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Treehouse

Build a Simple Android App with Java Course (How To)

via Treehouse

Overview

This course covers the very basics of Android development. We will build a simple app that will serve up some fun facts when you tap on a button. We introduce you to programming in Android, a tool for Android development called Android Studio, and some very basic concepts of the Android Software Development Kit, or SDK. By the end you will have a good idea of how a basic app works, and you will be armed with the knowledge to start building more.

What you'll learn

  • Android Studio
  • Using an emulator or device
  • Screen layouts
  • Android Views and Activities

Syllabus

Getting Started with Android

Making an Android app is easier than you think! Learn how to set up and use a few free tools to make a simple Fun Facts app that you can test on your computer. You don't even need an Android phone!

Chevron 6 steps
  • Introducing Android

    1:10

  • A Brief Introduction to Android Tools

    3:07

  • Android Tools

    5 questions

  • Creating the Fun Facts Project

    6:10

  • Running the Fun Facts Project

    4:49

  • Android Project Basics

    5 questions

Creating the Screen Layout

Before we start writing any code, let's create the screen layout we will use to display our fun facts.

Chevron 13 steps
  • Getting to Know Our Tools

    4:52

  • Android Tools Overview

    5 questions

  • Editing a Layout File

    4:52

  • Changing Text in a Layout

    1 objective

  • Adding a TextView

    4:15

  • Changing Text Size

    1 objective

  • Adding a Button

    4:31

  • Adding a Button

    1 objective

  • Setting Colors

    5:26

  • Setting Colors

    2 objectives

  • Setting Padding

    1:13

  • Setting a Fullscreen Theme

    3:30

  • Setting Padding

    1 objective

Basic Android Programming

Android apps are typically written in a programming language called Java. Let's take a deeper look at the concepts we need to make our button do something.

Chevron 9 steps
  • Accessing Views in Code: Declaring Variables

    5:20

  • Accessing Views in Code: Assigning Variables

    6:24

  • Initializing a Button

    1 objective

  • Making a Button Do Something

    4:35

  • Adding the OnClick Method

    2:36

  • Android Programming Basics

    5 questions

  • Generating a Random Number

    4:08

  • Choosing a Random Fact

    4:52

  • Using the Random Class

    4 objectives

Improving Our Code

In this stage we'll take a moment to "refactor" our code. Then we'll add a new class to help us change the background color for each fact!

Chevron 11 steps
  • Simple Refactoring: Creating a New Class

    5:54

  • Creating a New Class

    2 objectives

  • Simple Refactoring: Using a New Class

    6:28

  • Simple Refactoring

    5 questions

  • Dynamically Changing the Background Color

    3:51

  • Dynamically Changing the Background Color

    1 objective

  • Adding More Colors

    3:43

  • Using the New Colors

    3:42

  • Adding Colors

    1 objective

  • Adding an App Icon

    4:50

  • Adding an App Icon

    3 questions

Testing and Debugging

We can't always see what's going on behind the scenes of our app. In this stage we'll learn how to use a few tools to monitor how the Fun Facts app is working and to troubleshoot problems. We'll also see how to run it on a real phone.

Chevron 9 steps
  • Toast Notifications

    4:42

  • Working with Toasts

    3 questions

  • The Android Log

    8:08

  • Writing to the Log

    2 objectives

  • Using the Debugger

    7:19

  • Using the Debugger

    5 questions

  • Running an App on a Device

    3:52

  • Running an App on a Device

    3 questions

  • Wrapping Up

    0:48

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