The first step towards developing a successful Android application is to understand the concepts of programming and design. The first time you approach a new technology, it may be helpful to break it down into its various parts. Some of the concepts and technologies involved in Android app development will be familiar to seasoned web developers, however designing apps for mobile devices often necessitates expertise of a number of more complex concepts.
Because mobile devices have smaller displays, simpler CPUs, and a variety of manufacturers (in the case of Android), developers must maintain their code adaptable and cater for a variety of user interface scenarios.
So, if you want to work as an android developer, here are the essential things you should know.
JAVA
The Java programming language is used throughout the Android development process. When picking up the Java programming language for the first time, perhaps there is a real challenge for individuals who have acquired most of their programming expertise in language such as JavaScript etc.
Java, like JavaScript and Ruby, is object-oriented, although it is more stringent when it comes to data types. Developers must also be extra cautious while designing their apps, bearing in mind that the memory available on mobile devices is limited.
XML
XML was built as a standard for encoding data for web-based mobile apps. It’s a structured markup language with many similarities to HTML, such as the angled brackets, nesting elements and the opening and closing tag types.
In a nutshell, it lets information to be transmitted across devices in a consistent and understandable manner. Developers in the Android industry utilise XML to generate layouts, which are the basic UI definition for Android apps.
In the same way that web developers use JavaScript to edit elements in their websites during runtime, Android developers may write Java code that modifies layout elements once an Android application has been already loaded and running. Understanding the foundations of XML, on the other hand, is critical for Android developers.
Android SDK
SDK is an abbreviation for Software Development Kit, which is simply a fancy term for a bundle of pre-packaged code. Android SDKs are Java code modules that provide developers with access to mobile device features such as the camera and other hardware sensors.
Gradle is a library that is an important part of the Android SDK. Assume you wish to link your app with a social networking site such as Facebook. You would download a code library (or SDK) from Facebook and then notify Gradle that you are utilising it so that your code remains properly structured when your application compiles. Beginner Android developers will spend a significant amount of time learning how to link together the various Android SDKs in various ways to create an App.
If you’re willing to put in the effort, each Android SDK comes with a number of examples that can be found in the official documentation, making it easy to grasp what the packages do and how to utilize them into your android application.
Android Studio
For Android developers, Android Studio is the recommended integrated development environment (IDE). Using IntelliJ IDE as a base, Android Studio comes with outstanding support for several popular Android SDKs.
As a full-featured IDE, Android Studio has a lot of functionality that developers anticipate. While typing, code completion provides suggestions. Debuggers allow you to go through your code and locate errors.
Along with basic tools, there are more complex ones, such as memory and CPU monitors, that assist developers ensure that their code will run smoothly on mobile devices. For both novice and expert Android developers, Android Studio is a must-have.
APIS
Being an android app developer you’ll probably wish to connect with a lot of different services. For instance, you could wish to allow users to access a calendar from a third-party site or monitor the stock market.
APIs are often provided by Android app development firms, and they will explain how to query them for data in a consistent and safe manner. While you are allowed to communicate with any existing APIs, for example Google makes it quite simple connecting to their own APIs from your Android app. You can simply utilise Google APIs to track your users’ geolocation, allow them to search for nearby businesses, etc. You should learn the peculiarities of multiple APIs and learn that no two are similar.
Databases
If your app deals with a lot of data, the majority of it won’t be stored on your mobile device. Rather, your app will most likely communicate with a database that is located somewhere other than your device. There are several cloud-based services, such as Firebase and Parse, that offer easy APIs to store data and make it accessible for use for mobile devices.
The above platforms usually have Java libraries that can be implement into apps, making it simple to cache data on the user’s phone. The sync across local storage and the distant database is critical if you want users to be able to use the app even when they are not hooked up to the internet.
Other option for storing data locally is to use SQL to connect with a SQLite database, which is integrated into Android. Whatever method you select to manage data in your application, you’ll need to analyze and comprehend how databases operate, as well as how to query that data in order to use it in your application.
Material Design
Google, unlike companies like as Apple, has not consistently maintained a uniform design style throughout its devices. That has altered in recent years. Google has announced Material Design, a set of progressive interface guidelines and norms that have been implemented out throughout their products.
The above guidelines provide tips about how to layer different components on the screen and how to apply certain styles such as drop shadows etc. If you’ve used the new Google apps i.e. Drive and Gmail on mobile, you’ve most likely seen Material Design in action.
Although not required, Google suggests that Android developers adopt these standards as a starting point for their own user interfaces. The online documentation gives an excellent fundamental grasp of Material Design ideas.
