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

Table of Contents:
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 Summary 317 Quiz Questions 317 Exercises 317 References and More Information 318   Chapter 13: Designing Compatible Applications 319 Maximizing Application Compatibility 319 Designing User Interfaces for Compatibility 321 Providing Alternative Application Resources 324 Targeting Tablets and TVs 336 Extending Your Application to Watches and Cars 338 Ensuring Compatibility with SafetyNet 339 Summary 340 Quiz Questions 340 Exercises 341 References and More Information 341   Part IV: Application Development Essentials   Chapter 14: Using Android Preferences 345 Working with Application Preferences 345 Finding Preferences Data on the File System 349 Creating Manageable User Preferences 350 Auto Backup for Android Applications 359 Summary 361 Quiz Questions 361 Exercises 361 References and More Information 362   Chapter 15: Accessing Files and Directories 363 Working with Application Data on a Device 363 Practicing Good File Management 364 Understanding Android File Permissions 365 Working with Files and Directories 366 Summary 375 Quiz Questions 375 Exercises 375 References and More Information 376   Chapter 16: Saving with SQLite 377 SampleMaterial Upgraded with SQLite 377 Working with Databases 377 Summary 390 Quiz Questions 390 Exercises 391 References and More Information 391   Chapter 17: Leveraging Content Providers 393 Exploring Android’s Content Providers 393 Modifying Content Provider Data 402 Using Third-Party Content Providers 406 Summary 406 Quiz Questions 406 Exercises 407 References and More Information 407   Part V: Application Delivery Essentials   Chapter 18: Learning the Development Workflow 411 An Overview of the Android Development Process 411 Choosing a Software Methodology 412 Gathering Application Requirements 413 Assessing Project Risks 421 Writing Essential Project Documentation 425 Leveraging Configuration Management Systems 426 Designing Android Applications 427 Developing Android Applications 430 Testing Android Applications 431 Deploying Android Applications 432 Supporting and Maintaining Android Applications 433 Summary 434 Quiz Questions 435 Exercises 435 References and More Information 435   Chapter 19: Planning the Experience 437 Thinking about Objectives 437 Techniques for Focusing Your Product Efforts 439 Communicating Your Application’s Identity 442 Designing Screen Layouts 443 Reacting Properly with Visual Feedback 444 Observing Target Users for Usability 445 Summary 446 Quiz Questions 446 Exercises 447 References and More Information 447   Chapter 20: Delivering Quality Applications 449 Best Practices in Delivering Quality Applications 449 Avoiding Silly Mistakes in Android Application Design 459 Best Practices in Delivering Quality Android Applications 459 Summary 464 Quiz Questions 465 Exercises 465 References and More Information 465   Chapter 21: Testing Your Applications 467 Best Practices in Testing Mobile Applications 467 Android Application Testing Essentials 479 More Android Automated Testing Programs and APIs 496 Summary 497 Quiz Questions 497 Exercises 498 References and More Information 498   Chapter 22: Distributing Your Applications 499 Choosing the Right Distribution Model 499 Packaging Your Application for Publication 502 Publishing to Google Play 509 Google Play Staged Rollouts 518 Publishing to the Google Play Private Channel 518 Translating Your Application 519 Publishing Using Other Alternatives 520 Self-Publishing Your Application 520 Summary 522 Quiz Questions 522 Exercises 522 References and More Information 523   Part VI: Appendixes   Appendix A: Tips and Tricks: Android Studio 527 Organizing Your Android Studio Workspace 527 Writing Code in Java 533 Resolving Mysterious Build Errors 537 Summary 537 Quiz Questions 538 Exercises 538 References and More Information 538   Appendix B: Quick-Start: Android Emulator 539 Simulating Reality: The Emulator’s Purpose 539 Working with Android Virtual Devices 541 Launching the Emulator with a Specific AVD 548 Configuring the GPS Location of the Emulator 555 Calling between Two Emulator Instances 557 Messaging between Two Emulator Instances 558 Interacting with the Emulator through the Console 559 Personalizing the Emulator 563 Understanding Emulator Limitations 563 Summary 565 Quiz Questions 565 Exercises 565 References and More Information 565   Appendix C: Quick-Start: Android Device Monitor 567 Using Device Monitor with Android Studio and as a Stand-Alone Application 567 Getting Up to Speed Using Key Features of Device Monitor 568 Working with Processes, Threads, and the Heap 569 Using the Allocation Tracker 573 Viewing Network Statistics 574 Working with the File Explorer 575 Working with the Emulator Control 578 Working with the System Information Pane 580 Taking Screen Captures of the Emulator and Device Screens 580 Working with Application Logging 581 Summary 582 Quiz Questions 583 Exercises 583 References and More Information 583   Appendix D: Mastery: Android SDK Tools 585 Using the Android Documentation 585 Leveraging the Android Emulator 588 Viewing Application Log Data with logcat 589 Debugging Applications with Device Monitor 590 Using Android Debug Bridge (ADB) 591 Using the Layout Editor 591 Using the Android Hierarchy Viewer 592 Working with Nine-Patch Stretchable Graphics 596 Working with Other Android Tools 597 Summary 600 Quiz Questions 600 Exercises 600 References and More Information 601   Appendix E: Quick-Start: Gradle Build System 603 Gradle Build Files 603 Using Android Studio to Configure Your Builds 609 Summary 620 Quiz Questions 620 Exercises 621 References and More Information 621   Appendix F: Answers to Quiz Questions 623   Index 631