Android for Beginners

Expand your prior knowledge of Java to build basic apps for Android devices!

Created byS2k Tutorials

Last updated 9/2016

English

What you'll learn

Use Android Studio in full functionality
Use an Android emulator
Debug, sign, and export an Android app
Develop apps with beginner-level tools in Android Studio

Course content

4 sections • 16 lectures • 2h 9m total length

Introduction5:26
Build Android apps from scratch in a beginner-friendly course using Android Studio. Learn prerequisites, design editor use, data storage, user alerts, splash screens, debugging, signing, and publishing to Google Play.
Eclipse vs. Android Studio5:03
Compare Eclipse and Android Studio, noting Eclipse's plugin approach and Android Studio's Google-backed integration. Highlight cradle versus Mavin build systems, debugging, versioning, and signing workflows from the lecture.
Installation(s)13:32
Install Android Studio on Windows and Mac OS, verify Java Development Kit version 8, download the bundle, run the installer, and prepare emulators for testing.
Creating an Emulator7:15
Learn how Android emulators provide a stock Android device for testing apps, and follow step-by-step to create one in Windows using the SDK manager and the necessary tools.
Setting up Your First App9:00
Set up your first Android app by creating a new project in Android Studio, naming it, and configuring minimum and target SDKs. An activity represents a screen in your app.

Creating an Activity8:06
Create an activity by extending the activity class and implementing onCreate to set its layout. Learn to populate views, cast them to a text view, and preview the design.
Creating a Layout9:39
Learn to add static content with the graphic editor, position text and controls via alignment and margins, and link XML layouts to code using string resources and IDs.
Making Your Activity Layout Interactive8:39
Learn to bind Android layout elements to Java with findViewById, cast to text views and edit texts, and update text via setText on a button click in the main activity.
SharedPreferences - Storing App Data8:29
Learn to store a first-run flag with shared preferences, retrieve it with getSharedPreferences, and update the UI on first launch versus later launches using a boolean and commit.

Creating a Splash Screen5:04
Create a functional splash screen that launches the app and guides users to the main activity, using a blank splash activity, manifest filters, and a full-screen no action bar theme.
Directing a Splash Screen7:48
Learn how to direct a splash screen based on first-run logic using shared preferences and intents to navigate to the appropriate activity in an Android app.
Storing More Data21:04
design a friendlier user interface and learn how to implement a database in Android, including creating tables, inserting and retrieving items, and handling database lifecycle with onCreate, onUpgrade, and onOpen.
Communicating Between Two Activties6:19
Learn how to communicate between two Android activities using intents and extras, including putExtra and getExtra, to pass a saved state and update the target view.

Debugging Your App9:24
Learn to debug Android apps using the emulator and Android Studio, set breakpoints with debug markers, inspect runtime errors, and test different intents and extras.
Signing & Exporting Your App4:58
Learn to sign and export your Android app by creating a keystore, defining a certificate and alias, and configuring passwords, then generate a release file for testing and distribution.
Next Steps0:12
Explore the next steps in Android for beginners. Build confidence as you continue learning and prepare for practical projects.

Requirements

Download the Android Studio software bundle from https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html, but DON'T INSTALL IT! We'll do this in Lecture 3
Know basic Java concepts and how to write Java code

Description

This course is essentially for people who have prior experience working with Java and would like to expand their horizons to mobile app development.

Android is a strong platform for such people, and we will be providing you a good overview and understanding of the basic tools every Android programmer should be able to use.

As far as prerequisites are concerned, just be familiar with Java and Java-related terminology, and you'll be good to go!

The course is broken into 4 sections - first we'll set you up, then we'll put some content on your screen and save app data. After this, we'll get an app-launching screen (Splash screen) set up, and we'll teach you how to store and access data in your app. Finally, we'll debug and export your app, making it ready for the Play Store!

This course should take around less than 5 hours to complete, but if you really want to get something out of it, you might want to watch some of the videos over and over until you completely understand what's going on.

Who this course is for:

This course is meant for programmers who are generally familiar with Java concepts and code
This course is for newbies looking to learn the basics of an Android app
This course is NOT for people looking for a way to create a next-generation Snapchat

Android for Beginners

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction5 lectures • 40min

Hello Android4 lectures • 35min

Splash!4 lectures • 40min

Finalization3 lectures • 15min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: