Have you ever wondered how many times a day you use your phone? Or
how much time do you spend searching for a specific mobile application.?
Chances are you have not done the mathematics to find out how much
time you dedicate to the applications to see which one suits you the best.
But it would be interesting to know that there are more than 2.9
million applications available on the Google play store.
Some of them are made for making our life easier and the others
are gaming apps. But the important question here, is that who develops these
apps and how?
If you are curious about how and why this great number of
applications is created and you are willing to keep up with the flow of world going digital, this article is
written for you.
Here, we are going to mention some of the most important
fundamentals for beginners who are interested in this field and give a brief
explanation for each one.
1.Master at list one language
Just as the first and foremost step for
communicating with different people in the world is learning their languages,
for android app development you should first become a proficient in languages
as well.
In fact, having an acceptable knowledge of
one or two official languages in developing android applications, is the most
important requirement every android developer must meet.
The main programming languages for android
development, include Java, XML (Extension Markup Language), Kotlin, C++ and
Python.
The most important difference between XML and
Java or Kotlin, is that the XML as a frond-end deals with blueprint, layouts,
presentation, design, etc. but at the other hand, Java and Kotlin as a back- end
deal with how buttons work, variables, storing, etc.
Below, we have talked about the most
important ones a bit more.
Java
It can be said that Java is the most popular
android app development language among the rest of them. One of the main reasons
for this popularity, is that Google supports it. So the majority of apps on the
Google play store are designed and developed using this language.
The big advantage that comes with Java, is its
online community that supports any problem newcomers may face. But at the other
hand, it may be a bit complicated for beginners, because it includes null
pointer exceptions, constructors, concurrency and checked expectations.
If you are willing to develop complicated
mobile apps using this language, Java requires experience in the language.
Thus, going for complex applications in android app development using Java, is
not recommended.
By having experience in Java, we mean to be
comfortable with following concepts:
·Packages
·Objects & classes
·Inheritance & interfaces
·Strings and numbers, generics
·Collections
·Concurrency
·JDK documents
Kotlin
Another android app development language is
called Kotlin. Kotlin counts as a cross-platform programming language and most
of the android app developers use it as a substitute for Java language.
As you might know, in 2019 Google declared it
as the new official language for android app development. Kotlin runs in the
Java Virtual Machine and can incorporate with Java.
If you are a newcomer to this field and you
are looking for a language to start android app development for beginners,
Kotlin language is a more suitable choice for you compare to Java.
The reason is behind its notable difference
with Java, which is Kotlin removes unnecessary features used in Java, as null pointer
extensions. So starting android app development with this language, newcomers
are more likely to deliver a better result.
You must be aware that even Kotlin has its
own challenges to develop apps with. For instance, you must have an advanced
understanding of these concepts:
·Object-oriented fundamentals
·Variables
·Lists
·Loops
C++
C++ is another language that beginners should
be aware of in android fundamental. This language is less flexible compare to
the last 2 languages we mentioned above, making it more complex to develop apps
with and is hard to set up.
It also worth mentioning that apps cannot be
created and developed only using C++ language. Developers need NDK (Android
Native Development Kit) to execute the parts of the app in C++ native code.
Python
The last language we want to explain in the
basics of android app development, is python language.
The important tip to consider about this
language, is that although the native android does not support it, developers
are able to use it for app development.
There are also different tools that let you
convert python apps to run on android devices.
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2.Understand the environment and android development tools
Start developing apps without having enough
knowledge of environment and tools, sounds like travelling to a foreign country
without having any information about popular places, hotels and etc.
Since nobody likes to get lost in a foreign
world, it is a must to familiarize yourself with android app development tools
and environment.
Some of the most popular android app
development tools to consider include:
·Android Studio IDE
·Eclipse
·Xamarin
·Sencha
·Appcelerator
·Ionic
·Framework 7
Using one of these tools as your second step
toward turning into a professional android app developer, helps you learn the
fundamentals and improve your code.
You are also able to utilize the Get Pocket
guide to gain a familiarity with the basic concepts.
3.Understand the application components
The third step for you to master android app
development, is understanding the building blocks of mobile app development.
By building blocks, we mean application components
which are entry points when system or users start using your app.
Although some of these components exist as a
dependent one and play their own role, many of them depend on each other.
The four basic components in android app
development include:
·Activity: activity refers to user’s entry point for a single screen. For
example, messenger apps have an activity for showing notifications.
·Services: these components run in the application’s background and perform
the work for a remote process or long running processes.
·Content provider: this is the component which provides the possibility of
sharing data with other apps. Without this component, it would be difficult to
get data from other apps.
·
Broadcast receivers: broadcast receivers replay to system-wide broadcast
messages. Although these components do not display a UI, they are able to
create a status bar notification.
4.Understand android fragmentation
The
fourth step for turning into a professional in android web development, is understanding
android fragmentation.
As you might know, android counts as a
fragmented market with a number of devices and operating systems. You must be
aware that if your device is able to support more than one device or version,
then it requires more maintenance and testing.
And that’s why it would be best to have
appropriate fonts, assets and layouts to make sure you are delivering the best
possible results.
One important tip to make sure you are
delivering a perfect UI, is to make sure your services are perpetually working
in background. Because almost all android applications have more than one
application class, fragments and activities.
5.Making the right choice over essential tools
Another important action you need to take in
android app development, is to choose the right tools.
As there are multiple tools available in the
market for android developers, it might be somehow hard to choose the right
ones among them.
Some of the free android development tools
are listed below:
·A mac or Windows PC
·Any type of Linux
·Eclipse
·ADT Plugin
·Android SDK
Before going for one of these free or the
other tools available, it would be the best to consider a few parameters:
·Resources: it refers to the mechanism which forces the device to perform
correctly, despite the battery manager is warning. This is known as Wake-lock.
Keep in mind that Wake-lock must be used carefully.
·Responsiveness: this is another vital parameter in android app development.
Because if your app takes so much time to load, users are likely to lose their
temper and leave the app.
·Performance: performance is such an important parameter in app developing
that no matter how advanced your app, it fails if it is not able to perform as
user wishes.
6.Your app must be user-friendly
Another important tip that worth mentioning
in android app development, is that being user friendly is a must for you
application.
Think of your target audience. What kind of
audience are you developing the app for? What type UI can be considered to
please them?
At the other hand, no matter who your
customer is, you must consider an easy to use navigation menu so users are able
to find their desired service or product.
Be aware that the more complex your app is,
the more users get confused and no confusing app could grab user’s attention.
To fulfill user’s expectations:
·Consider relative product images
·Make descriptions easy to understand
·Avoid implementing too much colors
All in all, you should be trying to create an
application which is as easy to use as possible. To do that, that would be the
best to put yourself in user’s shoes and see what they would think about your
app.
Conclusion
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how to grow online business.
To achieve your desired presence in digital
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