Introduction to Android Application Development

Application Resources 137 What Are Resources? 137 Setting Simple Resource Values Using the Android IDE 143 Working with Different Types of Resources 146 Working with Layouts 166 Referencing System Resources 171 Summary 172 Quiz Questions 173 Exercises 173 References and More Information 173 Part III: Android User Interface Design Essentials Chapter 7: Exploring User Interface Building Blocks 177 Introducing Android Views and Layouts 177 Displaying Text to Users with TextView 179 Retrieving Data from Users with Text Fields 183 Giving Users Choices Using Spinner Controls 188 Allowing Simple User Selections with Buttons and Switches 190 Retrieving Dates, Times, and Numbers from Users with Pickers 197 Using Indicators to Display Progress and Activity to Users 199 Adjusting Progress with Seek Bars 202 Other Valuable User Interface Controls 203 Summary 207 Quiz Questions 207 Exercises 207 References and More Information 208 Chapter 8: Designing with Layouts 209 Creating User Interfaces in Android 209 Organizing Your User Interface 214 Using Built-in Layout Classes 215 Using Container Control Classes 232 Summary 239 Quiz Questions 239 Exercises 240 References and More Information 240 Chapter 9: Partitioning the User Interface with Fragments 243 Understanding Fragments 243 Using the Android Support Package 258 Exploring Nested Fragments 261 Summary 261 Quiz Questions 262 Exercises 262 References and More Information 263 Chapter 10: Displaying Dialogs 265 Choosing Your Dialog Implementation 265 Exploring the Different Types of Dialogs 266 Working with Dialogs and Dialog Fragments 267 Working with Support Package Dialog Fragments 271 Summary 275 Quiz Questions 276 Exercises 276 References and More Information 276 Part IV: Android Application Design Essentials Chapter 11: Using Android Preferences 281 Working with Application Preferences 281 Finding Preferences Data on the Android File System 285 Creating Manageable User Preferences 286 Learning about Cloud Save for Android Applications 296 Summary 298 Quiz Questions 298 Exercises 299 References and More Information 299 Chapter 12: Working with Files and Directories 301 Working with Application Data on a Device 301 Practicing Good File Management 302 Understanding Android File Permissions 303 Working with Files and Directories 303 Summary 312 Quiz Questions 312 Exercises 313 References and More Information 313 Chapter 13: Leveraging Content Providers 315 Exploring Android's Content Providers 315 Modifying Content Provider Data 324 Using Third-Party Content Providers 328 Summary 328 Quiz Questions 328 Exercises 329 References and More Information 329 Chapter 14: Designing Compatible Applications 331 Maximizing Application Compatibility 331 Designing User Interfaces for Compatibility 333 Providing Alternative Application Resources 338 Targeting Tablets, TVs, and Other New Devices 347 Targeting Google Chromecast Devices 350 Summary 350 Quiz Questions 350 Exercises 351 References and More Information 351 Part V: Publishing and Distributing Android Applications Chapter 15: Learning the Android Software Development Process 355 An Overview of the Mobile Development Process 355 Choosing a Software Methodology 356 Gathering Application Requirements 357 Assessing Project Risks 364 Writing Essential Project Documentation 368 Leveraging Configuration Management Systems 369 Designing Mobile Applications 370 Developing Mobile Applications 373 Testing Mobile Applications 373 Deploying Mobile Applications 374 Supporting and Maintaining Mobile Applications 375 Summary 377 Quiz Questions 377 Exercises 377 References and More Information 378 Chapter 16: Designing and Developing Bulletproof Android Applications 379 Best Practices in Designing Bulletproof Mobile Applications 379 Avoiding Silly Mistakes in Android Application Design 388 Best Practices in Developing Bulletproof Mobile Applications 388 Summary 393 Quiz Questions 394 Exercises 394 References and More Information 394 Chapter 17: Planning the Android Application Experience 395 Thinking about Objectives 395 Techniques for Focusing Your Product Efforts 397 Charting Your Application's Navigation 400 Encouraging Action 408 Communicating Your Application's Identity 416 Designing Screen Layouts 417 Reacting Properly with Visual Feedback 418 Observing Target Users for Usability 418 Summary 419 Quiz Questions 420 Exercises 420 References and More Information 420 Chapter 18: Testing Android Applications 423 Best Practices in Testing Mobile Applications 423 Android Application Testing Essentials 435 More Android Automated Testing Programs and APIs 455 Summary 457 Quiz Questions 457 Exercises 457 References and More Information 458 Chapter 19: Publishing Your Android Application 459 Choosing the Right Distribution Model 459 Packaging Your Application for Publication 462 Publishing to Google Play 468 Google Play Staged Rollouts 478 Publishing to the Google Play Private Channel 478 Translating Your Application 478 Publishing Using Other Alternatives 479 Self-Publishing Your Application 479 Summary 480 Quiz Questions 481 Exercises 481 References and More Information 481 Part VI: Appendixes Appendix A: Mastering the Android Development Tools 485 Using the Android Documentation 485 Leveraging the Android Emulator 489 Viewing Application Log Data with LogCat 490 Debugging Applications with DDMS 490 Using Android Debug Bridge (ADB) 490 Using the Resource Editors and UI Designer 491 Using the Android Hierarchy Viewer 493 Working with Nine-Patch Stretchable Graphics 497 Working with Other Android Tools 500 Summary 502 Quiz Questions 503 Exercises 503 References and More Information 503 Appendix B: Quick-Start Guide: The Android Emulator 505 Simulating Reality: The Emulator's Purpose 505 Working with Android Virtual Devices 507 Launching the Emulator with a Specific AVD 512 Configuring the GPS Location of the Emulator 516 Calling between Two Emulator Instances 517 Messaging between Two Emulator Instances 518 Interacting with the Emulator through the Console 520 Enjoying the Emulator 524 Understanding Emulator Limitations 525 Summary 526 Quiz Questions 526 Exercises 527 References and More Information 527 Appendix C: Quick-Start Guide: Android DDMS 529 Using DDMS with the Android IDE and as a Standalone Application 529 Getting Up to Speed Using Key Features of DDMS 530 Working with Processes, Threads, and the Heap 531 Using the Allocation Tracker 534 Viewing Network Statistics 535 Working with the File Explorer 536 Working with the Emulator Control 539 Working with the System Information Pane 541 Taking Screen Captures of the Emulator and Device Screens 542 Working with Application Logging 543 Summary 544 Quiz Questions 545 Exercises 545 References and More Information 545 Appendix D: Android IDE and Eclipse Tips and Tricks 547 Organizing Your Android IDE Workspace 547 Writing Code in Java 552 Resolving Mysterious Build Errors 556 Summary 557 Quiz Questions 557 Exercises 557 References and More Information 557 Appendix E: Answers to Quiz Questions 559 Index 567

photographer. Her work has been published in books and newspapers around the world. In South Africa, she dove with 4-meter-long great white sharks and got stuck between a herd of rampaging hippopotami and an irritated bull elephant. She's been attacked by monkeys in Japan, gotten stuck in a ravine with two hungry lions in Kenya, gotten thirsty in Egypt, narrowly avoided a coup d etat in Thailand, geocached her way through the Swiss Alps, drank her way through the beer halls of Germany, slept in the crumbling castles of Europe, and gotten her tongue stuck to an iceberg in Iceland (while being watched by a herd of suspicious wild reindeer). Shane Conder has extensive development experience and has focused his attention on mobile and embedded development for the past decade. He has designed and developed many commercial applications for Android, iOS, BREW, BlackBerry, J2ME, Palm, and Windows Mobile-some of which have been installed on millions of phones worldwide. Shane has written extensively about the mobile industry and evaluated mobile development platforms on his tech blogs and is well known within the blogosphere. Shane received a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of California. A self-admitted gadget freak, Shane always has the latest smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device. He can often be found fiddling with the latest technologies, such as cloud services and mobile platforms, and other exciting, state-of-the-art technologies that activate the creative part of his brain. He also enjoys traveling the world with his geeky wife, even if she did make him dive with 4-meter-long great white sharks and almost get eaten by a lion in Kenya. He admits that he has to take at least two phones with him when backpacking-even though there is no coverage-and that he snickered and whipped out his Android phone to take a picture when Laurie got her tongue stuck to that iceberg in Iceland, and that he is catching on that he should be writing his own bio.