Finally

I love it when a plan comes together. The last issue I ran into (there being no options for SDK when creating a new Android project in eclipse) was caused by an empty Android SDK. I thought I had downloaded a few API’s but I guess I had not. That must have been on one of the numerous previous installations of the Android SDK. By the way, SDK = Software Development Kit. So, with that little issue out of the way late last night, I was able to wake up this morning and succefully create a sample Android Project. I was in a pretty good mood as I headed out to work for the day. I couldn’t wait to get home and start working through tutorials.

First thing at work I’m told I have to become Apple Online Sales Gold Certified by 2 pm. I’m not exactly what you would call an Apple Fan so this didn’t put me in a great mood… From 9:30 am to 1:55 pm I did nothing but read Apple training and answer questions. Then after mentioning to my manager that I got the Gold level just before the deadline he tells me I have to hit the next level (Apple Product Professional) before I head out for the weekend… Great. I hit that level as well and I guess I get a pin for it. Yay… OK, so that last part wasn’t important to the story of becoming an Android Application Developer…

Ah, Android and Windows.

It felt really good to get home and create an Android Emulation Device and run my sample program in it. After I got that out of the way I went through the first lesson on Google’s Android Developer page. In it I learned how to create a basic User Interface including an Edit text field and a button, start a new activity (which makes a new screen), and get to the new screen from the first one while taking information from the first one with you to the second one. It really wasn’t that hard, and this is actually my second time going through this lesson. The first time was on my tablet using AIDE and it resulted in 34 errors. I’m happy to announce that this time, using Eclipse IDE, I came up with zero errors and an App that works as it is supposed to. After going through the lesson 2 times I still could not reproduce it on my own. Or in other words if you came up to me and said, “Hey, I want you to build an Android App where a user enters text on one screen and then the app displays that text on a new screen.” I wouldn’t know how to do it. Even though I have already built that app I couldn’t do it at this point with out the step by step instruction. At the moment I will assume that in time I will be start to truly put together what I am doing and part of it will become memory. I understand what almost all the code I used means so that isn’t the problem. It’s just knowing what to use when and where without the instruction. Again, I assume that will come with practice. Patience my young apprentice.

I’d like to take a moment to mention that the troubles I had setting up Eclipse for Android Development are apparently not the norm. I’ve got a friend that’s into development, but hadn’t done much if any Android work until I mentioned I was going to work on it. After hearing about my woes with environment set up he said he had no problem installing the SDK and ADT Plugin for Eclipse. I wanted to mention that so it didn’t discourage any one out there from looking into Android Development.

First Activity of my first App

Second Activity

My next steps are to continue the lessons on Google’s Android Development site and see if a completed program’s source files can run in AIDE on my tab.

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