Learning Android Application Programming for the Kindle Fire: A Hands-On Guide to Building Your First Android Application(Learning)

Master Android™ App Development for Amazon’s Bestselling Kindle Fire™—Hands-On, Step-by-Step! In this book, bestselling Android programming authors Lauren Darcey and Shane Conder teach you every skill and technique you need to write production-quality apps for Amazon Kindle Fire, the world’s hottest Android tablet. You’ll learn the very best way: by building a complete app from start to finish. Every chapter builds on what you’ve already learned, helping you construct, expand, and extend your working app as you move through the entire development lifecycle. Packed with fully tested, reusable sample code, this book requires absolutely no previous Android or mobile development experience. If you’ve ever written any Java code, you can dive right in and get results fast. Darcey and Conder start with the absolute basics: installing Android development tools, structuring and configuring Kindle Fire apps, and applying crucial design principles associated with high-quality software. Next, building on this strong foundation, you’ll learn how to manage application resources and build application frameworks; integrate user interfaces, logic, and support for networking and web services; test your apps; and publish on the Amazon Appstore. Coverage includes Establishing an efficient development environment and setting up your first project Mastering Android fundamentals and adapting them to the Kindle Fire Building reusable prototypes that define a framework for production projects Incorporating strings, graphics, styles, templates, and other app and system resources Developing screens, from splash screens and main menus to settings and help Displaying dialogs and collecting user input Controlling app state, saving settings, and launching specific activities Internationalizing Kindle Fire apps to reach wider markets Setting application identity and permissions Preparing your app for publication

Table of Contents:
Introduction     1 I:  Kindle Fire Fundamentals 1  Getting Started with Kindle Fire     9 Introducing Android     9   Google and the Open Handset Alliance     9   Android Makes Its Entrance     10   Cheap and Easy Development     10 Familiarizing Yourself with Eclipse     12   Creating Android Projects     13   Exploring Your Android Project Files     16   Editing Project Resources     17 Running and Debugging Applications     20   Managing Android Virtual Devices     20   Creating Debug and Run Configurations in Eclipse     22   Launching Android Applications Using the Emulator     22   Debugging Android Applications Using DDMS     25   Launching Android Applications on a Device     25 Summary     28 Exercises     28 2  Mastering the Android Development Tools     29 Using the Android Documentation     29 Debugging Applications with DDMS     31   Managing Tasks     32   Browsing the Android File System     33   Taking Screenshots of the Emulator or Device     34   Viewing Log Information     35 Working with the Android Emulator     36   Providing Input to the Emulator     36 Using Other Android Tools     36 Summary     36 3  Building Kindle Fire Applications     39 Designing an Android Application     39   Designing Application Features     40   Determining Application Activity Requirements     40   Implementing Application Functionality     41 Using the Application Context     42   Retrieving Application Resources     42   Accessing Application Preferences     42   Accessing Other Application Functionality Using Contexts     43 Working with Activities     43   Launching Activities     43   Managing Activity State     44   Shutting Down Activities     45 Working with Intents     46   Passing Information with Intents     47   Using Intents to Launch Other Applications     47 Working with Dialogs     48 Working with Fragments     49 Logging Application Information     50 Summary     51 Exercises     51 4  Managing Application Resources     53 Using Application and System Resources     53   Working with Application Resources     53   Working with System Resources     56 Working with Simple Resource Values     57   Working with Strings     57   Working with Colors     57   Working with Dimensions     58 Working with Drawable Resources     59   Working with Images     59   Working with Other Types of Drawables     60 Working with Layouts 60   Designing Layouts Using the Layout Resource Editor     61   Designing Layouts Using XML     62 Working with Files     64   Working with XML Files     64   Working with Raw Files     65   Working with Other Types of Resources     66 Summary     66 Exercises     66 5  Configuring the Android Manifest File     69 Exploring the Android Manifest File     69   Using the Manifest Tab     70   Using the Application Tab     71   Using the Permissions Tab     71   Using the Instrumentation Tab     72   Using the AndroidManifest.xml Tab     73 Configuring Basic Application Settings     73   Naming Android Packages     74   Versioning an Application     74   Setting the Minimum Android API Version     75   Naming an Application     76   Providing an Icon for an Application     76   Providing an Application Description     76   Setting Debug Information for an Application     77   Setting Other Application Attributes     77 Defining Activities     77   Registering Activities     77   Designating the Launch Activity     78 Managing Application Permissions     79 Managing Other Application Settings     81 Summary     81 Exercises     81 6  Designing an Application Framework     83 Designing an Android Trivia Game     83   Determining High-Level Game Features      83   Determining Activity Requirements     84   Determining Screen-Specific Game Features     85 Implementing an Application Prototype     90   Reviewing the Accompanying Source Code     90   Creating a New Android Project     90   Adding Project Resources     91   Implementing Application Activities     92   Creating Application Preferences     93 Running the Game Prototype     95   Creating a Debug Configuration     95   Launching the Prototype in the Emulator     95   Exploring the Prototype Installation     96 Summary     97 Exercises     97 II:  Building an Application Framework 7  Implementing an Animated Splash Screen     101 Designing the Splash Screen     101 Implementing the Splash Screen Layout     102   Adding New Project Resources     103   Updating the Splash Screen Layout     106 Working with Animation     110   Adding Animation Resources     110   Animating Specific Views     112   Setting the Image Animations     113   Handling Animation Lifecycle Events     114 Summary     115 Exercises     116 8 Implementing the Main Menu Screen     117 Designing the Main Menu Screen     117   Determining Main Menu Screen Layout Requirements     118   Designing the Screen Header     118   Designing the GridView Control     118   Finishing Touches for the Main Menu Layout Design     119 Implementing the Main Menu Screen Layout     119   Adding New Project Resources    120   Updating the Main Menu Screen Layout Files     121 Working with the GridView Control     124   Filling a GridView Control      124   Listening for GridView Events     127 Working with Other Menu Types     128   Adding an Options Menu to the Game Screen     129 Summary     131 Exercises     131 9 Developing the Help and Scores Screens     133 Designing the Help Screen     133 Implementing the Help Screen Layout     135   Adding New Project Resources     135   Updating the Help Screen Layout     135 Working with Files     136   Adding Raw Resource Files     136   Accessing Raw File Resources     137 Designing the Scores Screen     138   Determining Scores Screen Layout Requirements     138   Adding the TabHost Control     139 Implementing the Scores Screen Layout     141   Adding New Project Resources     141   Updating the Scores Screen Layout     142 Building a Screen with Tabs     144   Configuring the TabHost Control     144   Adding Tabs to the TabHost Control     145   Setting the Default Tab     145 Working with XML     146   Retrieving XML Resources     146   Parsing XML Files with XmlResourceParser     146   Applying Finishing Touches to the Scores Screen     147 Summary     148 Exercises     148 10  Collecting User Input     149 Designing the Settings Screen     149 Implementing the Settings Screen Layout     151   Adding New Project Resources 151   Updating the Settings Screen Layout     154 Using Common Form Controls     155   Working with EditText Controls     156   Working with Spinner Controls     159 Saving Form Data with SharedPreferences     161   Defining SharedPreferences Entries     161   Saving Settings to SharedPreferences     161   Reading Settings from SharedPreferences     162 Summary     163 11  Using Dialogs to Collect User Input     165 Working with Activity Dialogs     165   Exploring the Different Types of Dialogs     166   Tracing the Lifecycle of a Dialog     167 Using the DatePickerDialog Class     168   Adding a DatePickerDialog to a Class     168   Initializing a DatePickerDialog     170   Launching DatePickerDialog     170 Working with Custom Dialogs     171   Adding a Custom Dialog to the Settings Screen     172 Summary     178 Exercises     178 12  Adding Application Logic     181 Designing the Game Screen     181 Implementing the Game Screen Layout     183   Adding New Project Resources     184   Updating the Game Screen Layout     185 Working with ViewSwitcher Controls     186   Initializing Switcher Controls     187   Implementing Switcher Factory Classes     187   Updating the TextSwitcher Control     189   Updating the ImageSwitcher Control     189 Wiring Up Game Logic     190   Adding Game State Settings to the SharedPreferences     191   Retrieving, Parsing, and Storing Book Data     192 Summary     197 Exercises     197 13  Adding Network Support     199 Designing Network Applications     199   Working with an Application Server     199   Managing Lengthy Network Operations     200   Informing the User of Network Activity     201 Developing Network Applications     201   Enabling Network Testing on the Emulator     202   Testing Network Applications on Kindle Fire     202 Accessing Network Services     202   Planning Have You Read That? Network Support     202   Setting Network Permissions     203   Checking Network Status     203   Using HTTP Networking     203 Indicating Network Activity with Progress Bars     204   Displaying Indeterminate Progress     204   Displaying Determinate Progress     204   Displaying Progress Dialogs     204 Running Tasks Asynchronously     206   Using AsyncTask     206   Using Threads and Handlers     207 Downloading and Displaying Score Data     207   Extending AsyncTask for Score Downloads     207   Starting the Progress Indicator with onPreExecute()     208   Clearing the Progress Indicator with onPostExecute()     209   Handling Cancellation with onCancelled()     209   Handling Processing with doInBackground()     210   Handling Progress Updates with onProgressUpdate()     211   Starting the ScoreDownloaderTask     212 Downloading and Parsing Batches of Books     213   Extending AsyncTask for Book Downloads     213   Starting the Progress Dialog with onPreExecute()     214   Dismissing the Progress Dialog with onPostExecute()     214   Handling the Background Processing     215   Starting the BookListDownloaderTask     215 Determining What Data to Send to the Server     216 Keeping Player Data in Sync     216 Uploading Settings Data to a Remote Server     217   Working with Android Services     218   Implementing UploadTask     220   Uploading Player Data with the HTTP GET Method     220 Uploading Score Data to a Remote Server     223 Downloading Friends’ Score Data      224 Summary     224 Exercises     224 14  Exploring the Amazon Web Services SDK for Android     225 The 10,000-Foot View of AWS     225 Exploring the AWS Offerings     226   Using AWS Database and Storage Services     227   Using AWS Messaging and Notification Services     227   Using AWS Infrastructure and Administrative Services     228 Summary     228 Exercises     228 III:  Publishing Your Kindle Fire Application 15  Managing Alternative and Localized Resources     233 Using the Alternative Resource Hierarchy     233   Understanding How Resources Are Resolved     234   Organizing Alternative Resources with Qualifiers     234   Using Alternative Resources Programmatically     236   Organizing Application Resources Efficiently     236 Customizing the Application Experience     237   Updating the Main Screen     237   Updating the Splash Screen     238   Updating the Game Screen     239   Updating the Other Screens     240 Internationalizing Android Applications     240 How Android Localization Works     241   How the Android Operating System Handles Locale     241   How Applications Handle Locales     241   How Kindle Fire Handles Locales     243 Android Internationalization Strategies     243   Forgoing Application Internationalization     244   Limiting Application Internationalization     245   Implementing Full Application Internationalization     245 Using Localization Utilities     246   Determining System Locale     246   Formatting Strings Like Dates and Times     246   Handling Currencies     247 Summary     247 Exercises     247 16  Testing Kindle Fire Applications     249 Testing Best Practices     249   Developing Coding Standards     250   Performing Regular Versioned Builds     250   Using a Defect Tracking System     251   Developing Good Test Plans     251 Maximizing Test Coverage     252   Testing on the Emulator     252   Testing on Target Devices     253   Performing Automated Testing     253 Summary     260 Exercises     260 17  Registering as an Amazon Application Developer     261 Understanding the Release Process     261 Preparing the Release Candidate Build     263   Preparing the Android Manifest File for Release     263   Protecting Your Application from Software Pirates     264   Readying Related Services for Release     265 Testing the Application Release Candidate     265 Signing Up as an Amazon App Developer     266 Packaging and Signing an Application     267   Digitally Signing Applications     267   Exporting and Signing the Package File     267 Testing the Signed Application Package     268   Installing the Signed Application Package     269   Verifying the Signed Application     269 Summary     270 Exercises     270 18  Publishing Applications on the Amazon Appstore     271 Selling on the Amazon Appstore     271   Signing Up for a Developer Account     271   Complying with the Developer License Agreement     272   Uploading an Application     272   Understanding Amazon Appstore Royalties     273   Using Other Developer Account Benefits     273   Generating Reports     274 Summary     274 Exercises     274 IV:  Appendixes A  Configuring Your Android Development Environment     279 Configuring Your Development Environment     279 Development Machine Prerequisites     280 Installing the Java Development Kit     281 Installing the Eclipse IDE     281 Installing the Android SDK     281 Installing and Configuring the Android Plug-In for Eclipse (ADT)     282 Downloading Android SDK Components     282 Upgrading the Android SDK and Tools     284 Debugging with the Amazon Kindle Fire     284 Configuring Other Android Devices for Development Purposes     286 B  Eclipse IDE Tips and Tricks     289 Organizing Your Eclipse Workspace     289 Writing Code in Java     293 C  Supplementary Materials     299 Using the Source Code for This Book     299 Accessing the Android Developer Website     300 Accessing the Publisher‘s Website     300 Accessing the Authors‘ Website     301 Contacting the Authors     303 Leveraging Online Android Resources     304 Index     305

About the Author :
Lauren Darcey is responsible for the technical leadership and direction of a small software company specializing in mobile technologies, including Android, Apple iOS, BlackBerry, Palm Pre, BREW, and J2ME and consulting services. With more than two decades of experience in professional software production, Lauren is a recognized authority in application architecture and the development of commercial-grade mobile applications. Lauren received a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Lauren spends her free time traveling the world with her geeky mobile-minded husband and daughter. She is an avid nature photographer whose work has been published in books and newspapers around the world. In South Africa, she dove with 4-meter-long great white sharks and got stuck between a herd of rampaging hippopotami and an irritated bull elephant. She‘s been attacked by monkeys in Japan, gotten stuck in a ravine with two hungry lions in Kenya, gotten thirsty in Egypt, narrowly avoided a coup d‘état in Thailand, geocached her way through the Swiss Alps, drank her way through the beer halls of Germany, slept in the crumbling castles of Europe, and gotten her tongue stuck to an iceberg in Iceland (while being watched by a herd of suspicious wild reindeer). Shane Conder has extensive development experience and has focused his attention on mobile and embedded development for the past decade. He has designed and developed many commercial applications for Android, Apple iOS, BREW, BlackBerry, J2ME, Palm, and Windows Mobile—some of which have been installed on millions of phones worldwide. Shane has written extensively about the mobile industry and evaluated mobile-development platforms on his tech blogs and is well known within the blogosphere. Shane received a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of California. A self-admitted gadget freak, Shane always has the latest smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device. He can often be found fiddling with the latest technologies, such as cloud services and mobile platforms, and other exciting, state-of-the-art technologies that activate the creative part of his brain. He is a very hands-on geek dad. He also enjoys traveling the world with his geeky wife, even if she did make him dive with 4-meter-long great white sharks and almost get eaten by a lion in Kenya. He admits that he has to take at least two phones with him when backpacking—even though there is no coverage—and that he snickered and whipped out his Android phone to take a picture when Laurie got her tongue stuck to that iceberg in Iceland, and that he has learned that he should be writing his own bio. The authors have also published several other Android books, including Android Wireless Application Development, Android Wireless Application Development Volume I: Android Essentials, Android Wireless Application Development Volume 2: Advanced Topics, Sams Teach Yourself Android Application Development, and the mini-book Introducing Android Development with Ice Cream Sandwich . Lauren and Shane have also published numerous articles on mobile-software development for magazines, technical journals, and online publishers of educational content. You can find dozens of samples of their work in Linux User and Developer, Smart Developer magazine (Linux New Media), developer.com, Network World, Envato (MobileTuts+ and CodeCanyon), and InformIT, among others. They also publish articles of interest to their readers at their own Android website: http://androidbook.blogspot.com. You can find a full list of the authors’ publications at http://goo.gl/f0Vlj .