Interested in developing android programs.

[GhettoBSD]

I have two questions:

1) Besides going to the adroid website and reading through their 'instructionals,' is there somewhere else you'd recommend I go to learn about it?

2) Being that it is run on linux, how much access to I have to command line? Is it as straight forward as any other linux os or is it limited? In other words, do we have all standard linux tools available or is it a special port for the phone os?

TIA!

[mlin]

Last time I was at Barnes and Noble I noticed they had many many books on the subject, perhaps check there or somewhere comparable.

[GhettoBSD]

Ok thanks.

But more specifically, trying to figure out the following:

So I know I need the android SDK, got that.
Also know I need the JDK, got that.

So what about Eclipse? Do I need that, do I want it?

So basically questions along those lines.

Thanks

[guitardoc64]

Yeah eclipse is needed. it "runs" the sdk.

[GhettoBSD]

Ok so I was able to figure out what and how to do it after scouring the web for a few hours. Wish it was easier! So to help others, I've put up what to do (easy) on my site.

I went to a book store last night and they literally had 2 physical android books. One was Beginning Android 2 by Mark Murphy and the other was the O`Reilly book, Android Application Development: Programming with the Google SDK by Rick Rogers, John Lombardo, Zigurd Mednieks, and G. Blake Meike .

Though they are the books I set out to buy, I didn't pick them up. The reviews on amazon regarded the first book as decent. The second book surprisingly wasn't well received.

At the book store they both cost $50 and the O`Reilly was stained with what was hopefully coffee. So I was going to see if they could give me a discount on the book. But I was like, they'd probably give me 15% off and it would still be cheaper on-line AND in new/mint condition. So I didn't buy either. There was tons of iphone books however. So that was a huge bummer.

Thanks for the help guys.

[guitardoc64]

I feel ya. I got one of my buddies that runs linux on his lappy to help some but mostly had to figure it out meself. It took me a couple of weeks to figure out that you run the emulator out of eclipse. Now all I have to do is start learning to code.

[GhettoBSD]

Yeah. I'm up and walking now. Created my first 2 programs "Oranje Boven!!!" and "Arriba Mexico" for the world cup.

So it's going well. I am reading beginning android (first edition - old!). It's not what I went out to buy but it works for now. Having a background in ActionScript has definitely helped out big time. Though I do see a time in the future where I'll get a java book to round off some edges.

I see your name/picture with guitars, you 'repair them?'

[GhettoBSD]

For those interested in installing the software/tools for developing android programs, you can read step by step instructions I wrote here

Hopefully it'll help out some peeps get started! Don't know why it's so hard to find easy instructions to follow.

Good Luck!

[D\/8]

Originally Posted by GhettoBSD

For those interested in installing the software/tools for developing android programs, you can read step by step instructions I wrote here

Hopefully it'll help out some peeps get started! Don't know why it's so hard to find easy instructions to follow.

Good Luck!

Thanks for sharing... Hopefully one day I'll have the time to look in to this a bit... Right now the forums I browse in reference to the EVO consume my "Approved Internet Time"... Friggin' women!!! They'll never understand us!!! I should have found me a PPCGEEK Chick!!!

I'm slowly working on her though... She has a Hero, her first smartphone, and it seems everyday I see a little more GEEK in her... (No pun intended!!)

Looking forward to some future easy to understand step-by-step from you!!! Maybe a brief "How to Create an Android Project"... Maybe?!?!

[GhettoBSD]

haha, yeah same here, time is what I don't have enough of. Yeah check it out and you'll get up and running ready to work on programs.

As far as a how to create a project, well, there's plenty of stuff for that. So far I've made programs that display countries flags/graphics for the world cup. Simple stuff but its cool to root for your team with. The first versions just had tables, color and text. The second versions have images. So it's a start, but nothing worth sharing simply because its something anyone can do by just reading!

I am thinking though, although I do understand the OOP, I just don't know enough of java to be bad ass. So I will buy a java book as well. I have been able to figure out enough to do what I want so far (for starting out).

For example, if you're familiar with HTML/CSS and related languages, you can appreciate how its set up. If I want to display text on the screen, I specify a text instance right. And you see something like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="fill_parent"
    android:background="#FE712C"
    >
    
<TextView  
    android:layout_width="fill_parent" 
    android:layout_height="wrap_content" 
    android:text="
        
***Oranje Boven!!!***"
    android:textColor="#000000"
    android:textSize="40sp"
    android:textStyle="bold"
    android:textScaleX="1"
    android:textColorHighlight="#444444"
    android:textColorHint="#555555"
    />
         
</LinearLayout>

If you pay particular attention to <TextView section, you can see how I specify text and it's attributes. The best part about using eclipse, just like ActionScript, is that it will help you auto-complete. When you type "android:" a menu pops up, and from there you can choose MANY things from a list. Of course you don't HAVE to choose something, you can just keep tying away once you know what you're doing.

So I would type "android:text" and everything related to the text attributes comes up. So it's not hard to go from there.

I've always been a shoot first and ask questions later when it comes to computers, but I would have to say picking up java first then android would be best. If you have the time and will, do both together. Others who have a background Object Oriented Programing (OOP) should be able to pick it up easily.

good luck!