I have a question. Ive been doing web development for two years now. I would say I am at an expert level in XHTML/HTML and CSS, and I know a little bit of basic PHP. I want to get into Android app development, but I have no idea where to begin. What language do I need to learn? Java?
Should I become more comfortable with PHP first, does it matter?
Sorry for the noob question. I am just interested in hearing from some other devs about this, any advice is appreciated.
Yes, you will need to learn Java programming language. SDK
ryno502 said:
I have a question. Ive been doing web development for two years now. I would say I am at an expert level in XHTML/HTML and CSS, and I know a little bit of basic PHP. I want to get into Android app development, but I have no idea where to begin. What language do I need to learn? Java?
Should I become more comfortable with PHP first, does it matter?
Sorry for the noob question. I am just interested in hearing from some other devs about this, any advice is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's a video tutorial to get you started in application development in android.
http://www.xtensivearts.com/2009/07/03/episode-1-getting-started/
Learn Java, XML, and the inner workings of Android / Linux at the bare minimum. You should be able to make something simple and worthwhile with just that. Once you do, you should learn some basic computer science concepts, such as procedural programming, oo programming, algorithms, data structures, and basc compiler theory. Lastly, you should learn C/C++ and how they hook into Java using JNI. At that point, you could make something really sweet.
Application development is hard and it, in many ways, is a different beast from web deveopment. Experience with HTML / CSS will come in handy when dealing with the XML files. Experience with PHP an Javascript will aid you in learning Java.
I have heard that a true hacker knows at least five different programming languages ( sorry HTML and CSS don't count for that ), and most really good programmers know more. Once you understand the concepts behind programming, and exactly how the code you type becomes binary code that your computer executes, picking up new languages is a breeze.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
Thank you. I know some basic PHP, but I am not an expert by any means. I will look into taking some tutorials in Java, XML, etc.
I was reading into Android App Inventor, and I know its no substitute for Eclipse/Android SDK for making full blown complex applications, but do you think It would be beneficial for me to experiment with that?
Be sure to check out Adobe AIR. It's open source and you can develop under OS X, Linux or Windows. You can also do cross-platform apps for iOS or Blackberry's new tablet.
Is that whassup adobe air is? Basically dreamweaver for apps?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
ryno502 said:
Is that whassup adobe air is? Basically dreamweaver for apps?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd compare it to Visual Basic. You code in a combination of Actionscript 3 (basically a javascript clone) and mxml. Programs require the Air runtime (again, like old visual basic) to run, except for iOS where supposedly native code is generated.
You can code using Adobe's Flash Builder IDE or other third-party IDEs, or from the command-line.
No Android SDK or Java required.
So can I use Air instead of Eclipse?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
ryno502 said:
So can I use Air instead of Eclipse?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Adobe's IDE is a modified version of Eclipse. You can also get a plugin for "regular" Eclipse.
ryno502 said:
So can I use Air instead of Eclipse?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would imagine you would get far better results using Java (what I imagine you mean by Eclipse), but if any of you have experience developing for Air for Android, please put your experiences! I have not tried it myself, but usually those sort of "easy programming tools" are good mostly for rapid prototyping.
Im just looking for a good place to start. I have zero programming experience.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
My suggestion then would be to focus more on learning to program, and getting some experience programming in general. It would might be best to start learning Java while you learn some of those basic CS concepts I mentioned in te earlier post. In the long run, those general programming skills will help you way more than learning to code for a specific platform.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
Thanks for the advice. I will look into learning some java.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Dont touch app inventor. Its nasty and will make you lazy. Kind of like learning vb before c. You get backwards and lazy and its hard to correct. I won't even higher developers who list vb as a language on their resume, we have no use for it and c# does all of the same things in good oop fashion. Vb should die a horrible painful death.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Kcarpenter said:
Dont touch app inventor. Its nasty and will make you lazy. Kind of like learning vb before c. You get backwards and lazy and its hard to correct. I won't even higher developers who list vb as a language on their resume, we have no use for it and c# does all of the same things in good oop fashion. Vb should die a horrible painful death.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll have to politely disagree. First, its been my experience that once you know one language, picking up another isn't a big deal.
I'm retired now, but in general business (circa 1978-2001), application development was always about selection of the best tool for the job at hand. Low-level languages like assembler ,c ,c++ were considered overkill for jobs like data entry screens, batch processing, report-writing,etc,etc. You know, the stuff that most businesses do every day
Tools like VB and Delphi were godsends.
Of course if you're coding kernels and compilers, it's a different story
ryno502 said:
I was reading into Android App Inventor, and I know its no substitute for Eclipse/Android SDK for making full blown complex applications, but do you think It would be beneficial for me to experiment with that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my experience with it, I would say don't bother. I made my first android app with it, but I found it very convoluted and not intuitive at all. It was like they were so intent on everything being graphical that they did everything that way, even it made things ten times harder.
But here were the real problems with it, and why I would not recommend it:
1. Though you can make a functioning app with it, you cannot put that app in the market. This wouldn't be a problem if your goal was simply to use this as a learning step, but for the next item:
2. What you do in app inventor is in no way similar to writing actual code in Eclipse. Nothing I did with app inventor helped me in any way when I started using Eclipse. It might be useful for someone who's never done any programming whatsoever, since you do have to deal with variables and logic, etc., but knowledge of any programing language at all would be more useful that what you'd learn with this.
3. The functionality of an app inventor app is very limited. For example, I do not believe there is a way to have your app access anything on the internet.
It was an interesting experience, and in defense of app inventor, I was able to produce a highly useful app for my co-workers (though I've since re-written it using the standard eclipse/java method). It took no more than a couple of hours to do, which is really pretty amazing since it required no foreknowledge. But ultimately, I don't think it's worth the effort to learn to use if you have any long-term goals related to writing useful android apps, especially apps that any other people will use.
[It was many months ago that I last tried it, so it's possible they have made some improvements to it. The most useful one would be to be able to convert your app into java code --- then it might really become a learning tool for the person with coding and even java code but no familiarity with the android sdk.]
I think app inventor is meant primarily as a rapid prototyping tool and secondarily as an aid to learning the high level view of how Android functions. I haven't used it myself, but it sounds like it is serving its purpose.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
App Developers
Looking for a developer to build an app for my industry. Thank you.
In an earlier post, I suggested that learning functional programming would be a good idea. I meant procedural programming. My bad, sorry if I caused any confusion.
Hi, I have experience programming in Java and c/c++ and was looking at getting into programming some apps or even helping on on some roms and finally start helping out around the EVO community. I just need a little help getting started. I have eclipse and such set up, but does anyone have any tips or tutorials that might help. (Yes, I have searched Google). Maybe alittle insight in to somethings that I may run into. I want to create apps and games that will be helpful to the community. Thanks
I don't know if it would help but there is an android 'chef' section here on xda:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=613
and this thread seems to have a few resources for getting started:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=697938
Have you run through the tutorials and read all the documentation on developer.android.com? The "Dev Guide" and the "Resources" tabs are a good place to start, as is just reading through the javadocs for the API. If you're already a Java programmer, you know the code semantics already. It's just a question of understanding the Android concepts. Not to say that's trivial, but the foundation of the language is Java, which means knowing it gives you a head start.
Do a search On xda site for "everything android" its a huge file I put together that includes lots of needed tools and setup files for cooking roms and building apps. It also has a guide with links to the sites where I got the tools from. That should help. Just remember it's for windows and I recommend downloading to ur computer not ur phone cause its over a gig in size
Papa Smurf151 said:
Do a search On xda site for "everything android" its a huge file I put together that includes lots of needed tools and setup files for cooking roms and building apps. It also has a guide with links to the sites where I got the tools from. That should help. Just remember it's for windows and I recommend downloading to ur computer not ur phone cause its over a gig in size
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, for that. I looked around the forum but prob would of had a real hard time finding that.
If you are more comfortable with the .net framework, get MonoDroid. C# programming for android. You just need a copy of visual studio 2010, thank god for the free ultimate version I got from school. I haven't messed around with it a lot yet but there is no visual representation of the screen or adding strings like in Eclipse but I like C# more than Java so I'll use this more often than not
Sent from my Evo powered by MIUI
Comrade P said:
If you are more comfortable with the .net framework, get MonoDroid. C# programming for android. You just need a copy of visual studio 2010, thank god for the free ultimate version I got from school. I haven't messed around with it a lot yet but there is no visual representation of the screen or adding strings like in Eclipse but I like C# more than Java so I'll use this more often than not
Sent from my Evo powered by MIUI
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have visual studio 2010 ultimate as well from my school. I haven't ever worked with c# but i cant imagine that its much more different from C/C++. Just some different ways of calling/naming things
Exactly. I like it a lot more than Java. Can't really explain it. Just test both of them out and see which you prefer.
Last week I've gotten a HTC sensation and decided to start developing some web-like applications for it. As because I don't like Eclipse, I went with Dreamweaver CS5.5 and the included phonegap framework.
I build and emulate my application just fine, it works as expected in emulator, the .apk gets created, but when I try to do adb install haluza.apk, I get failure
Code:
Failure [INSTALL_FAILED_ALREADY_EXISTS]
which is obviously incorrect, as before the haluza.apk wasn't ever installed before. aswell adb uninstall haluza.apk reports only "Fail"
Are there some reserved words that shouldn't be used as application/site name ?
I'm more or less convinced it might be some dreamweaver thing, but am not sure
And forums are empty regarding this topic :s
Or the best solution is simply to install Eclipse and go with pure java programming ?
You try renaming it and trying an install?
Also is it just eclipse you don't like or is it java as well? Cause i cant stand eclipse either, but Intellij is a way better ide for java and their Android community edition is free
From something awesome
yep, I tried 3 different names.
Weeeell I've been doing some java at the Uni, but I don't like its appealing strictness. PHP = <3 ... But anyhow there's quite a lot demand for java developers so I guess I'll try to move on to it.
And I hate eclipse. I don't know why, it just appears SO SLOW, that it's unusable. Dreamweaver / VS.NET are like rockets compared to it.
Hey i am looking for a good Code App which will be able to run and compile or at list only run without the needing to compile the files.
I was looking at DroidEdit But i have no idea how to use their external use of FTP/SFTP cause im pretty new to this stuff.
Is there another/better program i can use that makes that much more easy? if not , does anyone have any Guides to how to use thos Run/Compile on FTP/SFTP, all i found it a Compile command for C++ but i will be using Java mostly. The bigger problem is making the Code RUN and not the compiling process..
Thank You.
Check out AIDE on the play store. Full java development cycle on Android device. Compatible with Eclipse. Can use Dropbox and/or GIT with it.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aide.ui
Edit :
Thank you i have downloaded it but it looks like its only for app building, moreover when im trying to build some new project all it gives me is one of the 3 they have[hello world/tetris/clock] and when i try put my code it it puts it all in but ignores is, it don't fix errors or compile/run like it does for thos 3 examples.
Or is there something im doing wrong?
Bump. Any help guys?
Even I am also searching for an elegant solution for java only development. OK till then check out terminal IDE.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spartacusrex.spartacuside
It's heavy but works. You have to compile code then convert into dex file and then run it.
Bit lengthy but achievable.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
I'm called for a job interview this Monday. They need someone to port some programs children play with on the web to Android. It's educational software that looks accessible to children.
My only experience with porting is working with Unity and going back and forth from PC to my Android phones. My problem is I don't know how porting is done exactly.
Let's say I want to port a Java program to Android. Do I have to create a layer of coding around the original Java source code and make it work with Android? Or is it just modifying the original source code to fit the new platform?
I searched multiple forums and countless google searches. I'm going insane. Please help me!
Thank you! :laugh:
Well I guess it depends. Unless you are using a cross-platform framework (e.g. Xamarin), then it would involve re-writing the code in Java.
If you already have some Java back end code (e.g. some servlet implementation), then I would just create an interface to this module and leave it as it is. No point in rewriting working code in a language that already runs on Android (unless your one of these people who can't help themselves and has to refactor everything to death).
i dont think there is much for u to do, if the games are web based, just build a laucher that links to the games, otherwise look for similar games in android version and install them as a package on all phones.
Sent from my U8150 using xda app-developers app