Learn Android Studio For App Development – A Complete Guide. Before entering into the huge world of Android development, it’s important to first grasp the tools that are necessary. Android Studio is the name of the program that is used to create Android apps. Google and Jetbrains collaborated on Android Studio. It’s the most popular tool for creating Android apps. As a result, this article covers Android Studio in depth. For example, how to set it up, as well as tips and methods for increasing efficiency when building an Android app. So remain with us all the way to the very finish.
- What is Android Studio, and why should you use it?
- What Is Android Studio and How Do I Get It?
- In Android Studio, the File Structure of a Project
- Create your very first Android Studio app
- Recognize the Part of Designing
- Recognize the Part of Coding
- Start the Android application.
- Keyboard Shortcuts for Android Studio (#8)
- Tips & Tricks for Android Studio
- Android Studio Complete Guide
1. What is Android Studio, and why should you use it?
The only thing that must be learned before beginning to study any programming language is an IDE (Integrated Development Environment). It makes writing code much easier. After building, you can debug any problems or defects. As a result, Android Studio is an official IDE for Android app development. It has capabilities that help you write code more efficiently. It has functions such as:
Gradle is a versatile build system that makes it simple to handle all dependencies in one location.
If you don’t have an Android smartphone, it allows you to launch and test applications. Its feature-rich emulator allows it to test client-server applications using one or more emulators at the same time. You may also use it to operate and test real Android phones.
It provides a uniform platform in which apps for various Android devices may be created.
Code completion that is intelligent.
- Code templates that have been pre-programmed
- Git integration allows developers to manage repositories and import sample code, as well as construct standard app features.
- Native Development Kit (NDK) and C++ support
2. What Is Android Studio and How Do I Get It?
Visit the Android Studio Download page to begin the installation process. Ensure you have the most recent stable version of Android Studio installed. Check the system requirements on the same page before installing Android Studio to ensure that your machine satisfies the minimal requirements. Install Android Studio in Windows by going to the Android Install and Setup page. To learn how to set up Android Studio on a PC running Windows. Alternatively, to learn how to install Android Studio on Windows, Mac, and Linux, go to the official website Install Android Studio.
3. In Android Studio, the File Structure of a Project
The following is the folder structure for an Android studio project: The project file structure in Android Studio may be seen in two different ways. The first is Android View (Summarized), while the second is Project View (Detailed View). The Android View is commonly used by newcomers (Summarised). To see the contrasts between different perspectives, look at the image below. Here’s a link to a page with further information on the Android project folder structure: Structure of an Android Project.
Folder arrangement for Android studio apps
This folder is responsible for storing the Application’s Manifest file, as well as looking at the main application’s Business logic (Java/Kotlin), drawable files (images, vector graphics), Application’s UI layout files, mipmap (app’s icon files), colors (application’s branding color), strings (all the texts used for localizing the app), styles (predefined or user-defined styles of application), and app-lev (application’s level) (managing the dependencies).
Because it specifies the structure and information of our program, as well as its components and needs, the manifest file is a crucial element of it.
This file contains nodes for each of the Activities, Services, Content Providers, and Broadcast Receiver that make up the application, and determines how they interact with each other and other apps using Intent Filters and Permissions. Read The Application Manifest File for additional information on the Android Manifest. The following is an example of a very basic manifest file:
res/values folder
Color, styles, dimensions, padding values, margin values, and other aspects of color, styles, and dimensions are all stored in the res/values folder, which is utilized in many Android apps. The res/values folder contains four major files. Colors.xml, dimens.xml, strings.xml, and styles.xml are the files in question. The information of the res/values folder may be found by reading the res/values folder. Take a look at the image below to see where it may be found:
file build.gradle
Gradle is an open source build system for automating building, testing, and deployment. Every Android project requires a Gradle to generate an apk from the project’s.java and.xml files. Its primary purpose is to describe the build configurations that will be applied to all of the project’s modules. It is situated in the root project directory. Learn more about the various build.gradle by reading: build.gradle. Look at the picture below to see where the build.gradle files are located.
Assets Folder
Assets allow you to add arbitrary files to the program, such as text, XML, HTML, fonts, audio, and video. If you try to add these files as “resources,” Android will treat them as such and you won’t be able to retrieve the raw data. A full view of the assets folder may be found in Android Studio’s Assets Folder. To find the location of the assets folder in Android Studio, look at the image below.
Resource Raw Folder
The raw folder in Android is used to store mp3, mp4, and sfb files, among other things. Inside the res folder, a raw folder is created: main/res/raw. As a result, we’ll just make it in the res folder. To learn more about the raw folder, see Resource Raw Folder in Android Studio.
Logcat window
When an application is running, the Logcat Window is where different messages can be printed. Assume you’re running your application and, regrettably, it crashes. Then, by collecting and seeing all of the messages that your emulator fires, Logcat Window will assist you in debugging the output. To learn more about the Logcat window in Android Studio, go to: Logcat window in Android Studio. Look at the image below to see where the Logcat window is located:
debug.keystore file
When we download an app from the Google Play Store, it comes with the debug.keystore file, which is one of the most crucial files. This file is essentially a certificate for any program that is constantly validated by Google. Every app that you use on your phone must be signed. Where does debug.keystore reside in Android Studio? to figure out where it is and create the certificate for the Android app.
4. Create your first Android Studio app
In terms of Android Studio capabilities, it’s worth noting that the program comes with a variety of templates by default. It enables you to choose them prior to starting a project. Click “Create New Project” to start a new project.
After selecting, a new window appears, allowing you to choose from a number of pre-defined themes. Choose what is appropriate for the present project. If no template is available, select “Empty Activity” and click the “Next” button.
After clicking the Next button, a new box appears, asking for the project name, package name, place to store the project, programming language to choose (Kotlin and Java are both supported), and the minimum SDK API level (The minimum API level that is supported by the app). After you’ve entered all of your information, click the “Finish” button.
Congratulations for completing your first Android Studio project. It starts with the tip of the day, which offers suggestions for increasing job efficiency. Get acquainted with the first interface, which is seen below, before proceeding to explore the Android Studio.
It has been broken into four parts for a better knowledge of the Android Studio environment:
- Menu Part: This part has choices to create a new project, open an existing Android Studio project, start the program, and a dropdown for selecting the device to run and test the app on.
- Coding Area: This part allows you to write code for.xml,.java, and.kt files. It allows you to open several files in separate tabs at the same time, but you can only edit one file at a time.
- Project Structure: This section allows us to go through all of the project’s files. The building may be seen from many angles. Project is a comprehensive view of the project hierarchy, whereas Android is a summary view of the project hierarchy. Take a look at the image below.
- The Current Execution Part: This is one of the most crucial aspects of the Android Studio environment. It gives a thorough perspective of the process or action as it is now being carried out. It displays errors, build outputs, logcat findings, and other information.
5. Recognizing the Designing Process
The res/layout directory contains all of the application’s UI layouts. These are files with the.xml suffix that are used to create application user interfaces. There are two approaches to build user interfaces for Android apps in Android Studio.
One is the Text part, which requires hardcoding to create the UI, and the other is the Design portion, which gives an easy drag-and-drop technique for creating UI. Take a look at the figure below, which demonstrates how the code is created before showing the result in the right pane.
The next graphic depicts the drag-and-drop environment for selecting and adding widgets to the application’s UI. By pressing the bottom left button, as illustrated below, one may switch to the Design layout.
6. Comprehend the Coding Section
The coding section, which is comparable to the design part, is another important component. A file titled MainActivity.kt may be seen in the image below. Yes, this is the file where the backend code is written. The part about logic. You could wish to add two numbers, for example. When the user hits the Button after entering two numbers in the EditText, the result will be the total of the two values. As a result, in order to calculate the total, you must express the logic in its portion.
Note: If you choose Java as the project’s language, the file name will be MainActivity.java.
7. Launch the Android app
There are two methods for running an application. One uses an emulator, while the other connects an actual device to a computer through a USB wire. See How to Set Up an Android Virtual Device for more information (AVD) How to Create an Android Virtual Device, or How to Run an Android App on a Real Device? Creating and executing programs on a real-world Android smartphone. Take a look at the image below to see how the Android Virtual Device appears on the first run of the program.
8. Keyboard Shortcuts for Android Studio
Shortcuts on the keyboard make work a lot simpler and more productive. 10 Important Android Studio Shortcuts is a good place to start. The most important thing is to learn the necessary keyboard shortcuts for Android Studio.
Tips & Tricks for Android Studio
There are a few tips and methods for mastering Android development with Android Studio. The following are some helpful hints:
- Customizing the Android Studio theme
- Logcat’s color can be changed.
- Quick Searching
- Screen Split
- No-distraction mode
- Finishing the code
- The ability to use multiple cursors, among other things