Users are drawn to apps because of the amazing features that come with them. Apps make phones “smart,” and their benefits have had a significant impact on how we function today.

Expert programmers are getting to work on their own apps, creating and building them from the ground up and incorporating useful features. In this article, we’ll go through the top five Android app development concepts you should know before starting to code an Android app:

1. Master the language
2. Familiarity with the right application development tools and environment
3. Knowledge of the application components
4. Awareness over fragmentations, android applications, threads, loaders, and tasks
5. Choosing the right tools.

 

 Master the Language

The two most common programming languages used in Android app development are Java and XML. As a result, knowledge and expertise of these programming languages are required to create an Android app. The following are some of the principles of the Java programming language:

1. Packages

2. Classes and objects

3. Interfaces and inheritance

4. Strings and numbers, as well as generics

5. Collections

6. Continuity

Understanding Java and XML can assist you in creating a more robust and elegant Android app.

 

 

 Familiarity with the Right Application Development Tools and Environment

If you’re new to Android app development, familiarizing yourself with the build automation tools and the integrated development environment is critical before you start working on your app.

For the tools, you can use the Android app studio IDE or Eclipse; these will assist you in learning the basics as well as many other things that will help you better your code. You can study Apache Maven, Apache Ant, and Apache Gradle because they are strong tools for managing your builds.

It is also critical that you become acquainted with source control principles and technologies. Create a git-source repository after learning git (by creating an account on Bitbucket or GitHub). The Git Pocket Guide can help you learn the fundamental principles and words that govern how the platform works.

 

 

Knowledge of the Application Components

The fundamental building blocks of Android app development are application components. Each component represents a distinct entry point for the system into your programme. Although each one exists independently and has a specific purpose, some of them are interdependent, and not all of them are true entrance points.

There are five basic sorts of app components, each with its own purpose and life cycle that governs how they are created and destroyed. They are as follows:

Activities:

A single screen with a user interface is represented by this component (for instance, an email app may have one activity showing a list of new emails, another activity composing emails, and another one reading emails). The app’s activities work together to create a unified user experience. Each of them, though, is self-contained.

 

Services:

This is a background component that performs tasks for remote processes or long-running procedures. It doesn’t have a graphical user interface (for instance it might play music in the background while the user is in a different app).

 

Content providers:

This component is in charge of a shared set of app data. Data stored in the file system, on the web, or in an SQLite database can be queried and even updated using this component (as long as the content provider allows it). This component can also be used to write and read data that isn’t shared and is only accessible by your app.

 

Broadcast receivers:

This component is responsible for responding to system-wide broadcast announcements. The system generates the majority of the broadcast receivers, and while they don’t have a user interface, they can provide a status bar notice that alerts the user when a broadcast event occurs. In general, it serves as a link to the other components and performs only minor tasks.

 

Activating components:

The intent is a synchronous communication that activates three of the four components (i.e. services, activities, and broadcast receivers). Individual components, whether they belong to your app or not, are also bound to one another via intents at runtime.

 

 

Awareness over Fragmentations, Android Application, Threads, Loaders, and Tasks

With so many distinct devices and operating system versions, Android is a fragmented market. It’s important to keep in mind that if your gadget supports more devices and/or versions, it’ll necessitate additional maintenance and testing, as well as the associated expenditures. The opposite is also true.

You’ll also need the right fonts, graphics, and layouts to ensure that the greatest possible experiences are delivered across a variety of screen sizes. You should also think about the many sensors and UI features that Android supports. There is an application class, one or more activities, and one or more fragments in every Android app.

You may have services for background tasks that should run continuously in some cases, but not in others. Always guarantee that the thread is not blocked if you want to give a fantastic and smooth user interface.

As a result, large operations (computations, I/O, network, and so on) should all be executed in the background asynchronously (mainly on a different thread of execution). This is why it’s critical to understand Java’s concurrency features.

 

 

 Making the Right Choice over Needed Tools

A Mac or Windows PC, any form of Linux, and Eclipse, the ADT Plugin, and the Android SDK—all of which are free—are all you need to develop an Android app. You may learn how to set up your development environment by reading the installation guide on Google; it has all of the necessary documents.

When building an Android app, you should take into account a few specific parameters. Among them are the following:

Performance and responsiveness:

Otherwise, the operating system will ANR you if you don’t respond to user input within five seconds. (If your ANR application isn’t responding, you’ll have no choice but to force close it.)

Lags of more than 100ms will be noticed by the users:

As mentioned above, the UI thread should never be blocked because it is only one.

Limited resources:

Wake-locks (the mechanism that forces the device to accomplish something despite the battery manager’s advice to put it to sleep) should be used sparingly. Polling hardware (e.g., GPS or accelerometer) unnecessarily will quickly deplete the battery.

 

These were some tips for you to be a better app developer. Doing courses focused on your career is a great way to boost your knowledge and if you are into app development you may want to check out our courses on Nullclass.com. We have a lot of courses focused on Android app development but not like normal courses we help you create your own app yourself using a real-time environment.

Have a nice day.