Vasanth Demo Blog: Setting Up Android Environment.

Setting Up Android Environment.

1. Install Java Development Kit (JDK).

Download Java Development Kit (JDK) from Oracle Java website and install it in your machine.

What is JDK.

Java Developer Kit contains tools needed to develop the Java programs, and JRE to run the programs. The tools include compiler (javac.exe), Java application launcher (java.exe), Appletviewer, etc…

Compiler converts java code into byte code. Java application launcher opens a JRE, loads the class, and invokes its main method.

You need JDK, if at all you want to write your own programs, and to compile them. For running java programs, JRE is sufficient.

What is JRE.

JRE = JVM + Java Packages Classes(like util, math, lang, awt,swing etc)+runtime libraries.

Java Runtime Environment contains JVM, class libraries, and other supporting files. It does not contain any development tools such as compiler, debugger, etc. Actually JVM runs the program, and it uses the class libraries, and other supporting files provided in JRE. If you want to run any java program, you need to have JRE installed in the system.

What is JVM.

As we all aware when we compile a Java file, output is not an "exe" but it’s a ".class" file. ".class" file consists of Java byte codes which are understandable by JVM. Java Virtual Machine interprets the byte code into the machine code depending upon the underlying operating system and hardware combination. It is responsible for all the things like garbage collection, array bounds checking, etc… JVM is platform dependent.

2. Setting up Android SDK.

We require three thing for Android Development.

Android SDK.
Eclipse IDE.
ADT (Android Development Tool).

Android SDK.

The Android SDK provides you the API libraries and developer tools necessary to build, test, and debug apps for Android.

Eclipse IDE.

IDE standards for Integrated Development Environment. It's tool helps for developing application. IDE's are designed to maximize programmer productivity and helps the developer to write less number of code.

Android Development Tool (ADT).

ADT (Android Developer Tools) is a plugin for Eclipse that provides a suite of tools that are integrated with the Eclipse IDE. It offers you access to many features that help you develop Android applications quickly.

2.1. Download SDK with ADT Bundle (If you don't have a Eclipse IDE).

If you're a new Android developer, we recommend you download the ADT Bundle to quickly start developing apps. It includes the essential Android SDK components and a version of the Eclipse IDE with built-in ADT (Android Developer Tools) to streamline your Android app development.

Get SDK and ADT Bundle from https://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html

With a single download, the ADT Bundle includes everything you need to begin developing apps:

Eclipse + ADT Plugin.
Android SDK Tools
Android Platform-tools.
The latest Android Platform.
The latest Android System image for the emulator.

With the single download we got Eclipse with ADT and Android SDK. We can double click on Eclipse and start developing application.

2.2. Setting Up Android SDK with Existing Eclipse IDE.

If you already have an IDE you want to use for Android app development, setting up a new SDK requires that you download the SDK Tools, then select additional Android SDK packages to install (such as the Android platform and system image). If you'll be using an existing version of Eclipse, then you can add the ADT plugin to it.

Download SDK.

Download SDK from https://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html

Once Download has been completed, In the Android SDK folder we will have SDK Manager.exe run this executable file. We will get Android SDK Manager Window choose required Platforms and Tools that we need to install and click install.

Configure ADT to your Eclipse IDE.

In this step we are going to integrate Android SDK with Eclipse IDE, using the ADT (Android Development Tools) plugin.

Open Eclipse and select Help -> Install New Software.
Click ADD to add Android ADT Repository.
In Add Repository window give Name as "Android Sdk"(you can give any name you want).
And Give Location as "https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse/".

Select Developer Tools and Install it. Once it is complete then Android ADT Plugin has been configured to our eclipse.

Integrate Android SDK with Eclipse IDE using ADT.

After installing the ADT plugin, you have to define the location of the Android SDK in Android preferences in Eclipse:

Select Window -> Preferences… to open the Preferences panel.
Select Android from the left panel.
For the SDK Location in the main panel, click Browse… and locate your downloaded SDK directory.
Click Apply, then OK.