The Android Development Environment

Getting started on the Android Platform
 Installing required libraries
 Programming Android using the Eclipse IDE
 The Android emulator
 Debugging Android applications
 Other tools

See:
 developer.android.com/sdk/index.html#quickstart
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Software to download & install
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Java Development Kit (JDK)
Eclipse IDE
Android SDK starter package
Eclipse ADT plugin
Add Android platform & other comps to SDK

Download Java Development Kit
 www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/ind
ex.html
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Preferred IDE, but you can use others
Requires version 3.5 or higher
 Eclipse Classic recommended
 http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/

Core tools needed to get started
 developer.android.com/sdk/

Unpack files to a directory of your choice
 By default: android-sdk-<machine-platform>

Add this directory to your path to use Android
tools from the command line

Download the ADT plugin
 Use the Help -> Install New Software function
 URL for Eclipse 3.5+
▪ https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse/
 In the Available Software dialog, select the
checkbox next to Developer Tools and click Next

Configure plugin
 Open preferences, click on “Android” and set the
SDK location

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Launch the Android SDK and AVD Manager
Select at least the latest platform (2.3)

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An Android Virtual Device (AVD) is a
configuration of emulator options
An AVD includes:
 A hardware profile
 A platform
 Other options
▪ e.g., emulator skin, screen dimensions, SD card size
 A storage area

Create using Android SDK and AVD Manager
tool


Start Eclipse
Create a new Android Project
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Project name: HelloAndroid
Application name: Hello, Android
Package name: course.examples
Create activity: HelloAndroid
Min SDK: 9
package course.examples;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.widget.TextView;
public class HelloAndroid extends Activity {
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
TextView tv = new TextView(this);
tv.setText("Hello, Android");
setContentView(tv);
}
}
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Applications can run in an emulator
Advantages
 Fast turnaround
 Doesn’t require an actual phone
 Uses faster CPU on emulation computer

Disadvantages
 Some features unavailable
▪ e.g., no support for bluetooth or USB connections
 Performance & user experience can be misleading

Emulates telephone calls & SMS messages
% telnet localhost 5554
> sms send 5554 “This is a text message”

Will emulate typical speeds & latencies for
different networks (e.g., edge, gprs, etc.)
% telnet localhost 5554
> set speed gprs

Can interconnect multiple emulators
% emulator -avd Android_2.2_primary
% emulator -avd Android_2.2_secondary
 In one dialer app, dial port num of other emulator

Many more options
 See:
developer.android.com/guide/developing/tools/e
mulator.html

Can also add trace code into your application
// start tracing to "/sdcard/calc.trace"
Debug.startMethodTracing("calc");
…
// stop tracing
Debug.stopMethodTracing();

Will need to set permissions (discussed later)
<uses-permission
android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
/>

To view results after execution
% adb pull /sdcard/calc.trace /tmp
% traceview /tmp/calc
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Log viewer
Android logs many events by default
Can use android.util.Log & android.os.Debug
class for application-specific logging
View log entries with
 % adb logcat

Or inside Eclipse
 Window -> Show View -> Other -> Android ->
LogCat

Visual representation of application UI
% hierarchyviewer

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Sends psuedorandom events to applications
Can also script events with monkeyrunner API
// send event to browswer
% adb shell monkey -p com.android.browser -v 500
// send events to all applications
% adb shell monkey 500
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Android-specific extensions to Junit
MoreAsserts
 Additional result checking classes

ViewAsserts
 Asserts about view layout

TouchUtils
 Classes for generating touch events

Instrumentation
 For monitoring application interaction with
system

Steps for testing Activity
 Create an Android test project
 Create one or more Android test classes
▪ Add code to each Test class

Test code usually includes test methods for
 App initialization
 UI behavior & class functionality
 Application lifecycle state management

AndroidTestCase
 Test case with access to Activity Context
 ActivityUnitTestCase
▪ isolated testing of a single activity

InstrumentationTestCase
 Test case with access to system instrumentation &
events
 ActivityInstrumentationTestCase2
▪ functional testing of a single activity

Many other test case types
 developer.android.com/guide/topics/testing/testing_a
ndroid.html

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Junit Test flow
setup()
 Put application in known state

run()
 Create additional data
 Execute method under test
 Check result with Assert

tearDown()
 Return to known state

developer.android.com/resources/tutorials/te
sting/activity_test.html
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Key steps
 Declare your application as "debuggable" in your
Android Manifest
 Turn on "USB Debugging" on your device
 Setup your system to detect your device

See:
 developer.android.com/guide/developing/device.
html