I Want to Write Android Apps. Where Do I Start?

Dear Lifehacker,I have some background in coding, but I’ve never touched Android development before.

I’d like to get started, but I’m not entirely sure what I need.

If you’ve never learned to code, you’re able to check out plenty of resourceshere.

Note: this is not meant to be a comprehensive guide on every detail of these applications and resources.

In fact, such a guide could more accurately be described as a book.

An IDE is the main program where you’ll write code and put your app together.

The default IDE for Android is Eclipse.

The main alternative is Android Studio, which is currently being made directly by Google.

Like many Google projects, Android Studio is part of a prolonged beta.

The long-term intention is for Android Studio to replace Eclipse as the primary IDE for Android development.

That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s for everyone.

However, this is also a good place to get started on some of the basics of Android development.

Android Developer Training:Part of Google’s documentation includes training tutorials on how to use its tools.

These documents will walk you through basic features of the IDE.

Vogella:It’s worth mentioning Vogella tutorials in just about every section here.

This massive set of tutorials covers just about everything you could cover.

If you have a basic question not covered above, check Vogella.

As such, it’s included in the Android SDK.

you might find most of what ADB is capable of here.

you’ve got the option to check them all out here.

These range from code to create basic animations, to reading sensors and connecting to the internet.

There’s tons of info here to add functionality to your app.

Sample Code:Sometimes it helps to see how someone else did it before you.

This section shows you samples of code for various functions.

Android Design Guidelines

The counterpart to the developer guidelines is the Design Guidelines.

Patterns:Android is built on structured interfaces.

Git is one of the most commonly used protocols to manage new versions or changes to existing software.

Necessarily, it’s a little more complicated than a basic backup tool.

Two of the most common services for managing projects with Git are Github and Bitbucket.

Both use the same underlying protocol and can be integrated directly into either Eclipse or Android Studio.

Developing for Android is far more than just putting Java in a text editor.

The good news is, you’re not the first person to go down this road.