
13. 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
      
      
14. 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
      
      
15. 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
      
      
16. 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