The availability of a number of free tools and start-up kits has also strengthened the process of custom application development. Now, would be app makers have another robust tool called AIDE (Android Integrated Design Environment) to develop feature-rich mobile apps using their Android phone or tablet. The tool is an ideal pick for those developers who are more inclined towards JavaScript.
Before its inception, it was quite difficult for developers to set up an environment for Android. In fact, more challenging was the process of offline Android installation. For large scale applications, developers still have the option to use Eclipse SDK, on a PC. But, for small, AIDE is the only handy choice. Using IDE, Android developers can have a reliable development package accompanied by an access to code completion, formatting, editing, refactoring, and real-time code checking. AIDE runs directly on Smartphones and other mobile devices. It is also compatible with Eclipse IDE.
In this tutorial, I am going to discuss about the creating an exemplary Android app development using AIDE. The guide is easy to follow and will surely help you in your first Android app project.
Preparing the Ground
Install AIDE from Google Play on your Android device
AIDE comes integrated with a mobile version of the Android SDK, so you don't need to install anything else
Getting Started with the App Project
Opening the AIDE on your device, you'll be first provided with a screen prompting you to provide the package name and location of your app. Make sure that whatever the name you may choose, it should be unique across all the installed packages.
Once you are done filling the details, click on the “Create” button. Selecting the button will take you to a screen which displays all the related files accompanied by the source code you need to use for your project. AIDE will create all these files in your SD card. In addition, it will also provide you with two most important files for editing purposes. The files are: main.xml and MainActivity.java.
By default a Git Repository will also be created by AIDE for your new project. You can turn off this feature in the settings. Please read the given tutorial to know more about it.
Run the App
The next step is to compile your app using the Run command from the menu just like this:
To make your app run, AIDE automatically creates an Android Application Package File (APK) for your app. Android APK is basically a file format used to install apps and softwares for Android. It features all your program's code, assets, certificates, resources, and more. An installation dialogue box is provided to the user to know about the process.
The following screen will be displayed to the user, if the compilation was successful.
Once the installation is complete, you can see your app listed among all the apps. Just like this:
Just click on the app, and you'll see the result like this:
Let's Play Around the Code
As of know we have successfully compiled and installed our app, the next step is create an interface for our application. The Android SDK provides an XML file format that helps you define the UI for your app.
For this use the below mentioned code in your res/layout/main.xml file. The code will help you determine the interface of your app.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<TextView
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="Enter your name: " />
<EditText
android:id="@+id/txtName" />
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
<Button
android:id="@+id/btnOk" />
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="OK" />
Using the code above, you'll be provided with a linear layout with a vertical orientation. The layout features 'TextView' to display the static information. The 'EditText' allows you to accept the input from the user, whereas OK and Cancel buttons are used to process or clear the EditView comments.
When you create “Hello World” app, AIDE automatically opens the main.xml file which allows you to determine the main activity of your app. Use the following code should be used with your src/com/MainActivity.java to define your application Activity.
package com.azim;
import android.app.*;
import android.os.*;
import android.view.*;
import android.widget.*;
import android.app.AlertDialog.Builder;
public class MainActivity extends Activity implements View.OnClickListener
{
EditText txtName;
Button btnOk,btnCancel;
/** Called when the activity is first created. */
@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
{
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.main);
/* Referencing controls */
txtName=(EditText)findViewById(R.id.txtName);
btnOk=(Button)findViewById(R.id.btnOk);
btnCancel=(Button)findViewById(R.id.btnCancel);
/* Registering the onClick event of the buttons */
btnOk.setOnClickListener(this);
btnCancel.setOnClickListener(this);
}
public void onClick(View view)
{
if(view==btnOk)
{
/* Display Welcome message */
Builder builder=new Builder(this);
builder.setTitle("Welcome to Android");
builder.setMessage("Hello "+txtName.getText()+"!!!");
builder.setCancelable(true);
builder.show();
}
if(view==btnCancel)
{
/* Clear the EditText */
txtName.setText("");
txtName.requestFocus();
}
}
}
That's all! You can now go on to create buttons and responses for your app to make it function well.
To Wrap Up
AIDE is a perfect pick for those who want to create a robust Android application on their device quickly and easily. Those who are getting into Android app development should consider it as a platform for their future endeavors.
Author Bio:
Juana Steves is a mobile application developer for Xicom Ltd, which is the leading android application development company. She loves sharing latest information on mobile technology and provides concrete information on technologies like iOS, Android mobile apps development.
