[Q] Android Development - EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I'm interested in doing some development for android. I'm just not sure where to start. I see a ton of books on Amazon.
I'm just wondering what would be recommended for an absolute beginner. I know my way around a computer so i don't need it that noob'd down.
I think i would like to play with some apps, and eventually move to Kernels and Roms.
What you you recommend?

Probably the best way to start is to learn Java (the main coding language for apps and userspace), and C (the main languages for kernelspace stuff). After that, messing with the App Inventor would be the place to go.

Search dsixda very helpful thread
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i was thinking of learning some basics of android app development and coding with a very basic walk through so that i can fully understand what i'm going to be able to use the Java code in particular applications. Would this be a bad strategy.

As a software developer, I would recommend spending a couple weeks getting the basics of Java and object-oriented development down. Do a few sample apps in Java. Once you've done that, try Android. I'm afraid that learning to code, learning Java, and learning to develop for Android all in one may be too much for someone.
You really need to have the basics of Java and object-orientation down, then take on Android as it's not altogether simple, particularly for someone who's just learned to code.
As far as kernel/ROM development, I'm guessing C and Linux shell scripts are the things to learn there. If you want to write Android apps, do as I've mentioned above.

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Beginner Programming: Custom UI Question

I'm preparing to start a little side project, I have only very basic programming experience so I think I'm going to go with Visual Basic for the application.
What I'm having trouble with learning, is where to go to implement a custom UI if I'm not satisifed with the standard .net controls.
For example, how would I create a custom button control with my own images?
I'm struggling to find any windows mobile development tutorials around UI. Any ideas where to start looking and learning from?
I found a few links that should be useful after all:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd630622.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa446518.aspx#imagebutton_topic3
http://expression.microsoft.com/en-us/dd279543.aspx
Still open suggestions or tips for a beginner though if you have any, thanks!
Don't use VB, use C#
Most examples snippets in open source I use are in c#. VB is just as good but ..
Search for UI in the WiMo forum. I opened some topics about UI also and with some answers I submitted there are some links in this forum for you to use.
Search for Sense SDK, fluid for a free UI or use controls from beemobile, resco, or myrabyte.
ajhvdb said:
Don't use VB, use C#
Most examples snippets in open source I use are in c#. VB is just as good but ..
Search for UI in the WiMo forum. I opened some topics about UI also and with some answers I submitted there are some links in this forum for you to use.
Search for Sense SDK, fluid for a free UI or use controls from beemobile, resco, or myrabyte.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for those tips. I've seen fluid and the Sense SDK in my searches, I'll be sure to give those a go. As it's just a small hobby, I probably won't go with the beemobile, resco route, but thank you for the suggestion.
I keep debating about diving into C# rather than VB, I'm just not sure I can devote the time to get anywhere with it. It seems a bit more complex to understand. VB is already fairly familiar with me and easy enough to learn more about. I also heard that we'll be able to use VB at some point for WP7S development, so that I wouldn't lose any knowledge learned here if I wanted to give WP7S a shot. At the moment WP7S development is C# only however....maybe another reason for me to change my mind...

Interested in Developing in free time

I just recently decided that I have had enough of WinMo on my tilt2 and opted to see how the development of Android OS was coming along for the phone. Not surprisingly, it has developed a lot since I first picked up the phone in December and first thought of the idea of placing Android on the phone.
To my point-- I have some programming experience and would be interested in learning the language behind Android. Obviously it is linux based, but is that the only thing I need to know?
Does anyone know what I need to know to get started?
Links to appropriate sites with details on the language is really what I am looking for. Thanks to any and all that will help (not looking for trolls, get enough of those from other sites).
I too am learning linux, I've had to use linux commands for over a year now as I also own a G1 and you often (when rooting) need to go into a terminal to make changes. I unfortunately don't know much of the language required to create or change much of the android OS I only know the file structure and how to change that. If I were you I would jump over to http://www.android.com download the developers kit which comes with an android emulator and they have lots of tutorials and demo apps for the android OS. It won't do much as far as help you modify the system but it's a good place to get started.
Hope this helps and if you have any questions about the things I do know, feel free to ask me
androidonhtc.com/wiki/Get_Involved[/url] you can try this.

<Dev help plz> looking to get into developing stuff...tips?

Hi, I have experience programming in Java and c/c++ and was looking at getting into programming some apps or even helping on on some roms and finally start helping out around the EVO community. I just need a little help getting started. I have eclipse and such set up, but does anyone have any tips or tutorials that might help. (Yes, I have searched Google). Maybe alittle insight in to somethings that I may run into. I want to create apps and games that will be helpful to the community. Thanks
I don't know if it would help but there is an android 'chef' section here on xda:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=613
and this thread seems to have a few resources for getting started:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=697938
Have you run through the tutorials and read all the documentation on developer.android.com? The "Dev Guide" and the "Resources" tabs are a good place to start, as is just reading through the javadocs for the API. If you're already a Java programmer, you know the code semantics already. It's just a question of understanding the Android concepts. Not to say that's trivial, but the foundation of the language is Java, which means knowing it gives you a head start.
Do a search On xda site for "everything android" its a huge file I put together that includes lots of needed tools and setup files for cooking roms and building apps. It also has a guide with links to the sites where I got the tools from. That should help. Just remember it's for windows and I recommend downloading to ur computer not ur phone cause its over a gig in size
Papa Smurf151 said:
Do a search On xda site for "everything android" its a huge file I put together that includes lots of needed tools and setup files for cooking roms and building apps. It also has a guide with links to the sites where I got the tools from. That should help. Just remember it's for windows and I recommend downloading to ur computer not ur phone cause its over a gig in size
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, for that. I looked around the forum but prob would of had a real hard time finding that.
If you are more comfortable with the .net framework, get MonoDroid. C# programming for android. You just need a copy of visual studio 2010, thank god for the free ultimate version I got from school. I haven't messed around with it a lot yet but there is no visual representation of the screen or adding strings like in Eclipse but I like C# more than Java so I'll use this more often than not
Sent from my Evo powered by MIUI
Comrade P said:
If you are more comfortable with the .net framework, get MonoDroid. C# programming for android. You just need a copy of visual studio 2010, thank god for the free ultimate version I got from school. I haven't messed around with it a lot yet but there is no visual representation of the screen or adding strings like in Eclipse but I like C# more than Java so I'll use this more often than not
Sent from my Evo powered by MIUI
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have visual studio 2010 ultimate as well from my school. I haven't ever worked with c# but i cant imagine that its much more different from C/C++. Just some different ways of calling/naming things
Exactly. I like it a lot more than Java. Can't really explain it. Just test both of them out and see which you prefer.

Please explain what porting is. I'm still confused after countless google searches.

I'm called for a job interview this Monday. They need someone to port some programs children play with on the web to Android. It's educational software that looks accessible to children.
My only experience with porting is working with Unity and going back and forth from PC to my Android phones. My problem is I don't know how porting is done exactly.
Let's say I want to port a Java program to Android. Do I have to create a layer of coding around the original Java source code and make it work with Android? Or is it just modifying the original source code to fit the new platform?
I searched multiple forums and countless google searches. I'm going insane. Please help me!
Thank you! :laugh:
Well I guess it depends. Unless you are using a cross-platform framework (e.g. Xamarin), then it would involve re-writing the code in Java.
If you already have some Java back end code (e.g. some servlet implementation), then I would just create an interface to this module and leave it as it is. No point in rewriting working code in a language that already runs on Android (unless your one of these people who can't help themselves and has to refactor everything to death).
i dont think there is much for u to do, if the games are web based, just build a laucher that links to the games, otherwise look for similar games in android version and install them as a package on all phones.
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[Q] What do I need to know to start functional testing?

Hi everyone,
I just took an internship position in which my first project is coming up with ways to QA our company's mobile application, which we do not personally develop. I thought that thorough test cases run with some kind of automation framework (like Appium) would be the best way to do this, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
I don't have any real Android application development experience. Our application is a client-side application, not web-based. I am assuming that I am going to need to teach myself a fair amount of Java, start looking into how to use the Android development kit, and then learn how to write and implement test scripts using an automation framework. Could anyone once over my thinking on how I need to progress here to make sure I'm heading down the right path to learn how to functionally test client side applications? Will I just need to know Java to write these test scripts, or do I need to learn Javascript?
cbutler94 said:
Hi everyone,
I just took an internship position in which my first project is coming up with ways to QA our company's mobile application, which we do not personally develop. I thought that thorough test cases run with some kind of automation framework (like Appium) would be the best way to do this, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
I don't have any real Android application development experience. Our application is a client-side application, not web-based. I am assuming that I am going to need to teach myself a fair amount of Java, start looking into how to use the Android development kit, and then learn how to write and implement test scripts using an automation framework. Could anyone once over my thinking on how I need to progress here to make sure I'm heading down the right path to learn how to functionally test client side applications? Will I just need to know Java to write these test scripts, or do I need to learn Javascript?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could stick with Java if you wish. There may be more work involved. Android has a built in testing framework wrapped around JUnit. Check out the documentation on developer.android.com/tools/testing/testing_android.html.
Although I suppose JUnit is more suited for unit testing. It may be that using an automation framework like Appium may better suit your needs. It also looks like Appium provides support for testing in Java, so you may be able to skip learning Javascript.

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