how to become an android developer - a step by step guide

Step-by-Step Guide ToBecome an

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Become a Android developer

https://acadgild.com/web-development/android-development


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Introduction ..............................................................................................................................................................02

Basic Prerequisites for Android.......................................................................................................................02

01 Java...................................................................................................................................................................02

03 Android SDK..................................................................................................................................................03

02 JDK....................................................................................................................................................................02

04 Android IDEs.................................................................................................................................................04

Secondary Prerequisites for Android............................................................................................................04

0.1 APIs..................................................................................................................................................................04

0.2 Databases....................................................................................................................................................05

Testing Tools in Android.......................................................................................................................................05

Android Studio AVD.........................................................................................................................................05

Genymotion.........................................................................................................................................................06

Other Essential Skills.............................................................................................................................................06

Publishing and Monetizing your Apps............................................................................................................11

Conclusion....................................................................................................................................................................11

Google Play Store.............................................................................................................................................07

Amazon Appstore.............................................................................................................................................07

> TABLE OF CONTENTS <


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Android, symbolized by a Green robot, is an operating system for smartphones and tablets that is built on Linux foundation. Android was founded in 2003 in Palo Alto, California, by Andy Rubin, Rich miner, Nick sears and Chris White. Initially developed by Open Handset Alliance, Google has taken over it since 2005. Google has a sweet tooth when it comes to naming the various versions of Android. It has given dessert names to its numerous version. Android is developing in a fast pace with at least two major releases per year by Google.

Android consists of a Linux-based kernel, along with middleware, libraries and APIs written in C. Android has a large community of developers, where new and innovative apps are written continually to extend the functionality of smartphones and tablets.

When approaching a new technology for the first time, it helps when you break it down into smaller portions. In Android development, programming forms the foundation and the core area when it comes building apps. If you have a deep-rooted foundation in IT, then you would be aware of most of the programming necessities.

Like I said, programming is just the foundation of android development and not its entirety and requires good knowledge in other concepts as well.

Introduction

Basic Prerequisites for Android

Java

Java is the language that sets the foundation for Android development. Hence, it is one of the most crucial skill when it comes to learning Android. Java is Object Oriented programming like Python, Ruby, C#, PHP etc. So, if you are proficient in any of these programming languages or in JavaScript it becomes comparatively easy to learn Java.

Even though we have mentioned Java here, it does not mean that this is the only language for developing Android apps. You can develop Android apps using other technologies, but many organizations are looking for native development using Java and Android Studio or Eclipse as your IDE. Hence, excessive importance is given to Java

A well-versed knowledge of the programming syntax and structures is highly recom-mended. You should aware of concepts like list, loops, variables, control structures and Object Oriented concepts like inheritance and class vs. static methods.


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Java JDK

Java Development Kit (JDK) is an application of any one of the following platforms-Java SE, Java EE or Java ME, released by Oracle. The JDK consist of a private JVM and some more resources to complete the development of a Java Application. JDK, so far has been the most widely used SDK. JDK is a subcategory of SDK and includes tools for developing, debugging, and monitoring Java applications.

The JDK consists of the following programming tools:

Only few of the programming tools have been mentioned above. There are more tools which can be used in the development process.

Appletviewer – Used for running and debugging Java applets in the absence of a web browser.

apt – Annotation processing tool.

extcheck – A tool to detect JAR file conflicts.

idlj – An IDL-to-Java compiler that generates Java bindings from a Java IDL file.

jabswitch – A tool which exposes assistive technologies on Microsoft Windows systems.

javac – A Java compiler which converts source code into Java bytecode.

javadoc – A documentation generator which spontaneously generates documentation from source code comments.

jar – The is an archiver which bundles related class libraries into a single JAR file. This tool also manages the JAR files.

jarsigner – This is a jar signing and verification tool.

javah – The is tool for generating C header and stub and is used to write native methods.


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Android SDK

SDK stands for Software Development Kit, which contains a set of pre-packaged code. The Android SDKs are components of Java code that allows developers to access device functions like the camera and accelerometer. It is essential for Android aspirers to be aware of the key component in Android SDK, which is a library, called Gradle.

Newbies and those passionate about Android need to spend their time exploring the different ways in which the SDKs can be used for different applications. These SDKs are easy to understand from the official documentation since it provides load of examples.

Some of the areas in SDK that you need to proficient in are as follows:

Rudimentary knowledge of layouts and views

Activities & their lifecycle

User input

Obtaining data from the web

Storing data

Collection views

Adapters (default and custom)

Action Bar

Ability to work with different screen sizes and densities

Android IDEs

IDE, which stands for Integrated Development Environment, compile and runs the code at a click of a button. It is unlike other applications where you have to write a code separately to compile and to run the code.

Android Studio and Eclipse are IDEs meant for Android development. Android Studio is put together on top of the IntelliJ IDE, which provides great and unusual support for many Android SDKs. Android Studio has many capabilities required bydevelopers. Like code completion, which helps to make auto-complete suggestions as you type, and code debuggers that identifies the source of errors. There are even more advanced tools like memory and CPU monitors, included as a part of the package.

Read more about the Gradle

Read more about how to setup an Android IDE


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Secondary Prerequisites for Android

Testing Tools in AndroidTesting is a critical software development practice as it helps greatly to develop the quality of the apps by ensuring improved user satisfaction, and lessens the total development time spent on fixing the faults. Android provides an integrated testing framework that allows you to everything about the app. The Android SDK and Testing Support Library contains APIs and tools for running and testing apps. You can build and execute tests in Android Studio as well as from the command line.

Getting data from the web is a basic skill when it comes to app development and many assume that this skill is no longer necessary. On the contrary, many job postings have included a working knowledge of their own API or a 3rd party API. This usually includes JSON, REST APIs, XML and SOAP, with more preference given to JSON and REST.

ML shares many features with HTML and is used to create layouts which are the initial UI definition for Android applications. Here, Java codes can be written to modify the elements in the layout, which is similar to how web developers use JavaScript to modify the elements. Considering its impor-tance, it is essential to at least learn the basics of XML.

APIs

DatabasesIf you are developing an app that is going to handle huge amounts of data, it is most likely that this data will not be stored in the device that you are using. It is also most likely that it will be stored in Cloud service like Parse or Firebase, as they provide APIs to store data in the Cloud, thereby making it available across devices.Another way to store data, is through Android’s in-built provision for using SQL, which communicates with the SQLite database. Hence, you need to learn the basics of SQL, to organize the database inside the Android apps.


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Android Studio AVDAn Android Virtual Device (AVD) is an emulator setup that allows you to model a real device by outlining the hardware and software preferences to be imitated by the Android Emulator.

An AVD consists of the following:

A hardware profile - Defines the hardware features of the virtual device.

A mapping to a system image – Allows you to choose the version of the Android platform it will run on the virtual device.

You can select the emulator skin you want to use with the AVD.

A separate storage area on your development machine.

GenymotionGenymotion is a third-party emulator that is fast and can be used in place of the default Android emulator. Genymotion can be used to construct and install quality apps faster through loftier automation and alliance. This emulator is outstandingly faster than the default Android emulator.

Genymotion is 3 X faster to boot than an actual device. Genymotion is meant for developers to test and view their apps that are running on devices of various sizes, screen resolution and versions of Android.

Other Essential Skills:Unity 2D

The Genymotion emulator utilizes a x86 architecture virtualization and OpenGL hardware acceleration, which runs the apps efficiently. It creating a virtual machine through VirtualBox to deliver an Android emulator, with support for hardware sensors like GPS, accelerometer and battery. It is accessible to Windows, Mac and Linux users.

You can get it free and it has a premium license, which has more features than the free version.

Read more about how to install genymotion

Read more about how to get started with Nodejs

Back-end technologies like NodeJS, Rails, Django, .NET, etc.


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Publishing and Monetizing your AppsNow that you know how to write an Android app, it’s time to publish it and monetize through it. You can give away your apps for free and still make money through them. There are several prototypes through which you can monetize your app. This includes free with ads, freemium, and paid for.

Android apps can be published and bought from more than one official store. Let’s look at Google Play Store and Amazon Play Store through which you can monetize your apps.

Besides monetization, the other advantage of publishing your apps are as follows:

You get clear and precise feedbacks from users.

You can iterate on bugs immediately on receiving the feedback.

You can tweak, nip and tuck the app to your heart’s content.

You can get feedback from a large base of audience.

The publishing platforms makes it easier to find other developers and interact with them.

High earning possibilities.

Google Play StoreThe Google Play Store is Google's official portal for Android apps, games and other content for the Android phone, tablets or Android-based TV devices. Google Play Store has become the cornerstone of Google's ecosystem of apps and has become a critical slice of Android. Google Play Store is a huge place that offers a large variety of content to its users.

The Play Store has Apps, Music, Games, Movies and much more where you can download and purchase them.

As a developer, you can publish your app here.

Amazon AppstoreThe Amazon Appstore is an app store for the Android OS by Amazon.com. Similar to Google Play Store, the Amazon Appstore has nearly 334,000 apps in its treasure trove as of today. This is also the app store that Kindle users get on Kindle tablets instead of Google Play.


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ConclusionThe easiest way or even the best way to become an Android Developer is to let your passion for Android shine through. Your passion can be exhibited only through your innovation and tireless effort to practically do what you have learnt. In short, build apps using different techniques and brush up on the essential skills mentioned above. They will speak for itself.

According to IT recruiters, the demand for skilled and talented mobile application developers still far exceeds the supply.

Whether you are fresher on the verge of starting your career or an experienced professional looking to switch the career, Android is an excellent choice for both.

https://acadgild.com/blog/10-reasons-android-will-change-your-career/

THE CAREER LADDER


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ACADGILD is a technology education startup that aims to create an ecosystem for skill development in which people can learn from mentors and from each other.We believe that software development requires highly specialized skills that are best learned with guidance from experienced practitioners. Online videos or classroom formats are poor substitutes for building real projects with help from a dedicated mentor. Our mission is to teach hands-on, job-ready software programming skills, globally, in small batches of 8 to 10 students, using industry experts.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORPushpalatha Gadiraju, the author of this EBook, has four years of solid professional experience in designing and developingAndroid applications to her credit. She is an expert in Android application development using Eclipse IDE, Android Studio,Java, Web Services (JSON, XML), SQLite, Android SDK, and ADT plug-in & lots more.

She is a highly skilled, talented, and accomplished corporate training professional with extensive knowledge of planning,organizing and directing wide range of Android training activities. She has in her bag several projects developed by herselflike Music Player plugin for Android Browser, Audio sampling for Android Tele Voice Recorder etc.

Feel free to contact her at [email protected] in case you have any query.


ACADGILDWe hope this Ebook has helped you build your career to become an Android Developer. Check out these resources to enrich your skills in Android App Development. For a better understanding and in-depth learning of Android, enroll for our Android app Development course.

how to become an android developer - a step by step guide

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