Android

Projects and Tutorials in Android.

There are series of YouTube Videos, Blogs  and Tutorials created for development of Application in Android using SQLite and Eclipse IDE or Android Studio. 

We have developed Project Shopping Cart Application. This Android project contains pages for login , select Items, update cart , track your order and sending email or sms from mobile. One can learn Android App development from scratch.  There are step wise YouTube Tutorials: Android Tutorial Videos that will help to understand and develop Shopping Cart App from scratch. And Blog:Android Shopping Cart Blog will help you to understand database design, Android pages and coding in Android.  This helps to make it easier and start for development in simple basic steps and gradually develop an Application. We have developed Shopping Cart Application is Android and also Web based Application using JSF 2.2. In this blog we are only discussing android based App. For Web Shopping Cart Application one need to view the JSF 2.2 Blog from menu. 
The two Applications developed in Android and JSF 2.2 are integrated to each other. The data is updated from JSF 2.2 and can be viewed from Android App from Mobile. From JSF 2.2 Application is updated in MySql database and we have used PHP script to insert and retrieve data in android Application from same table of MySql Database. Tutorial on Integration Integrate JSF 2.2 and Android Shopping Cart Applications.

We have developed another project Diet Meter. This Application controls the calories of person by storing person data in Mobile using SQLite Database. Tutorial Android Sqlite Video. This will help you to understand the app development in Android using SQLite database. The data is updated and sorted in mobile and using SQLite database. 

Tutorial and Link is give at the end of this page.

About Android

Android is an Mobile operating system based on the Linux kernel. Android is developed in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). This project is lead by Google. Initially it was developed by Android Inc., which Google bought in 2005.

Which Android Versions are available and Which API we should start working on?.

The Android operating system is published in different versions, which are listed in the following table. It is always better to chose a lower API which  are  compatible  on  all Mobile Apps and should be the latest with nearly all features at  same  time. Preferable one should chose API level 10.

Android versions
Code name	Version	API level
Android Oreo	8.0- 8.1
Android Pie	9.0
Nougat	7.0 – 7.1.1	24 -25
Marshmallow	6.0	23
Lollipop	5.1	22
Lollipop	5.0	21
KitKat	4.4 - 4.4.4	19
Jelly Bean	4.1.x - 4.3.x	16 - 18
Ice Cream Sandwich	4.0.1 - 4.0.4	14 - 15
Honeycomb	3.2.x	13
Honeycomb	3.0 - 3.1	11 - 12
Gingerbread	2.3 - 2.3.7	9-10
Froyo	2.2.x	8
Eclair	2.1	7
Donut	1.6	4
Cupcake	1.5	3

 Advantages of Android App Development

1.   Low Investment.
Android provides freely its Software Development Kit (SDK) to the developer community which minimizes the development and licensing costs. Develop with freeware IDE like Netbeans, Eclipse or Android Studio for easy and fast development.

2.    Open Source.

The architecture of the Android SDK is open-source. This is what makes the Android platform very attractive for handset manufacturers & wireless operators, which results in a faster development of Android based phones, and better opportunities for developers to earn more.  SQLite is a opensource SQL database that stores data to a text file on a device. Android comes in with built in SQLite database implementation.

3.    Easy to Integrate.

The entire platform is ready for customization for Smartphone application. You can integrate and tweak the mobile app according to your business need. Android is the best mobile platform between the application and processes architecture. Integrate with PHP , MySql Database and other Database. Integrate with Sqlite.

4.    Sell Android Products.

Android applications can be deployed in different ways. You can use third-party application marketplace Like Google Play Store or Microsoft or Microsoft Dev Center, Can also place it on your website. You build it, you publish it. With your choice of promotional strategy, you can reach your end users through multiple channels.

5.    Easy Acceptance from Java to Android for Java Programmers.

Android applications are scripted in Java language with the help of a rich set of libraries. Anyone can build Android applications with the knowledge of Java. Lot of Java programmers find it easy to adopt and script code for mobile applications in the Android OS.

To understand Android development better some application have been developed.

On can view the Blog: Android Shopping Cart Blog for Development of Shopping Cart Application. This explains the basics to develop the Application in Android. Another List of Videos to view for use of SQLite with Android for development of Diet Meter Application Android Sqlite Video. The Testing of the app developed can be done with the emulator of IDE(integrated with IDE) or with actual Android mobile connected through USB to Desktop/Laptop.

Which IDE to be used for Android Development?

Let us see some comparison for Android Studio and Eclipse.

Android Studio is Better:

Android is Official IDE for developing Android Application. There is a note suggesting to go for Android studio rather than Eclipse with ADT. With the latest update. Using Android Studio is better than Eclipse for layout.  One  can code the layout and see the preview. Android Studio features a new and improved interface design perspective where one  can view the interface you are working on and its related components. With build.gradle one  can easily access share library of others on github. Android Studio 2.0 is coming. Its very very fast than current Android Studio. With Android Studio Crashing is less frequently.

In Android Studio, projects are replaced with a new concept called "Modules" and "Library Modules."

Android Studio is good but lacks some features like,

In Android Studio it is not possible to open two projects in a single window. It is not good for large projects.

It will result in showing 'Android Studio is not responding' with gradle and indexing process.

Eclipse has some good features like,

• Eclipse is a general purpose IDE.
• It is faster than Android Studio.
• Perspective view is present to make layout.

Issues with Eclipse like,

The problem of generate R.java on Eclipse. At times it does not generate R.java during layout making. This is mainly due to error in Layout which we need to identify. E.g “_” or Uppercase is used as naming convention for images, which is incorrect and does not allow to generate R.java.

It Crashes frequently.

Important point to Note : Support for the Android Developer Tools (ADT) in Eclipse has ended. Should migrate your app development projects to Android Studio as soon as possible.

One should Export an existing Eclipse project over to Android Studio.

What are Other IDE Tools Available for development.

Android Studio – The official IDE, based on the community-created IntelliJIDEA.

Eclipse – Before Android Studio, this was the official Android development environment. Used to code Java but can be expanded to other languages via plugins, it is still a powerful tool.

IntelliJIDEA – Android Studio is based on this, and this IDE is not only extremely useful, but has a massive amount of community-created plugins, making it highly customizable.

DroidEdit – An Android text and code editor to use on Android platforms.

Android-IDE – A complete web and Android development environment, it also allows you to edit Java and PhoneGap apps. 

Cordova – Mobile apps with HTML, CSS and JS, its one of the best tools if you want to create hybrid apps. Free and open source.

Corona – A 2D-development platform with a specific focus on games but can be used to create other types of mobile apps too. One of the best for cross-platform development and 100% free.

Projects and Tutorials Links

Shopping Cart Application. 

YouTube Video Link    : Android Tutorial Videos 
Blog Link                   : Android Shopping Cart Blog


Integrate Android and JSF 2.2 Shopping Cart Application Link: Integrate JSF 2.2 and Android Shopping Cart Applications.

For Diet meter one should see the Android SQLIte Link.Andorid SqlLite Blog