This year is the first year of my master's degree. By chance, I came into contact with Android development and studied it. If you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools. So I also used a lot of tools when learning Android development. Today I will record the occasions when these tools are used and their functions. I also want to record the use of Android development tools. Some basic knowledge to be possessed, as well as some personal learning experiences.
Table of contents
Computer configuration requirements required for Android development
2.Software Development Kit—SDK
Computer configuration requirements required for Android development
Before introducing the tools, I think it is important to first explain the computer configuration conditions and other requirements required for Android development.
When I personally practiced Android development, through the use of Android Studio and other tools, I also found that if you want to make good use of these tools, you must ensure that your computer configuration can keep up. The laptop you use is best in terms of hardware . have:
- The memory requirement is at least 8GB, the bigger the better. (16GB is recommended, 8GB personally feels stuck)
- The CPU requirement is 1.5GHz or above, the faster the better.
- The hard disk requires more than 10GB of remaining space on the system disk, and the larger the better.
- A wireless network card and USB slot are required.
The basic requirements for the operating system (taking Windows as an example):
- Must be a 64-bit system, not a 32-bit system.
- The Windows system must be at least Windows 7, Windows 10 is recommended, and Windows XP is not supported.
1.Android Studio
This is an Android integrated development tool launched by Google, specifically used for Android development. This is also the most necessary tool for Android development . As we all know, IntelliJ IDEA is used by many people as a Java development tool. Many APPs are developed based on Java, so Android Studio also evolved based on IDEA . It provides:
- The layout editor facilitates engineers to preview the effects of the UI interface.
- Gradle based build support (similar to Maven feel)
- Android-specific refactoring and quick fixes
- Prompt tools are used to solve issues such as availability and version compatibility.
- Template wizard for generating common Android designs and components
2.Software Development Kit—SDK
Android Studio only provides the App development environment interface . To compile the App source code , you need to download the official Android SDK. The full name of SDK is Software Development Kit, which means software development tool kit. It can compile App source code into executable App applications. As the Android version is updated, the SDK also needs to be updated online from time to time.
There is an SDK Manager in Android Studio, and it has a tool management list of the SDK. In this tool management interface, you can upgrade the compilation tools Build Tools, platform tools Platform Tools, and other tools needed by developers online. After the SDK download is completed, you can go to "My Computer" to open the SDK save path specified by Android SDK Location. You will find that there are more than a dozen directories below. The more important directories are described as follows:
After the SDK download is completed, you can go to "My Computer" to open the SDK save path specified by Android SDK Location. You will find that there are more than a dozen directories below. The more important directories are described as follows:
- The build-tools directory stores compilation tools for each version of Android.
- The emulator directory stores the emulator management tools.
- The platforms directory stores the resource files and kernel JAR package android.jar of each version of Android.
- The platform-tools directory stores commonly used development auxiliary tools, including client driver adb.exe, database management tool sqlite3.exe, and so on.
- sources directory, which stores the SDK source code of each version of Android.
3.Eclipse+Java
Since it was originally developed by Andy Rubin and acquired and invested by Google, Android (Android) has developed to this day and has already entered thousands of households along with mobile phones. Although Android is based on the Linux kernel , its mobile phone apps are mainly developed using the Java language. There is no other reason. Java was very popular at the time, and many engineers and programmers adopted Java as their working language. In order to attract their attention to Android, the early App development tools used Eclipse, and ADT was mainly installed through Eclipse . Plug-in , which can support the development and debugging of App.
Of course, today's Android development already has powerful tools like Android Studio, but I still think there needs to be an Eclipse or IDEA. In the process of learning Android development, I often enter the bottleneck stage due to lack of or forgetting Java knowledge. Therefore adopted. For example, in Android development, a lot of Java content is used, such as event listening , anonymous inner classes , Lambda expressions, etc. This knowledge was very unfamiliar to me at the time, so I would choose to open Eclipse for practice.
Some people may have questions. IntelliJ idea is also a tool for developing Java. Why don't I choose to use idea? The reason is that first of all, my computer is still running Android Studio and other tools at the same time, which has caused a lot of pressure on the memory. If I open idea again, I may not be able to afford it, so I choose Eclipse, which consumes less system resources.
4.SQLite Expert
In the development of Java projects, we need to use database technology to store data and perform operations such as addition, deletion, modification, and query. For this reason, we also need to learn technologies and frameworks such as JDBC and MyBatis , which is really a big task. As for the requirements for database technology in Android development, I think it is slightly easier, because App development only uses two types of SQL: data definition and data operation.
There are four storage methods in Android , including shared parameters SharedPreferences , database SQLite , memory card files , and App's global memory . Database operations use SQL just like Java development. This is essentially a programming language, but it is more like an operation command. SQLite, which uses SQL statements to manage data, is a lightweight database that is easy to use and simple to develop. It is said to be compact precisely because it does not involve complex database control operations.
It should be noted that the SQL syntax of SQLite is slightly different from the general SQL syntax, so you still need to understand it a little when learning. Then I chose SQLite Expert to practice some database operations when developing apps. It can satisfy the needs of writing simple Meets all user needs from SQL statements to complex database development, and features a SQL editor, visual table and layout displays. For those who have a foundation in database development, I think it is very fast to get started.
5.XML Editor
Compared with the complexity of Java front-end development, I think Android front-end development is relatively easy. It mainly uses extensible markup language XML , in which various layouts and plug-ins are set. Of course, XML Editor allows XML to be created, edited and viewed professionally. For most people, this may not be necessary and can be operated directly in Android Studio. But in terms of use, I mostly use it to view some XML documents.
For example, SharedPreferences in Android development records data in XML, usually some personalized configuration information of the App, user behavior information when using the App, fragment information that needs to be saved temporarily, etc. So out of curiosity for knowledge, I will also look at the content stored in XML and modify it directly at certain times. Therefore, XML Editor will be used.
6.Typora
This tool may not have much to do with Android development, but I think it is a Markdown artifact that is worth having for beginners . It is simple and easy to learn, has good support for code editing and mathematical formulas, and can support real-time viewing and preview of Markdown language. And you can control the format through simple characters, without the need for mouse clicks, so you can focus on text editing.
When learning Android development, it is indeed a challenge for people like me with poor memory. So using this tool has a memory-assisting effect for me. I also recommend it to everyone who has never used it. . My application is mainly reflected in:
- Daily work record
- daily study notes
- Drafting and conception of project modules
- Summary of knowledge points
- thinking activity process
Summarize
Today, my Android learning process is still going on, and I still have a long way to go, but fortunately, I still have the faith to persevere. The software and tools I introduced above are also powerful tools that play a big role in my own learning process. I recommend them to everyone and hope to inspire more people's learning process.
My blog will soon be synchronized to the Tencent Cloud Developer Community, and everyone is invited to join: https://cloud.tencent.com/developer/support-plan?invite_code=35ghteekwn0gs