5 things to know before building your first Android App

I recently came across PraneethVT’s Reddit post about how he built his first Android mobile app – a GPA calculator.

Here’s a little bit about PraneethVT

• He is a computer engineering college major
• So, in total, he has had about six months of actual programming classes
• Two of the introductory CS courses he has under his belt teach Java
• During his summer break, he decided to put some of his CS skills into practice and build an Android app

If you are newbie and willing to build your first Android app then, you should start from the basics of Java and keep going up to Android so on. HIGHLY recommend ditching the YouTube tutorials in favor of a book or a lecture series.

Skill/language needed to build an Android app?

 

Building an Android app comes down to two major skills/languages: Java and Android. Java is the language used in Android, but the Android part encompasses learning XML for the design of the app, learning the concepts of Android, and using the concepts programmatically with Java.

Once you learn Java and XML (XML is really easy to get used to, and you should learn the language as you program your app rather than learning it beforehand like you would with Java), you need to learn how to connect these two using Android principles.

5 things to know before building your first Android App:

1. You need to learn Java, there is no way around it
2. Android part encompasses learning XML for the app design, understanding concepts of Android and using said concepts programmatically with Java
3. Beginners should probably use an IDE (PraneethVT preferred Android Studio over Eclipse)
4. Building your first app is time consuming: it won’t happen overnight. This is not a project for those looking for a fast result
5. When stuck on problem (which will inevitably happen), turn to Stack Overflow. If no luck there, look to the Android Subreddit where there is a helpful community

For more Android and Java resources, look to PraneethVT’s original Reddit post and my previous post Best resources to start learning Android Programming. So before building your first Android app kept in mind this basic points Good Luck.

Via: LearntoCode