Android Fundamentals

What is Android
 Software stack for mobile devices
 SDK provides tools and APIs to develop
apps
 Major Components

Image source: http://developer.android.com/guide/basics/what-is-android.html

 Applications
 Ships with core set of apps, written in Java
 Developers have access to core APIs
 Views used to build application
 Content providers – access data from other
apps
 Resource manager – access to local strings,
graphics
 Notification manager – display custom alerts
 Activity manager – manages app lifecycle
 Libraries
 C/C++
 Media libraries – A/V, images
 Surface manager – 2D/3D graphic layers
 LibWebCore – web browser engine
 SGL – 2D graphics engine
 3D – hardware or software acceleration
 FreeType – BMP and vector fonts
 SQLite – database engine
 Runtime and Kernel
 Includes core set of libraries
 Provides most of core Java libraries
 Each app runs in its own process
 Own instance of the Dalvik Virtual Machine
 Linux 2.6 is used for core system services
 Abstraction layer between HW & SW stacks
 Main Components of Android
 Activities
 Services
 Content Providers
 Broadcast Receivers
 Activity
 Single page user interface
 Most apps have multiple activities
 Callable from other apps (if you allow it)
 Service
 No user interface
 Runs in background
 Started and stopped by activities
 Content Provider
 Manages shared set of application data
 Data may be shared between apps or be
private
 Performs data handling functions
 Broadcast Receiver
 Listens for system wide (intent) broadcasts
 Intent filter limits which intents cared about
 Similar to an interrupt handler
 Redirects to appropriate activity or service
 Intents
 Allows an activity, service or broadcast
receiver to link to another
 Within or between apps
 Allows apps to use components of others

Image source: Mednieks, Dornin, Meike, Nakamura. Programming Android

 User Interfaces

Images from Android Design

http://developer.android.com/design/get-started/ui-overview.html
 User Interface Basics
 Recall the basic unit of an Android application is an Activity
 An Activity displays the user interface
 User Interfaces are built from View and ViewGroup object instances of the
View class
 View objects are data structures that store content and layout parameters
 controls a specific rectangular region of the screen
 responsible for drawing itself
 handles events
 Subclass “widgets” provide user interface objects:
 text fields, buttons, labels
 serves as means of interaction with user

Images from Android Design

http://developer.android.com/design/building-blocks/index.html
 View & ViewGroup
 ViewGroup objects act like containers for View objects
 one or more Views are grouped together
 Subclass “layouts” provide different layout architectures:
 LinearLayout – displays Views in linear direction either horizontally or vertically
 default is horizontal
 text field, two radio buttons, and button

in a vertical orientation

 RelativeLayout – displays Views in relative position to each other

 an id needs to be assigned to elements for
reference
 text field, two radio buttons, and button

in relative position

Images from Android Basics & User Interfaces

http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/home/ehchua/programming/android/Android_BasicsUI.html
 ViewGroup Layout
 TableLayout – displays Views in table form with rows and columns
 buttons for the calculator are in table form

 Some other layouts from base class android.view.ViewGroup:

 AbsoluteLayout
 FrameLayout
 ScrollView

Image from Android Basics & User Interfaces

http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/home/ehchua/programming/android/Android_BasicsUI.html
 Common Attributes
 View and ViewGroup attributes:
 layout_width
 layout_height
 layout_margintop
 layout_marginbottom
 layout_marginleft
 layout_marginright
 layout_x
 layout_y
 LinearLayout and TableLayout attributes:
 layout_gravity – specifies how child Views are positioned
 layout_weight – specifies how much space is to be allocated, total
must equal 1
Images from Understanding User Interface In Android
http://mobiforge.com/designing/story/understanding-user-interface-android-part-1-layouts
 View Hierarchy

 Parent nodes contain and organize layout of child nodes

 Child nodes are responsible for drawing themselves at the request of the parent
 control and respond to user input contained within their region of the display
 The Activity that displays a particular screen calls the setContentView() method to draw the screen
defined by the hierarchy
 XML layout files typically used for defining layouts and expressing view hierarchies
 each element in XML is a View or ViewGroup object

Image from Android Developers

http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/index.html
 Input Events
 Define to inform the system of user interaction
 Event listener is defined and registered with the View object
 View class has a collection of On<SomeEvent>Listener:
 View.OnClickListener
 View.OnTouchListener
 View.OnKeyListener
 Example: OnTouch, when the user touches a defined View object on the
screen
 define View.OnTouchListener
 register the View object with setOnTouchListener()
 Application Menus
 Two types of menus
 Options menu – typically when an application is running
 accessed by pressing the MENU button on the device
 Context menu – typically used for displaying specific information about an item
 accessed by pressing and hold down on an object

Images from Android User Interfaces

http://eagle.phys.utk.edu/guidry/android/androidUserInterface.html
 Application Menus
 Options menus allow users quick access to an application’s functions,
preferences and settings
 Structured using a View hierarchy
 define onCreateOptionsMenu()
 define onCreateContectMenu()
 Handle their own events, no need to register event listeners
 Selections handled by methods
 onOptionsItemSelected()
 onContextItemSelected()
 Items for menus can be declared in an XML file like an application layout
 Hardware Systems/Sensors

Images from Z-DeviceTest app

https://market.android.com/details?id=zausan.zdevicetest&hl=en
 Sensors
public class SensorActivity extends Activity, implements SensorEventListener {
…
SensorManager mSensorManager =
(SensorManager)getSystemService(SENSOR_SERVICE);

Sensor mAccelerometer =
mSensorManager.getDefaultSensor(Sensor.TYPE_ACCELEROMETER);
…
mSensorManager.registerListener(this, mAccelerometer,
SensorManager.SENSOR_DELAY_NORMAL);

public void onSensorChanged(SensorEvent event) {

}
…}

Image from AndroSensor app

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.fivasim.androsensor&hl=en
 Sensor Constants
 public static final float GRAVITY_EARTH = 9.80665
 public static final float LIGHT_FULLMOON = 0.25
 public static final float MAGNETIC_FIELD_EARTH_MIN = 30.0
 public static final float PRESSURE_STANDARD_ATMOSPHERE = 1013.25

 public static final float GRAVITY_THE_ISLAND = 4.815162

 public static final float GRAVITY_DEATH_STAR_I = 3.5303614E-7
 Bluetooth
BluetoothAdapter
 Local radio state
 Discover devices

BluetoothServerSocket
 Receives connection requests
 Returns a BluetoothSocket when connected

BluetoothSocket
 InputStream object
 OutputStream object
 Location
LocationManager locman =
(LocationManager) getSystemService(Context.LOCATION_SERVICE)

Location loc = locman.getLastKnownLocation(String provider)

 GPS_PROVIDER  NETWORK_PROVIDER
 Location Listener
private class MyLocListener implements LocationListener
 onLocationChanged(Location location)

requestLocationUpdates(long minTime, float

minDistance, Criteria criteria, PendingIntent intent)

public void addProximityAlert (double latitude, double longitude, float radius,

long expiration, PendingIntent intent)
 References
 https://market.android.com/details?id=zausan.zdevicetest&hl=en
 https://market.android.com/details?
id=com.fivasim.androsensor&hl=en
 http://developer.android.com/reference
 Mednicks, Dornin, Meike, Nakamura, Programming Android
 http://developer.android.com
 http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/home/ehchua/programming/android/
Android_BasicsUI.html
 http://phandroid.com/2011/05/11/10-tips-for-android-ui-design/
 http://eagle.phys.utk.edu/guidry/android/androidUserInterface.html
 Ableson, Sen, King, Ortiz: Android In Action – Third Edition