Java Android Development

Build native Android apps with Java

Java has been the traditional language for Android development, offering robust object-oriented programming capabilities and access to the full Android SDK. While Kotlin is now Google's preferred language, Java remains widely used and fully supported.

Why Choose Java for Android?

Native Android Development

Build apps with full access to Android APIs and platform features

Direct access to all Android platform capabilities and native performance

Mature Ecosystem

Extensive libraries, tools, and community support

Benefit from years of Android development tools and libraries

Android Studio IDE

Powerful development environment with advanced debugging tools

Official IDE with emulators, profilers, and comprehensive development tools

Enterprise Ready

Robust architecture patterns and enterprise-grade solutions

Perfect for large-scale applications with complex business requirements

Development Setup

Required Tools

1. Java Development Kit (JDK)

# Install JDK 8 or higher
# Download from Oracle or use OpenJDK

# Verify installation
java -version
javac -version

2. Android Studio

  • • Download from developer.android.com/studio
  • • Includes Android SDK, emulator, and build tools
  • • Built-in support for Java and Kotlin
  • • Advanced debugging and profiling tools

Basic Android App Structure

MainActivity.java

package com.example.myapp;

import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.TextView;
import android.widget.Toast;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
    private TextView textView;
    private Button button;
    private int counter = 0;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
        
        // Initialize views
        textView = findViewById(R.id.textView);
        button = findViewById(R.id.button);
        
        // Set click listener
        button.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            @Override
            public void onClick(View v) {
                counter++;
                textView.setText("Count: " + counter);
                Toast.makeText(MainActivity.this, 
                    "Button clicked!", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
            }
        });
    }
}

activity_main.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    android:gravity="center"
    android:padding="16dp">

    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/textView"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Count: 0"
        android:textSize="24sp"
        android:layout_marginBottom="32dp" />

    <Button
        android:id="@+id/button"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="Click Me"
        android:textSize="18sp"
        android:padding="16dp" />

</LinearLayout>

Key Android Concepts

Activities & Fragments

  • Activity: Single screen with user interface
  • Fragment: Reusable UI component within activities
  • Lifecycle: onCreate, onStart, onResume, onPause, onStop, onDestroy
  • Intent: Message passing between components

UI Components

  • Views: TextView, Button, ImageView, EditText
  • Layouts: LinearLayout, RelativeLayout, ConstraintLayout
  • RecyclerView: Efficient list and grid displays
  • Material Design: Google's design system

Data Storage

  • SharedPreferences: Key-value storage
  • SQLite: Local database
  • Room: Database abstraction layer
  • Files: Internal and external storage

Networking & APIs

  • HTTP Clients: OkHttp, Volley
  • JSON Parsing: Gson, Jackson
  • REST APIs: Retrofit library
  • WebSockets: Real-time communication

Learning Resources

Popular Libraries

  • Retrofit: HTTP client
  • Glide: Image loading
  • Room: Database ORM
  • Dagger: Dependency injection

Architecture

  • MVVM: Model-View-ViewModel
  • MVP: Model-View-Presenter
  • Clean Architecture: Layered approach
  • Android Architecture Components

Project Ideas

Beginner Projects

  • • Simple Calculator App
  • • To-Do List with SQLite
  • • Weather App with API
  • • Note Taking App
  • • Quiz Application

Advanced Projects

  • • E-commerce Shopping App
  • • Social Media Platform
  • • Fitness Tracking App
  • • Real-time Chat Application
  • • Location-based Services App