Top 5 Android App Development Fundamentals for Beginners

Before prancing into the details of the blog post we should first have a glance into the basics.

Back when smartphones were first hitting the market, most people didn’t understand the technology or its capabilities. In fact, most people didn’t even realize that you could download apps and use them on your phone. Today, smartphones are used for almost everything. You can access the internet, send text messages, make phone calls, and of course, download apps.

Welcome to the exciting world of Android app development! You’ve come a long way since the first time you used a smartphone. You’ve downloaded countless apps, used countless apps, and most likely even built a few apps. Now you’re ready to take your first steps into the world of app development.

1.Master the Language

Java and XML are the two major programming languages used in Android App development. Knowledge and mastery over these two programming languages are, therefore, the prerequisites to developing an Android app. Some of the basic fundamentals of the Java programming language include:

Proper comprehension of Java and XML will enable you to build/develop a more robust and elegant android app.

If you are stepping into the Android App development, it is especially important that you familiarize yourself with the build automation tools as well as the integrated development environment or the IDE before you start developing your application. You can use Android app studio IDE or Eclipse for the tools; they will really help you learn the basics and many other things that will help improve your coding abilities and ergo the code. You can learn Apache Maven, Apache Ant, and Gradle as they provide a powerful set of tools to help in managing your builds.

It is also very important that you familiarize yourself with source control tools and concepts. Learn git and then create a git-source repository (you can achieve that by creating an account on Bitbucket or GitHub). To comprehend the basic concepts and terms of how the platform operates, you can use the pocket guide for Git.

2. Knowledge of the Application Components

Application parts and components are very essential building blocks of Android app development. Each of the components is a different point by which the system can enter your application. Though each one of them exists as its own entity and plays a very specific role, there are some which depend on each other, and not all of them are really the actual entry points.

There are five types of app components each serving a distinct and different purpose with a distinct life cycle which defines how it is created and then finally destroyed. They include:

3. Knowledge and awareness over Fragmentations, Android Application, Threads, Loaders, and Tasks

Android is a fragmented and modularized market with many different devices and operating system versions. Note that, if your device supports more devices and/or versions it will most definitely need or require more maintenance and testing as well as the related costs. The vice-versa is also correct. You also need and require appropriate fonts, assets, and layouts that will help in making sure that the best possible experiences in the various screen characteristics are given. You should also consider the domain of android supported sensors or User Interface facilities. All the android apps have an app class, one or more activities, and one or more fragments or modules.

At times, you may have services for background tasks that should run continuously but other times you might not. If you want to deliver a really great and smooth user interface, always make sure that the thread is never blocked. Ergo, the long operations (computations, I/O, network, etc.) should all be run in sync in the background (mainly on a different thread of execution). That is why it is important to learn the Java language concurrency facilities.

4. Making the Correct Choice over Needed Tools

The simple and easy tools that you need for Android app development are just a Mac or Windows PC, any sort or type of Linux, and Eclipse, the ADT Plugin, and the Android SDK — all of which are free. You can go through the installation process on Google to learn how to set up your development environment; it provides you with the documentation of everything needed. Android has some very unique parameters that you should consider when you are writing an Android app.

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