[Q] How difficult is it to code a launcher replacement? - Android Software Development

I have a great idea for a replacement launcher, but I have no previous coding experience. How difficult would it be for a first time coder to build a launcher?
And if it's going to be ridiculously hard to do, and you'd like to hear the idea, feel free to message me, you may be able to help!

There is an example launcher from old android versions in the SDK.
You could start by taking a look at that.

if you have no coding experience, it's going to be very hard
I've done a year and a half of a software engineering degree and I'm currently working on the android development team at Broadcom as a coop work term. I probably wouldn't want to start trying to write a launcher(unless it was just a few modifications on the stock launcher) so I couldn't even imagine trying to do it without any coding experience. I'm not trying to say that I'm a master programmer (very far from it) but I certainly have more than zero experience.

I've looked at it myself and it seems rather difficult, however, perhaps there's a tutorial or guide somewhere that might help out?

gnargle said:
I have a great idea for a replacement launcher, but I have no previous coding experience. How difficult would it be for a first time coder to build a launcher?
And if it's going to be ridiculously hard to do, and you'd like to hear the idea, feel free to message me, you may be able to help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lots (years) of fundamentals to learn first .....
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

digitalcoder said:
Lots (years) of fundamentals to learn first .....
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
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Oh, not fun. Guess it's just a pipe-dream, then.

gnargle said:
Oh, not fun. Guess it's just a pipe-dream, then.
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You never know how hard it is unless you try.
Take a look at the SDK examples, there is a basic launcher.

Related

[DEV WANTED] Simply AOSP

Hello guys,
As many of you know, I've become a traitor, and by that I mean I now have the Nexus S 4G.
Simply AOSP is the ROM I have devoted a lot of my time to on the forums here, it doesn't have the user base of ACS stamped ROM's but seems to have a lot of dedicated users.
With my leaving the Epic 4G behind me I will no longer be as focused on Simply AOSP as I had been. I will update it as I can but I'm looking for a developer or two to come on board and co-pilot the ROM with me for a while and eventually take it over entirely.
The goal of Simply AOSP was to basically clone CM6/CM7/AOSP as much as possible for Epic users who love AOSP. I'd like to find someone who also loves AOSP and wants to continue to bring the most AOSP experience as possible to the ROM's users.
If you haven't tried Simply AOSP I recommend you flash it and take a look, if it seems like something you'd want to be a part of please contact me via PM.
I'm open minded with "requirements" for potential developers but please include your experience just so I have an idea of what you're capable of. I will help make the transition as smooth as possible.
That said you all will see me in the Epic section of the forums less and less. Despite some of the interesting drama it's been a blast and I've enjoyed working with and talking to all of you!!!
I volunteer k0nane
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
Whosdaman said:
I volunteer k0nane
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
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lol I like how you think.
Whosdaman said:
I volunteer k0nane
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
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LOL considering he's gone I don't see that happening.. He would probably do an awesome job though.
Hey, aosp is one of the easiest to work on. And you've done the hard part
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
Whosdaman said:
Hey, aosp is one of the easiest to work on. And you've done the hard part
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
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Yeah it really just needs a maintainer to keep it up to date.. add in some enhancements of their own or of the communities as they are discovered. The update to Gingerbread will take some Themeing skills and possibly a few Simply Settings updates but otherwise.. yeah agreed very easy.
TheDub said:
Yeah it really just needs a maintainer to keep it up to date.. add in some enhancements of their own or of the communities as they are discovered. The update to Gingerbread will take some Themeing skills and possibly a few Simply Settings updates but otherwise.. yeah agreed very easy.
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Hell I would do it, but I'm still learning
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
Maybe I should take the pludge by the way you guys are talking. I have been meaning to dual boot linux and set up a dev enviroment, but I haven't even taken the time to figure that out. Well if maybe your down to skype someday and get me up to speed I maybe down to try and keep the boat afloat. I do think based on the work he's done that koane should pick up the work, but I don't know what all the shat that went down was all about so who knows. Anyways let me know dub.
sent from "The Other Woman"
bryanfritz1 said:
Maybe I should take the pludge by the way you guys are talking. I have been meaning to dual boot linux and set up a dev enviroment, but I haven't even taken the time to figure that out. Well if maybe your down to skype someday and get me up to speed I maybe down to try and keep the boat afloat. I do think based on the work he's done that koane should pick up the work, but I don't know what all the shat that went down was all about so who knows. Anyways let me know dub.
sent from "The Other Woman"
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Click to collapse
Simply AOSP has been developed entirely with Windows (OK and some Mac OS X but mostly Windows, no Linux at all). The only time you would need Linux is if you were compiling real AOSP or a Kernel. However I didn't write the Kernel it's just Genocide. It's also just a AOSP clone so it's been a customization of the stock Touchwiz ROM which can be done with Windows.
The only real code I've written is Simply Settings which can also be developed in Windows (or Linux and Mac OS X for that matter) with Eclipse. It's not a very complicated program but it would need some Java knowledge, otherwise I would continue maintenance on that.
Biggest things that would be needed would be...
1.) Themeing skills (Simply AOSP comes with 3 themes built in)
--These are a must.. there is a lot of Themeing and it will be the most time consuming part of converting the rom to Gingerbread in the future.
2.) General knowledge about the filesystem layout and what does what. (Easier then it sounds)
3.) Java / Scripting knowledge if you plan to take control of Simply Settings.
4.) Time. It's mostly feature complete as of right now, but needs a maintainer who will be able to integrate future enhancements. When I say this I'm referring to enhancements you make or that the community makes.
Since it's an AOSP clone it's very easy feature wise because it doesn't need a lot of features.

Crazy Idea

Hey so recently I had an idea that could get implemented in an AOSP rom. It would obviously need developed first and all of that good stuff as right now it is only a concept, but what if we, the members of XDA, made our own skin. HTC has Sense, Motorola has MotoBlur, and Samsung has TouchWiz, but what if we made something like HeroWare or something like that. Just an idea but it should be like very minimalistic, pretty much based off of adw launcher. Or another idea is what if we made a skin that looked like honeycomb and then just through it over CM7. I would not know how but we could make soft keys and make our own widgets, etc. LMK watcha think and if you'd be interested in trying to help me get this going.
Nope
®patience is a virtue©
I think the idea is good, but it would be more trouble than its worth to maintain, provide support for numerous devices, and really to be useful. I mean 3rd party launchers basically are "hacker" skins if you think about it.
I think its a creative concept and is possible but not very practical.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
this would be asking way to much our development team is stretched pretty thin as it is, and that's what custom home launchers are for, and there's literally hundreds of them in the market.
Hmph, and all I asked for is a simple froyosense w/ espresso Rom port.
I sir give you an A for effort
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
rizdog23 said:
Hey so recently I had an idea that could get implemented in an AOSP rom. It would obviously need developed first and all of that good stuff as right now it is only a concept, but what if we, the members of XDA, made our own skin. HTC has Sense, Motorola has MotoBlur, and Samsung has TouchWiz, but what if we made something like HeroWare or something like that. Just an idea but it should be like very minimalistic, pretty much based off of adw launcher. Or another idea is what if we made a skin that looked like honeycomb and then just through it over CM7. I would not know how but we could make soft keys and make our own widgets, etc. LMK watcha think and if you'd be interested in trying to help me get this going.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
beautiful thought, and i commend you for that.. however, the dev scene in the hero world is rather lite at the moment.. so unless you have the skills to do it, bff's with a great dev, or just get really lucky; it probably wont happen.. plus like was mentioned cross device support would be nice.. you will need to try and get someone who would be willing to put the time into it.. that would be the key, and the hardest key to find.. there are a few devs left and one might take it up, it never hurts to ask.. just dont keep your hopes too high..
pstevep said:
beautiful thought, and i commend you for that.. however, the dev scene in the hero world is rather lite at the moment.. so unless you have the skills to do it, bff's with a great dev, or just get really lucky; it probably wont happen.. plus like was mentioned cross device support would be nice.. you will need to try and get someone who would be willing to put the time into it.. that would be the key, and the hardest key to find.. there are a few devs left and one might take it up, it never hurts to ask.. just dont keep your hopes too high..
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Thanks for being one of the few who are positive lol I'll work on the images and all of that and i am friends with a pretty big dev group so maybe i can get one of them to help me out
rizdog23 said:
Thanks for being one of the few who are positive lol I'll work on the images and all of that and i am friends with a pretty big dev group so maybe i can get one of them to help me out
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my pleasure.. i try to keep it positive, sometimes its hard around here.. hope it works out for you though, i may break out the hero, and flash it you get it going..

[Request] Official Multiwindow on Tab 2

Hey guys, as we all now there is a multiwindow feature on the s3/note2.
I would like to have this feature on the tab 2 (10.1) too. Are there any devs who would take a look at it? By maybe porting it?
I saw some apps but don't realy like it.
*bump*
HAKANN said:
*bump*
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maybe u can use Sungsonic HD rom, they're in the works multi windows.
viktorlucky said:
maybe u can use Sungsonic HD rom, they're in the works multi windows.
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Click to collapse
but not fully fumctional
Supersonic hd is very buggy, i tried it just for the multiwindow and it was a waste of time cause depositefile server is REALLY slow.
Sent from my GT-P3113 using xda premium
So... anybody ?
Well el_venga I will await the rom you are building. Dont dis peoples free dev work on a dev site. If you want something then learn to do it. This isnt what this site is about. Whining about something gets you nowhere. This site is a place for you to learn how to do stuff yourself. It seems more and more people are coming here to "pimp" their phone.
sent from MY BAD A$$ ET4G
I think this feature is kinda complicated to port, since you need to mess up a lot of things in framework (I mean, I don't think it's possible in an easy way like porting to stock without messing up a lot of things).
For example, I like the lockscreen from S3, but lockscreen is something terrible to do inside the framework in this case (yes, I've already tried to port, even for galaxy nexus).
There are 2 Dual Screen apps in Google Play that work well.
Can you tell me the name?
patrao_n said:
Well el_venga I will await the rom you are building. Dont dis peoples free dev work on a dev site. If you want something then learn to do it. This isnt what this site is about. Whining about something gets you nowhere. This site is a place for you to learn how to do stuff yourself. It seems more and more people are coming here to "pimp" their phone.
sent from MY BAD A$$ ET4G
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Click to collapse
im not whining. its a fact. i gave my opinion about the rom cause i tested it and it has bugs. other users in the same section said it also and we are just waiting. i mentioned the waste of time cause of depositefiles, not the rom. i have 2mbps connection at work and it was WAY lower than 256kbps. i test a lot of roms for my devices and i never whine about it. dont judge me for a misunderstanding. i apoligize if i offended you in anyway.
btw i am a programmer, not of this kind of software, but i am, and i know what it takes to do what devs do. have a nice day.
I apologize as well. Lately on my phomes forum there a lot of new people requesting the hell out of stuff and complainimg about everything. I program too at work.
sent from MY BAD A$$ ET4G

One stop shop for learning to build roms?

So, I am thinking about spending some time and learning how to build roms, but I am a total noob where it is concerned. Can anyone recommend a good resource for learning the basics, and then moving on to more advanced stuff?
I used to have some coding experience but it has been 10+ years since I've tried to code anything. I've got the mental capacity...but 100% out of practice, don't really know any languages anymore, and don't have a strong knowledge of linux. Sounds bad, huh?
Thanks!
Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk
brucipher said:
So, I am thinking about spending some time and learning how to build roms, but I am a total noob where it is concerned. Can anyone recommend a good resource for learning the basics, and then moving on to more advanced stuff?
I used to have some coding experience but it has been 10+ years since I've tried to code anything. I've got the mental capacity...but 100% out of practice, don't really know any languages anymore, and don't have a strong knowledge of linux. Sounds bad, huh?
Thanks!
Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Try this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2195858
busfullofBEARS said:
Try this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2195858
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I'll check it out...Thank you!!

Project Barlan M8 an AOSP wet dream

Just imagine a Rom with all your favorite Aosp features tied in with the sense framework like camera and tv etc I and some buddy's have teamed up to bring this to you you've got two experts in sense porting and an infamous aosp developer working together to bring you the user base an experience beyond anything that's out there. This thread is just a small teaser PROJECT BARLAN will blow your mind when we're in gama stages. I just decided to post this for some hype to spread I doubt most are ready for what we have to offer
AOSP with HTC framework, camera etc., might be enough to tempt me away from Sense ROMs. Bring it on. Happy to give it a test when you get something together.
if it will be really possible to use the most Framework and apps such as boomsound/ HK on aosp and also the cam i would definitely Flash it asap
The three of us have three different concepts for how we can do this we are currently just tossing around ideas between each other, currently I'm running IC with most gpe parts plugged in. So aosp feel with Harman kardon and HTC camera but I wouldn't release this pre alpha before fixing some things up. But with HTC being closer to Google source who knows. Basically this idea kinda bloomed on the jewel after I did some tinkering. The HTC camera works best with sense and I've known that forever my idea for the yesteryear devices was miui patch Rom then decompile everything see what libs bins files etc where called from the sense framework for miui patch Rom to work and go from there. But I think they're not even up to date with kit Kat with that so I've been improvising and due to an individual on Google+ who ticked me off enough to do this, cause my real passion is with sense you've got project barlan. It was either this or finish up m8 win mobile but Microsoft MO imho has been dead since 6.5
Sent from my 831C using XDA Free mobile app
the_scotsman said:
AOSP with HTC framework, camera etc., might be enough to tempt me away from Sense ROMs. Bring it on. Happy to give it a test when you get something together.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll definitely add you to the beta list when we get there, currently this is pre alpha stages
Sent from my 831C using XDA Free mobile app
i would test too, have different knowledge...so if you Need some you already have two
I'd love to test too!!
Well when we get things going more in motion I'll have to think of some fun little things to engage the users who want beta access. My whole thing with development is that anyone can do it if they apply them selves. So maybe you'll have to solve some riddles or learn some concept of a programing language Idk I pick these on the fly it's not like you have to crack an nsa database or Putin's laptop. As for Scott's men he's auto added to beta the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Sinistertensai said:
Well when we get things going more in motion I'll have to think of some fun little things to engage the users who want beta access. My whole thing with development is that anyone can do it if they apply them selves. So maybe you'll have to solve some riddles or learn some concept of a programing language Idk I pick these on the fly it's not like you have to crack an nsa database or Putin's laptop. As for Scott's men he's auto added to beta the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
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Hehe, sure! I'm up for learning my way over obstacles Nice idea btw, kinda like sneakyghost's for providing no-red text hboots..
Really looking forward to this!
You got my attention, very intriguing
Plausible deniability.
That is all.
jamieg71 said:
Plausible deniability.
That is all.
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thanks for letting me stick my neck out!
Sinistertensai said:
thanks for letting me stick my neck out!
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Bah!
Iz in the bag. Besides, short neck makes for a hard target. No one is gonna see this coming, too many have tried. Pretty sure it's considered to not be possible. #ProjectBarlan is going to make history.
I'll love this!!
jamieg71 said:
Bah!
Iz in the bag. Besides, short neck makes for a hard target. No one is gonna see this coming, too many have tried. Pretty sure it's considered to not be possible. #ProjectBarlan is going to make history.
Click to expand...
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You know they're not ready for what we've got cooking
Sinistertensai said:
You know they're not ready for what we've got cooking
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Some how that reminded me of a WWE commercial..
You know how to make an android user moist!!!! this sounds awesome!!!
Does this mean that T-Mobile WiFi calling would be ported to?
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Will believe it when I see it

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