A Comprehensive Guide To Building Your First Mobile App

Downloading Android Studio

This initial setup begins with downloading the android studio and agreeing on the terms and conditions mentioned there before installation.

After installation, a welcome screen appears. Now click the button “next” multiple times for smooth installation of the android studio. After completing the setup, click on the given button “finish” as the last button that appears on the screen. This setup wizard will validate the current SDK environment.

Configuring Android Studio

Upon configuring, the first thing that needs to be done is to create a new activity. For that, you will see empty activity bottom navigation activity, full-screen activity, master-detail flow and navigation drawer activity.

The Android Emulator simulates Android devices on your computer. The main reason was this simulation is to allow the user the capability to test your application on a variety of devices and Android API levels.

Therefore, this eliminates the need to have a physical device and serves as a very feasible approach for testing, experimenting, and building an mobile app.

The emulator is the replica that caters to all the functions that one can experience in a real Android device. You can simulate the following

1. incoming phone calls and text messages,
2. specify the location of the device,
3. simulate different network speeds,
4. simulate rotation and other hardware sensors,
5. Access the Google Play Store, and much more.

Testing your mobile app on the emulator is in some ways faster and easier as compared to doing with a physical device. For instance, you can transfer data faster to the emulator in contrast to a device connected over USB.

The emulator comes with predefined configurations for various Android phone, tablet, Wear OS, and Android TV devices.

Run the Android Emulator directly in Android Studio

The Android Emulator runs directly inside Android Studio by default. This allows you to reap so many advantages and as a developer you can perform seamlessly. Here is a quick run down to how what can be easily achieved by using the emulator in android studio.

1. conserve screen real estate,
2. navigate quickly between the emulator and
3. the editor window using hotkeys,
4. Organize your IDE and emulator workflow in a single application window.

Starting New Project:

For starting a new project, you will be required to fill out certain empty fields. These fields include name, package name, save location, languages and minimum API level. The minimum API level indicates the capability level of the mobile App with various android versions that have come so far from Icecream Sandwich to jelly and KitKat. After this step, you will see folder names and Gradle scripts. This is a build tool open source for android studio, which brings us to know Gradle and why it is used?

Gradle Scripts:

Android Studio uses an advanced build toolkit. To automate with its own set of code and resources while reusing the parts common to all versions of your mobile App.

Gradle automates the creation of applications. The building process includes compiling, linking, and packaging the code. The process becomes more consistent with the help of building automation tools.

Establishing Gradle build

Gradle is best to radically change the definition and eliminate any deficiencies in the system. It is super apt for both when it comes to releasing software and developing software every day. Gradle is instrumental on the development side, on the micro-level for a small team, and the day-to-day.

Description of XML and Java file in Android

XML is used to build the layout of the page and each element; Java is the interactions between the mobile App, elements and its core objects. XML is used for making UI templates for your mobile App. Analogous to HTML in web development, XML is used to structure static views and layouts for your application. However, you can also make views and layouts dynamically when the need arises in your mobile App.

Java is used to fill your UI with life and makes the UI do whatever you want it to do. You add various functionalities in your mobile App using Java.

Here is how You Run a Mobile app

First of all, In Android Studio, create an Android Virtual Device (AVD) that the emulator can use to install and run your mobile App. Next, in the toolbar, select the AVD you want to run your App on from the target device drop-down menu. Finally, click run.

Creating our first Mobile App

Using this constraint layout, there are many options to utilize the text flow based on how you want it to look. The palette will open the extended view.  

The Component Tree panel is important to understand. It shows the layout’s hierarchy of views. Using Constraint Layout, you can create both simple and complex layouts. With a flat view hierarchy, you can easily avoid the need for nested layouts. 

Running our first Mobile App On Emulator.

This is how you can seamlessly run the mobile app on an emulator. In Android Studio, make an Android Virtual Device (AVD) that the emulator can install and run your mobile App. Choose your App from the run/debug configurations drop-down menu in the toolbar. From the target device drop-down menu, pick the AVD you want to run your mobile App on.

Conclusion:

Many apps are converted over to Kotlin. It takes a little while to learn the syntax differences between Java and Kotlin, but the differences aren’t large enough to make it a difficult transition. At the same time, it’s much easier to read and write than Java once you’re used to it. In our next blog we will discuss how you can prepare to build a release version of your application, which users can download and install on their Android-powered devices. You can partner with an agency to build your first mobile app. You can either hire an app development agency to build your first mobile app or design your product. Contact Soft Stings where our development teams can help you with mobile app ideas, code with confidence, and build rich experiences.