I recently watched the following video introduction to Android. I thought it was worthwhile to an Android newbie. I took some notes while I watched it.
Developing Android Applications, Workshop One
Notes
The video was a little slow in the beginning if you’ve already done the hello world tutorial. The version of Android covered was a little bit dated. I think this is the reason the video is available free on youtube. Despite being dated, the screen cast was still a good introduction.
The workshop was also nice for a newbie to Eclipse. The viewer is able to see how Eclipse works by looking at the screen cast. There were a couple of technical problems during the screen cast. These were corrected quickly.
Editing XML Files
The presenter demonstrated how to edit the XML files that make up an Android project. The following was specifically covered.
- How to edit the XML files to add color screens.
- How to use @+id to create auto incrementing unique identifier.
- How to set the gravity and background properties.
- How to programmatically access the XML settings by using the R (Resource) class.
Android Classes
The presenter also covered topics unique to Android. He covered the following Android Java classes.
- How to create an intent.
- How to create an anonymous class in Java.
- How to use toast to pop up a text message.
- How to create an activity and add it to the manifest.
Eclipse Usage
During the presentation several useful Eclipse key combinations were shown.
- ctl-1 // create stub for unimplemented message
- ctl-space // code completion
- ctl-alt-downArrow // dupilcate line
- ctl-alt-f //source menu, override/implement methods, choose methods to override. generates code and takes care of imports
Conclusion
This video was useful to developers new to Android and Eclipse. If you are just getting started and are looking for a training video, this will be worth your time.
