Hello all, this is my first post here, although I have been reading around for a while, and I hope you can help.
Im a third year computing student, and am currently writing my dissertation. My chosen topic is text input methods for touch screen mobile phones. The core of the paper will be an experiment with a handful of different input methods on an android phone. To facilitate this, I want to build a few custom keyboards on android, namely simple versions of something similar to swype and thickbuttons.
Whilst I have a working knowledge of java, I have done hardly any android development, so am finding it a bit difficult to get started. Does anyone know of any useful resources available for building custom keyboards for android, or have any practical experience?
Any help would be much appreciated!
Related
Hi all
I've been reading this forum since I bought my first WM device - Touch Diamond so thanks for all of you for contributing, developing great apps, cooking roms etc. So far I have been mostly reading, as you see this is my first post, but now I would like to offer you help.
My interests and hopefully soon education too are related to User Interface design, so basically anything related to the topic of making a good, user friendly interface. So far I have been reading and analysing a lot but I haven't got a chance to design a real thing (designing interfaces for imaginary applications is not really the same), that's how I came with an idea to help you guys developing your apps. I'm not a programmer, I'm not a graphic designer so I can't help you with coding or ready buttons or skins but I think I could help you with design itself, ie. how to organize options, choose the right symbols for icons, use buttons of the right size, colour & in the right place, minimize the number of taps needed to perform frequent operations and so on and so on. It involves too many aspects to put them all here. Generally I would like to try to help you make your application user friendly and easy to use.
Do I ask for something in return? Well, yes. If you decide to use interface designed fully or mostly by me please give me a credit for that in some "about" window or a readme file. That's it.
If any of you would like to give me a chance I would be grateful and did my best to help the best I could. Please PM me with any questions or offers.
Many thanks
Pawel
Hello first of all very sorry if this has been done to death or if this is the wrong section. I've made a very quick search but didn't come up with anything obvious on where to start.
I've recently finished a Computer art style degree and now that I'm working I'm getting itchy fingers and want to start making arty applications again, this time without having to have a deep theoretical reason... which will be nice!
I have high experience at using Flash and Processing (based on Java). And Ideally would want to use these instead of some hardcore systems such as c# or vb. However Ideally I'd like to use this as a means of building new skills so wouldn't mind diving into C#.
Do any of you have any pointers on where i can start beginners guides? Open source/free software I can use to get me started?
If I was to develop using Flash/Java would I be able to use my phones devices camera/bluetooth/g-sensors?
Thank you for your time, I hope one day I'll be able to add something to this forum!
Hi all,
I work in IT but have never done any programming at all before. I would like to get started in developing apps for Android. Does anyone have any pointers tips on doing this. Is Android the wrong place to start with programming or should I be ok? Does anyone know of any good resources which should get me started, either online or in book form?
Any advice appreciated,
Michael
Manning has a Developing for Android book. http://www.manning.com/ableson/ You'll need to learn Java so start there too. Or look into Titanium http://www.appcelerator.com/
Promoting your site, isn't a good idea
I don't necessarily want to discourage you, but doing proper software development isn't the easiest thing to learn. There's a pretty steep learning curve surrounding object-oriented development, and the alternative is something you'll either hate or misuse.
Most people starting to program first learn how to make things happen in code procedurally: do A, then when that's done do B, then when that's done do C. Trying to program user interfaces this way is awful because the user workflow does not necessarily follow each little action in a specific order (and the interface has to continue to be responsive while your program is working). Your code will almost certainly suck and you'll spend most of your time testing, fixing bugs, and rejecting feature requests because they are "impossible" until you learn the better way: break down the problem into discrete blocks of related data and resources (the objects), define all the ways each block can be manipulated (the methods on those objects), define the conditions under which different actions must take place (thread messaging, event handlers), and tie all of that together into an application.
If this sort of thing interests you, great! I myself used to work in IT and found software development to be a much more interesting, open, and creative field. Mobile development is an especially fun field because you can deal with smaller projects and your customers are normal people, not businesses. I caution you not to jump right into the deep end, though; read several books on java and OOP, start with a smaller project and redesign/rewrite it several times until it's perfect, then you'll be ready to take what you've learned and apply it to something incrementally bigger.
I'm looking to start my first Android but I'm not sure where to start. I want to make a launcher app. Is that a little over the top for someone who has never written in this language before?
Have you done any programming before?
A little bit of Java not much though and some Python but that doesn't seem to matter much.
Check out this thread I just made:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=814908
It could be a valuable experience for you. If we find the right people, you could learn a lot AND still work on a Homescreen-app. I don't now about your current ideas, but I'd be excited to hear them.
Check out Resources in Android Developer website.
You can start with a simple Hello World app, and move on from there.
Hello Android!
There are more examples in the left navigation.
Have fun
Actually Python helps a lot. Try to learn C#, it's structure is very similar to Java but easier to learn.
I am not to sure if this is the correct area for this. But I am wondering how hard it is to make a Android game? This isn't something I want to just jump into, but learn while I am doing it and take my time.
So how challenging is it to someone who has no experience?
Thank You
Do you have any programming experience at all?
If you know languages like C++ or Java you're pretty close already. Android is programmed in Java, and you need to be familiar with Java's memory management to understand what happens behind the scenes since memory is critical on a mobile device. Also you should get some experience with multithreaded programming, since most times you'll need threads to complete tasks without getting the UI stuck.
Android uses a component based architecture that might be a bit unfamiliar in the beginning, since there's no 'main' entrypoint and you have to split your app into 'activities' that talk to each other through 'intents'.
Games present additional challenges, since they often require you to take care of several things involved with graphics and audio, so maybe they're not the ideal first step into programming.
I started programming for my phone on my Touch HD (windows mobile 6.5, using c#). I'd done some java (not a lot, really, and I hated it), some c (a bit, liked it much more) and quite a few script languages.
I have to say, I got into c# with the compact .NET framework VERY easily. It was very straightforwards, nicely syntaxed ... it was just programming as I'd known it. I've made some office apps, one or two games (just for fun, although the apps were meant to be sold ... **** MS for going wp7 and incompatible!; they were solid pieces of software engineering, if I say so myself)
Two weeks ago I got my Desire HD and a few books on programming Android ( O'Reilly, Sam's) and went looking through developer.android.com .
And I have to say, I find it hard! The concepts and how they work together are a bit ... uhm ... distributed. Good software design, but hard on the programmer (and ****ing verbose to actually type in the porgamming! Sheesh!). It took me a while to grok how all these systems are fitting together: to be honest, I'm still trying to make it all jell. All these intents, services, activities, broadcast receivers ... very interesting, but just thinking of the best (or even correct!) way of setting up your porgram is kinda difficult.
But, that's just me, in two weeks time in my spare time. I am getting it now and it is interesting (and, actually, very well set up for what they want android to do/be). c# was just easier, friendlier and faster to get into.
Sorry if this sounds negative: learning a new language isn't EASY, but it is FUN And very informative. If you have a few hours to start off with and then an hour a day, go for it ... but keep in mind there are easier/more straightforwards programming languages/environments than android (or so I think).
I would like to know this too because I got my HTC Wildfire for a few months now and I just rooted my phone yesterday to get into the whole development and modding.
I would like to learn how to make a widget first and then move onto a app/game. My goal would be to know how to create a 2D based side scroller, I would like to recreate "Bio Menace" for the Android. (I have the sprites and maps, now I only need to learn to make it into a game). (Bio Menace was my all-time favorite game when I was a child and I sometimes still play it on dosbox, but I would like to take it with me on transits to work)
I have no experience in Programming at all, I only did graphical stuff (Photoshop, 3DS Max) I know a little html for basic websites, but this was also more in Dreamweaver with the layout to designer.
So I found these books on android, but before I begin to read any of them. Can somebody tell me which book is best to start on first or which book to skip? I also like a video tutorial, but has anybody seen it? Is it any good?
Ebooks
Apress: Beginning Android 2 http://apress.com/book/view/9781430226291
Apress: Pro Android Games http://apress.com/book/view/9781430226475
Apress: Pro Android 2 http://apress.com/book/view/9781430226598
CommonsWare LLC The Busy Coders Guide to Android Development http://commonsware.com/Android/
Sam's Sams Teach Yourself Android Application Development in 24 Hours http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-Android-Application-Development/dp/0321673352
O'Reilly Media: Building Android Apps with HTML CSS and JavaScript http://oreilly.com/catalog/0636920010067
O'Reilly Media: Hello Android 3rd Edition http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781934356562
Video tutorial
O'Reilly Media: Developing Android Applications with Java, Part 1 http://oreilly.com/catalog/0636920001690
Sorry to threadjack you, but it made no sense to me to start a new thread on the same topic. There really should be an own section for noobs or a good sticky with this kind of information for noobs.
lol Im in the process of learning java right now, basic java though.
Mathods
Interfaces
Static Methods
Im pretty interested in what I need to know for development on the andriod platform. By mid/late spring I should know quite a bit more. Taking an Advanced java course. Current I only know C#, C++, and Visual Basics.
Never worked on a GUI before =(.