I was wondering what developers thought about using eclipse. Is it easy to use or is it not. When I look online most veteran programmers say its easy to pick up but when I tried it seem kind of tough. I read an articule about it here
http://eclipseandriod.blogspot.com/
The author seem to think it was tough but easy at same time which left me confused. What do you think?
I had very few problems getting set up to develop using Eclipse for Android Development.
Perhaps if you can give some details of the problems you are experiencing we could provide some guidance.
GingerBiscuit said:
I had very few problems getting set up to develop using Eclipse for Android Development.
Perhaps if you can give some details of the problems you are experiencing we could provide some guidance.
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Same idea here. Just give some examples where you feel stuck and maybe we could help.
I think it really depends on your programming background. If you dont know Java, no IDE in the world is going to be easy to learn, however, if you do know Java and can understand how android layout are defined, then Eclipse is easy and straightforward!
Basically I dont know Java programming and Iam used to using visual tools like level editors where you can just code on the object after you place it on the screen. Are there any level editor type tools for eclipse?
The reason why Android uses Java is because the original goals of android was to make a fast spreading, open source smartphone OS that seats Google as the default search engine. Java had/has the largest community of developers. Because Android uses Java, applications can reuse lots of already written Java code saving programmers tons of time that it would've taken to rewrite in whatever other language they would have chosen.
As for a beginner trying to make an Android app -- there's no way to get around the coding. It could be much, much harder. Java's really popular and well documented language with lots of books on it. Learning it would be easier than lots of other languages they could've used.
Related
Does anyone in here have experience designing Android Apps?
I am very good with computers, very, very little programming experience, but I have an idea for an app that I would really like to create.
So how hard is the first app? I'm going to download the SDK today when i get home and do some reading and see what I can figure out..
I wish I could get someone I knew and trusted to help me out, but I'd be scared they'd try to steal my idea and cut me out of the loop...
If you have little coding knowledge then how do you expect to be able to code an application.
Agreed, if you have no programming experience then you've got no hope. Although Android apps are coded in Java (therefore a nice OO language which is fairly easy to learn) you still need experience imo.
Anyone can learn to program but it takes time and effort. Leave Android for the moment and learn Java first. A starting point would be here http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/getStarted/index.html
Once you're comfortable with Java, then move onto Android.
I also recommend you to read up on java, here's a good tutorial.
http://www.homeandlearn.co.uk/java/java.html
They use NetBeans instead of the famous and google supported Eclipse.
But you must first understand Java and programming in general.
im also interested in making an app, and have experience with java. is java the only language that you can use for android? how about jython, since my python is better than my java, it would be best to use that...
i guess i'll start by dl'ing the sdk lol
I think as long as you have an interest in it, and have some aptitude for coding, then you can learn basic programming for android pretty quickly.
I only had really basic programming knowledge, and I managed to get an Android app out - admittedly it's simple (calculation type app), but it's a starting point.
I would recommend having a look around the internet like code.google.com to check out some source code for programs similar to what you would like to write. Also the developers site http://developer.android.com/index.html has some good examples and guides - definitely worth reading.
I've been using appinventor.. I wish making a real app was this easy.. Of course it's just basic things that really nobody would buy, but it's neat to create apps without experience.
I'm putting my theming project aside for now and get onto creating an app that I've always wanted to create that I do not see ANYWHERE in the market, forums, android websites, etc.
I've been reading and reading and reading different threads, instructions, etc. But no clue where to start. I've been reading on App Inventor but realized that it is very limited and I have my high doubts that App Inventor will not be able to achieve what I have in mind to make.
I've got the latest SDK and AVD Manager, JDK, Java, and have been using my emulator to test edited APKs. I'm pretty sure I'll be using my emulator to see how my app progress is coming along and see possible FCs and other issues and correct them as well as adding more to the app to make it even better.
But right now I'm stuck at where to begin here. Right when I was about to create this thread, I was making the name of the Title of this thread and was given threads relating to my title name and saw one thread that was sort of mentioning what I'm asking here.
I read the link provided in that thread ( http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/fundamentals.html ) and got some clues but just not enough to get me started here. I just need that push to get me going and eventually push it out to the market and make some money as a side project and learn from that and possibly make more useful apps. I cannot disclose my ideas here because then someone else (who has experience making apps) could take those ideas from me and go make it.
Is anyone willing to work with me here to get me started? I've helped countless people so it would be nice for a change for someone to help me out here.
There are so much Android development books on the market that I suggest to start with one of them. It's the best way to get some knowledge of the design principles used by the Android development framework.
Another method is to start with some examples found on the web. Just search for Android examples or something like that and you get tons of links
Another method is just to create something, get stuck and try to search for a solution (the most pragmatic method )
Yeah I know. That's why I'm constantly researching. I'm seeing some similarities between Java coding and building scripts in IRC (which I used to do, nothing big, just really small stuff). But my main problem is knowing what exactly are the main tools I need. I've had Eclipse for awhile but never used it. It has a lot of stuff in it and I get lost after a couple executions.
I'm just anxious to get started somewhere and get the momentum rolling for starters.
Could someone point me to a good book/ebook ? There are many out there but I'm sure that are some better than others...
If any french-speaker knows one in Voltaire's language, I'm in too. But English is fine...
DannyBiker said:
Could someone point me to a good book/ebook ? There are many out there but I'm sure that are some better than others...
If any french-speaker knows one in Voltaire's language, I'm in too. But English is fine...
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Yeah, a good book (english) would be great. Can anyone recommend one?
You don't have to buy books but they do contain a lot more info in one book and would be better to have than trying to scour the internet and pull a bunch of infos together and try to put it together to understand step by step on how to get started and everything else.
Here's a link to a lot of android development books:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...pment&sprefix=android+application+development
Here's a link to some more info to getting started that is also useful:
http://developer.android.com/guide/basics/what-is-android.html
You may also need to get a Java coding book to help you put codes together properly and understand what each coding does, and tweaking them to work better.
Here's the link to Java coding for Android stuff for beginners:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...x=java+for+dummies&rh=n:283155,k:android+java
I just bought 2 books for Android application development and looking around for a good Java coding for beginners.
mdonova33 said:
Yeah, a good book (english) would be great. Can anyone recommend one?
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professional android 2 application development by Reto Meier: http://www.wrox.com/WileyCDA/WroxTi...ication-Development.productCd-0470565527.html
Or, the Busy Coder's guide to android development by Mark L Murphy: http://commonsware.com/Android/
Last one is more written in a "let's get dirty" style. Really like that
TheSwaggeR said:
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I just bought 2 books for Android application development and looking around for a good Java coding for beginners.
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I think any java book will do, as long as it covers the principles of object oriented design and the data structures used by Java. You don't need any info about GUI programming in Java because that's all covered by the Android application framework.
The best Java books are the ones written by James Gosling et al, the designers of Java. But that may also be over the top for Android application development. Just some basic Java will do to get you started. The algorithms needed for basic apps aren't that complex.
App Inventor is a great tool to develop your android app. It simplifies the development and the editor is very intuitive.
Check out my blog on App Inventor and AppToMarket and a Workshop
http://Amerkashi.Wordpress.com
Hi Guys,
I have been visiting this site for quite a while, mainly the development forum, but have not really contributed that much due to my lack of knowledge in Android Development.
I want to change this and am interested in taking a course to learn how to develop in the Android OS.
Is anybody aware of any courses I could take that are based solely online (ie, no classroom work needed)? Bearing in mind that I have no real programming knowledge to start with so will need an "A-Z" course. I am based in the UK so UK sites would be preferential.
I have done a Google search but to be honest there are so many different companies out there I was wondering if anyone had any first hand experiences?
Cheers
You can teach yourself, find some textbooks (I won't tell you where) online and start reading, download eclipse and netbeans, do some reading about object-oriented programming and being learning the basics of java, start trying to develop applications in eclipse (you will need to download all of the appropriate SDK's, Java, Android, etc), there are plenty of starter posts called "How to program Android" etc. located on the various android forums on the net- I would suggest just jumping in and reading as much as you can. I did, I'm not a full-fledged developer, but I am now capable of programming applications and understanding source code. I need to get acquainted with GitHub now so I can actually begin working on open-source projects, and I have a ton of learning to do myself, but that will take you a long way from being a noob.
luna_c666 said:
You can teach yourself, find some textbooks (I won't tell you where) online and start reading, download eclipse and netbeans, do some reading about object-oriented programming and being learning the basics of java, start trying to develop applications in eclipse (you will need to download all of the appropriate SDK's, Java, Android, etc), there are plenty of starter posts called "How to program Android" etc. located on the various android forums on the net- I would suggest just jumping in and reading as much as you can. I did, I'm not a full-fledged developer, but I am now capable of programming applications and understanding source code. I need to get acquainted with GitHub now so I can actually begin working on open-source projects, and I have a ton of learning to do myself, but that will take you a long way from being a noob.
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Thanks for the advice. The problem with me taking it on myself is that...well...I wont do it! I have 9 or 10 Learn Linux books on my shelf and have read maybe three pages out of them.
This is why I was wondering if there was any online courses I could take, which would guide me through step by step from start to finish. I appreciate it may be more expensive this way but I feel it is the best way for me to learn
The toolset for creating Android apps while easy for a programmer to pick up, is probably not the best for first steps in programming IMHO but it can be done.
FWIW On the side of "Java" and "Android" sides, I would suggest picking up a copy of "Java in a nutshell". learning the concept of Model/View/Controller (MVC), and inhaling Google's website on Android development. Each will be useful at some point in your growth.
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Spidey01 said:
The toolset for creating Android apps while easy for a programmer to pick up, is probably not the best for first steps in programming IMHO but it can be done.
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Okay, so what do you think the best start to programming is? I really feel it is something I would love to learn. I realize it will be a big challenge...but I think I am up for it
Go for it!!!
I would recommend getting to know a bit of Java first. The Java Tutorials found on the Oracle website are an excellent place to start. I've been learning to program for Android for the past month or so, it's hard going, but very rewarding.
bendonahue said:
Okay, so what do you think the best start to programming is? I really feel it is something I would love to learn. I realize it will be a big challenge...but I think I am up for it
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Eh, for years I have debated between Assembly and shell script depending on the goal. Programming languages are only a slice if the craft.
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Hi there
I wanted to ask what would be the best way to learn Android development from my background. I have been developing in HTML5 + CSS3 + JavaScript for a few years now, so where would be the best place to start? A wiki, book, tutorial?
I have been looking at some books but I'm not sure that would be the best way. Any help would be appreciated.
I'd start with some basic Java tutorials. Oracle's website has some good ones. Once you'r comfortable with Java, the transition to Android will be a lot easier, as it isn't the most user-friendly API in my opinion.
you can learn from abc, such as abc.. come on ,believe yourself
For Android tutorials themselves, edumobile has some nice ones (just google "edumobile android". They are a bit higher-level, but great once you have the basics down. And of course you can post specific questions here or on Stack Overflow when things don't make sense or you can't find exactly what you're after.
An obvious place to start is with the Android developer tutorials themselves - they have a Hello World example to get you started and familiar with the basis of app development. After that, read a lot, try coding, learn from your mistakes and hone your skills.
Alternatively, if you don't want to learn Java and make Android applications using the standard sdk tools, you could try something like Appcelerator Titanium platform, which allows you to create Android and iOS applications (cross platform) using Javascript, which you know already. It is only a subset of the entire API, but it is the most common stuff (so it might not work if you want to do some complex hardware interaction with NFC or something), and for standard apps should be fine.
TotallyApps said:
I'd start with some basic Java tutorials. Oracle's website has some good ones. Once you'r comfortable with Java, the transition to Android will be a lot easier, as it isn't the most user-friendly API in my opinion.
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Kremlin987 said:
An obvious place to start is with the Android developer tutorials themselves - they have a Hello World example to get you started and familiar with the basis of app development. After that, read a lot, try coding, learn from your mistakes and hone your skills.
Alternatively, if you don't want to learn Java and make Android applications using the standard sdk tools, you could try something like Appcelerator Titanium platform, which allows you to create Android and iOS applications (cross platform) using Javascript, which you know already. It is only a subset of the entire API, but it is the most common stuff (so it might not work if you want to do some complex hardware interaction with NFC or something), and for standard apps should be fine.
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Thanks, I'll be sure try Oracle's tutorials. My aunt actually works with Java in her work, so I'll ask her for help maybe. But like any programming language I'll try the Hello World first
hi guys.. im new here and all.. but, where do i start with app development? up to what part of java should i learn?
kevikevs244277 said:
hi guys.. im new here and all.. but, where do i start with app development? up to what part of java should i learn?
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Depending on how much knowledge you have of programming in general, you may be able to pick up Android development fairly quickly by simply googling for simple Android tutorials such as "how to create a button in Android", "how to play a sound in Android app", etc. If you do already have some programming experience, I would strongly suggest checking out a youtube channel by the name of 'TheNewBoston', which has a wide-range of video tutorials for Android & Java development alike.
If you have absolutely no programming experience, I would suggest at least playing around with Java for a month or two. Get yourself comfortable with variables, methods, and the different basic data-types. I believe that as long as you have a loose grasp on those aspects of Java development, then you shouldn't have *too* much trouble learning Java and Android synchronously.
Hope this helps a little bit.
jay613 said:
Depending on how much knowledge you have of programming in general, you may be able to pick up Android development fairly quickly by simply googling for simple Android tutorials such as "how to create a button in Android", "how to play a sound in Android app", etc. If you do already have some programming experience, I would strongly suggest checking out a youtube channel by the name of 'TheNewBoston', which has a wide-range of video tutorials for Android & Java development alike.
If you have absolutely no programming experience, I would suggest at least playing around with Java for a month or two. Get yourself comfortable with variables, methods, and the different basic data-types. I believe that as long as you have a loose grasp on those aspects of Java development, then you shouldn't have *too* much trouble learning Java and Android synchronously.
Hope this helps a little bit.
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thanks for the info..
actually, i have programming background in c++ and c#.. im just starting to learn java... should i "master" java first before i indulge to android?
kevikevs244277 said:
thanks for the info..
actually, i have programming background in c++ and c#.. im just starting to learn java... should i "master" java first before i indulge to android?
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Well, if you have a background in C++ and C# then you will be comfortable with Java, as theoretically its all same as all these comes under the OOP concept. So you don't need to 'master' Java by reading another 1000 pages Book. I guess C# and Java has many similarities when it comes to syntax and minor differences such as C# uses the keyword 'using' and Java uses 'import' to import or use those pre-defined classes that you can work on with.
I guess you can go directly into Android app development if you have any Tutorials with you, and I bet you will understand the code. But, if you insist yourself you can do some Java examples just in case to get an idea about the language though, as its always good.
One difference: In Java we use getters and setters to access variables of other objects. Not difficult though.
If you already have a decent grasp of C++ and C#, then Java should come quickly. You'll need to be fairly proficient with Java to build any non-trivial app, but you can definitely learn it while also learning how to use the Android SDK. The two are not mutually exclusive.