Practical Android Projects (Books for Professionals by Professionals)

Take a practical approach to becoming a leading-edge Android developer, learning by example while combining the many technologies needed to create a successful, up-to-date web app. Practical Android Projects introduces the Android SDK and development tools of the trade, and then dives into building cool-looking and fun apps that put Androids amazing capabilities to work. Android is the powerful, full-featured, open source mobile platform that powers phones like Google Nexus, Motorola Droid, Samsung Galaxy S, and a variety of HTC phones and tablet computers. This book helps you quickly get Android projects up and running with the free and open source Eclipse, NetBeans, and IntelliJ IDEA IDEs. Then you build and extend mobile applications using the Android SDK, Java, Scripting Layer for Android, and languages such as Python, Ruby, javascript/HTML, Flex/AIR, and Lua. What youll learn In Practical Android Projects youll work on real-world projects such as: Hosting an Android BASIC interpreter Extending your Java-based Android applications with embedded LUA Scripting your Android device with SL4A Adding Twitter and Facebook to your applications Using 2D graphics and animations for casual games Creating cross-platform apps with javascript/HTML and Flex with AIR Who this book is for Practical Android Projects is for any developer new to the Android platform who wants to learn to build mobile applications. Knowledge of the fundamentals of Java programming is assumed. Table of Contents Android Fundamentals Development Tools in Practice Roll Your Own Android Scripting Environment Embedding Lua in Android Applications Introducing SL4A: The Scripting Layer for Android Creating a GUI with HTML/javascript and AIR Using REST with Facebook and Twitter Using the Google App Engine with Android Game Development: Graphics Game Development: Animation App Invento Cover ......Page 1 Contents at a Glance......Page 3 Contents......Page 409 About the Authors......Page 414 About the Technical Reviewer......Page 415 Acknowledgments......Page 416 Preface......Page 417 Android Fundamentals......Page 4 Installing the Android SDK......Page 5 Android SDK and Target Platforms......Page 6 Android SDK Test Drive......Page 12 Android Architecture and Background......Page 23 The Android Platform Stack......Page 24 The Android Runtime: Dalvik Virtual Machine (DVM)......Page 26 Using an Integrated Development Environment (IDE)......Page 30 On the Web: Eclipse for Android Development......Page 31 Quickstart: The Eclipse Android Development Tools (ADT) Plugin......Page 32 On the Web: NetBeans for Android Development......Page 36 Quickstart: The NetBeans Android (NBAndroid) Plugin......Page 37 On the Web: JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA for Android Development......Page 45 Quickstart: The IntelliJ IDEA Android Plugin......Page 46 Summary......Page 50 Development Tools in Practice......Page 51 Ensure that Development Kit Locations Are on the Path......Page 52 Preparing an Android Virtual Device (AVD)......Page 53 Frequently Used Android Development Kit Tools......Page 54 Selecting a Code Editor......Page 55 Configuring the Editor for Android Work......Page 58 The Example Application Project......Page 60 Generating the Foundation Android Project......Page 61 The Android Project Directory Structure......Page 62 Starting a Debugging Session......Page 63 Replacing the Default Generated Code......Page 65 Creating a Log Filter for the Application in the DDMS......Page 66 Running the Example Application......Page 68 What Does the Demo Application Do?......Page 69 A Walk through the Core Application Files......Page 76 Using the Android Log API......Page 83 Centralizing Application GUI Initialization Code......Page 87 Exiting an Application Activity......Page 88 Enabling and Disabling Buttons (and other Views)......Page 89 Creating Controls Dynamically (at Runtime in Code)......Page 90 Showing an Android Alert Dialog......Page 92 Creating and Showing an Android System Notification......Page 93 Using a Private Application File......Page 94 Making Menus......Page 97 Create a New Android Project from the Copy of the Project......Page 99 Create and Test a New Run Configuration for the Project......Page 100 Deploying to a Real Device......Page 101 Creating a Signed APK Package of the Example Application......Page 103 Summary......Page 106 Roll Your Own Android Scripting Environment......Page 107 The Components of a Scripting System......Page 108 The Component Roles in a Scripting System......Page 109 Designing for Resource-Constrained Systems......Page 111 Programming with BASIC......Page 112 Cocoa—A BASIC Interpreter for Java......Page 113 Understanding the Cocoa-BASIC AWT Application Design......Page 114 Running the Cocoa-BASIC AWT Desktop Application......Page 116 Reviewing the Cocoa-BASIC AWT Source Code......Page 120 A Preflight Checklist......Page 122 Understanding the CocoaDroid Application Design......Page 123 Running the CocoaDroid Android Application......Page 124 Summary......Page 155 Embedding Lua in Android Applications......Page 156 Lua Resources......Page 157 Using Kahlua2 in Your Android Java Applications......Page 158 The Kahlua2 Project......Page 159 Setting up the Kahlua2 Runtime Files Project......Page 160 Building from an IDE......Page 161 The Kahlua2 Runtime Libraries......Page 162 Setting up the Project......Page 163 Building from an IDE......Page 164 Running the Kahlua2 Android Interpreter......Page 165 Understanding the Basics of Embedding Kahlua2......Page 166 The KahluaDroid Project......Page 169 Running the KahluaDroid Application......Page 170 Running Lua Code On or Off the Main GUI Thread......Page 177 Exposing Android Application Methods to Kahlua2......Page 181 Calling Application Methods as Lua Functions......Page 184 Implementing an Application Startup Script......Page 186 Summary......Page 193 Introducing SL4A: The Scripting Layer for Android......Page 194 Using SL4A......Page 195 The SL4A Code Repository......Page 196 Development Environment Configuration......Page 197 Installing the SL4A APK on the Android Emulator......Page 198 Running SL4A on the Android Emulator......Page 199 Installing SL4A Interpreters......Page 203 Communicating Using JavaScript Object Notation (JSON)......Page 210 Summarizing the SL4A Architecture......Page 211 Reviewing Local Proxy Implementations......Page 212 Getting the SL4A Source Code......Page 216 Cloning the SL4A Source Code......Page 217 SL4A Hello World Examples......Page 220 Summary......Page 221 Creating a GUI with HTML/JavaScript and AIR......Page 222 Setting Up an Android Project to Display a Web Application......Page 223 The Android Project......Page 224 Calling Android Methods from JavaScript......Page 226 JavaScript Application......Page 227 Graphics and Animation......Page 232 User Interaction......Page 236 Using Flash and Flex Apps on Android with AIR......Page 239 Writing a Flex Application for Android......Page 240 Building and Deploying......Page 241 Creating the Flex UI with MXML......Page 245 Writing ActionScript......Page 247 Summary......Page 251 Using REST with Facebook and Twitter......Page 252 Understanding REST......Page 253 REST and JSON......Page 254 REST from an Android Application......Page 256 Asynchronous Tasks......Page 259 Twitter......Page 260 Examples in Code......Page 262 Tweeting on Behalf of the User......Page 266 Confirming the User Wants to Tweet......Page 267 Facebook and Authentication......Page 269 Facebook’s Social Graph API......Page 273 Summary......Page 275 Using the Google App Engine with Android......Page 276 Getting Started with GAE......Page 277 Using Eclipse with GAE......Page 279 GAE Project Structure......Page 281 Charges for the Google App Engine Service......Page 284 Google App Engine Services......Page 285 Examining a Sample GAE Application......Page 288 Adding the HighScore Service......Page 291 Querying the HighScore Service......Page 294 Consuming GAE Services with Android......Page 298 Exploring the Top Ten Activity......Page 301 Viewing the Users of a Game......Page 304 Viewing a User’s Location (MapView)......Page 306 Summary......Page 311 Game Development: Graphics......Page 312 Understanding XML Layout......Page 313 Layout in Code......Page 318 Custom Component......Page 321 Drawable Class......Page 329 Drawable Subclasses......Page 331 NinePatchDrawable......Page 335 Direct Rendering......Page 337 Summary......Page 341 Android Animations......Page 342 Creating Views and Animations......Page 344 Frame By Frame Animations......Page 354 Mixing Views and SurfaceViews......Page 360 Summary......Page 361 Setting Up App Inventor......Page 362 Working with Blocks......Page 366 Understanding the Types of Blocks......Page 368 Creating Application Logic with the Block Editor......Page 377 Limitations of App Inventor......Page 384 Limited Set of Components......Page 385 Limitations in Block Editor......Page 386 Summary......Page 387 A......Page 388 C......Page 391 D......Page 393 F......Page 394 G......Page 395 H......Page 396 K......Page 397 L......Page 398 M......Page 399 P......Page 400 R......Page 401 S......Page 402 T......Page 404 Y, Z......Page 405

Take a practical approach to becoming a leading-edge Android developer, learning by example while combining the many technologies needed to create a successful, up-to-date web app.

Practical Android Projects introduces the Androidsoftware development kitand development tools of the trade, and then dives into building cool-looking and fun apps that put Android's amazing capabilities to work. Android is the powerful, full-featured, open source mobile platform that powers phones like Google Nexus, Motorola Droid, Samsung Galaxy S, and a variety of HTC phones and tablet computers.

This book helps you quickly get Android projects up and running with the free and open source Eclipse, NetBeans, and IntelliJ IDEA IDEs. Then you build and extend mobile applications using the Android SDK, Java, Scripting Layer for Android (SL4A), and languages such as Python, Ruby, Javascript/HTML, Flex/AIR, and Lua.

What you’ll learn

In Practical Android Projects, you’ll work on real-world projects such as:

• Hosting an Android BASIC interpreter
• Extending your Java-based Android applications with embedded Lua
• Scripting your Android device with SL4A
• Adding Twitter and Facebook to your applications
• Using 2D graphics and animations for casual games
• Creating cross-platform apps with Javascript/HTML and Flex with AIR

Who this book is for

Practical Android Projects is for any developer new to the Android platform who wants to learn to build mobile applications. Knowledge of the fundamentals of Java programming is assumed.

Table of Contents

1. Android Fundamentals
2. Development Tools in Practice
3. Roll Your Own Android Scripting Environment
4. Embedding Lua in Android Applications
5. Introducing SL4A: The Scripting Layer for Android
6. Creating a GUI with HTML/JavaScript andAIR
7. Using REST with Facebook and Twitter
8. Using theGoogle App Enginewith Android
9. Game Development: Graphics
10. Game Development: Animation
11. App Inventor

Take a practical approach to becoming a leading-edge Android developer, learning by example while combining the many technologies needed to create a successful, up-to-date web app. Practical Android Projects introduces the Android software development kit and development tools of the trade, and then dives into building cool-looking and fun apps that put Android's amazing capabilities to work. Android is the powerful, full-featured, open source mobile platform that powers phones like Google Nexus, Motorola Droid, Samsung Galaxy S, and a variety of HTC phones and tablet computers. This book helps you quickly get Android projects up and running with the free and open source Eclipse, NetBeans, and IntelliJ IDEA IDEs. Then you build and extend mobile applications using the Android SDK, Java, Scripting Layer for Android (SL4A), and languages such as Python, Ruby, Javascript/HTML, Flex/AIR, and Lua. What you'll learn In Practical Android Projects, you'll work on real-world projects such as: * Hosting an Android BASIC interpreter * Extending your Java-based Android applications with embedded Lua * Scripting your Android device with SL4A * Adding Twitter and Facebook to your applications * Using 2D graphics and animations for casual games * Creating cross-platform apps with Javascript/HTML and Flex with AIR Who this book is for Practical Android Projects is for any developer new to the Android platform who wants to learn to build mobile applications. Knowledge of the fundamentals of Java programming is assumed