Write a program for Android yourself in Russian. How to create your first mobile application

Dmitry Dementiy

Do you doubt whether it is worth investing in mobile application development? You can do it yourself and absolutely free. You may end up with a test version that can be used to conveniently evaluate the effectiveness of your mobile strategy. And if you try, you will do decent mobile application, which will become the main tool for online interaction with owners of smartphones and tablets.

Is it worth making your own mobile application?

Costs. If you don't take my word for it, here are some facts:

According to Flurry Analytics and comScore, owners of smartphones and tablets use the browser only 14% of the total time they work with the device. And they spend 86% of their time on different applications.
Installed application- your direct channel of communication with the consumer. Just think: you don’t need to spend money on advertising or wait for a person to find you using Yandex. It remains to support needed by the user functionality and provide it with relevant content.
The number of purchases made using tablets and smartphones is growing both on the Internet in general and in RuNet. According to marketing agency Criteo, already in 2016, more than half of online transactions in RuNet will be made using mobile devices.

If you want, the application is mobile browser, in which only your site opens. In what case would a user install such an Internet browser? Only if he is interested in your product or information. Therefore, remember: the client who installed the application is a loyal and ready-to-buy representative of the target audience.

In this case, is it worth taking the risk and offering DIY applications to loyal customers rather than custom programs made by professionals for Android and iOS? Let's figure it out.

When can you create an application yourself?

Do you remember what website visitors need? They come because of the content or functionality of the resource. People want to get information, buy something, look at and comment on friends' photos, and so on. Mobile app users need the same. They are looking for information or making some kind of transaction.

Do you remember when a business could make a website on its own? It’s right when you don’t yet have money to collaborate with professionals, but you still have the time and desire to figure out WordPress or Joomla. The same situation is with applications. Self-created programs for iOS and Android can be roughly compared to websites built on open source engines.

You don't have to register to start working. Click the Create Now button on home page or select the Create App menu in the upper right corner on any page of the service.

Select the appropriate application template. If we are talking about a content project, you may be interested in the following options:

Manual. This template allows you to create a guide program.
Blog. The application will help your blog audience read new notes from the screen of a smartphone or tablet.
Website. The template converts a website into an application.
Pages. With this template you can convert any content into an application with simple functionality.
News. The template allows you to create an application that is an aggregator of industry or regional news.
Page. The template converts offline content, such as an e-book, into the application.
VK Page and Facebook Page. Create an application that allows you to keep track of updates open groups on VKontakte and Facebook.
YouTube. Use the template to promote your YouTube channel.

How to Create a Blog App

Use the Blog template. In the appropriate field, enter the URL of your blog or RSS feed. Select a note title color.

Enter the name of the application.

Add a description.

Choose a standard one or add a custom icon. The appropriate image size is 512 by 512 pixels.

To create a download file, click the Create App button. After this, you need to register in the system. Confirm your registration and go to your personal account. Here you can install the application on your mobile device, publish it to Google Play and Amazon App Store. The system also offers a monetization option. If you use this feature, advertisements will be displayed in the application.

Check how the application works on your mobile device. On a tablet, the program should display a list of blog posts in title and announcement format.

IN personal account With AppsGeyser you can monitor the number of installations, create push notifications, publish the application in stores, monetize the program with advertising, and also edit the application.

Want more apps? Then create a guide app using the Manual template.

After editing the content, specify the name of the application, add a description and an icon. Click the Create App button. After creating the download file, install it on your mobile device and check its functionality.

Please note that most mobile devices By default, it blocks the installation of applications from unknown sources. If a user downloads a program from your site or an app builder site, they will see a security warning when they try to install it. Some clients will probably refuse to install the program.

8 constructors similar to AppsGeyser

If the universal AppsGeyser constructor is not suitable for you, pay attention to similar services:

AppsMakerStore. Using the service you can create applications different types: from programs for Ecommerce to solutions for content projects. The designer makes applications for iOS and Android. The service interface is Russified. For beginners, there is an informative guide to using the constructor. The service is paid.
Mobincube. A tool for creating and monetizing iOS and Android applications. The basic functionality of the service is available for free. The designer allows you to create applications of different types.
Good Barber. Using this service you can develop Android and iOS applications. The constructor is paid, the cost of use is 16 USD per month.

Most of the services offered have an English-language interface. If you are uncomfortable working with constructors in English, choose platforms with Russian-language content.

Application designers: a stone ax or a thin modern tool?

Don't go from one extreme to another. With the help of the proposed services, you can really create functional functional applications. The resulting programs can be used to solve various problems: from facilitating online trading to distributing content and educating the audience. Applications created in the designer can be published on Google Play and the App Store, edited, and monetized using advertising or paid installations.

Do not overestimate the services offered. Their obvious drawback remains their stereotyped nature. We are talking about both the design and functionality of the programs. In addition, access to platforms with decent functionality is paid. What is better: to pay the developers for their work once or to pay the owners of the designer for many years? Do the math for yourself.

And one more thing: if you don’t have time to create a mobile application yourself, contact our company. We develop mobile applications and .

Programming is one of those areas where everyone can feel like a creator. Usually it is understood as application development under personal computers, units of production equipment or just for electronic homemade products. But with the spread of touchscreen mobile devices, programming for Android, iOS or another system shell of a similar type is becoming more and more popular. Well, I must admit, this is a promising occupation. Therefore, within the framework of the article, we will consider running Android from scratch. What features are there? What language is used?

Creating programs

Before writing programs yourself, you need to study all the components necessary for this:

Language.
Select your development environment. We will also dwell on the language in detail, as well as on the software products where applications will be created. But first, let's talk a little about development environments. Conventionally, they can be divided into three components:

graphic;
ordinary;
online.

Regarding the creation of programs, it should be noted that now it is difficult to put forward an idea that has not already been worked out before. Therefore, if a problem arises or simply in the case of a lack of knowledge, it is necessary to correctly formulate the misunderstanding that has arisen and turn to more experienced programmers. They will be able to help you create programs with constructive advice.

What language are programs written in?

Java is used for these purposes. It should be noted that this is a rather complex programming language. But you don’t need to know it completely to create your own applications. Basic knowledge and skills of working with background information to get answers to your questions. In addition, there are certain presets, using which you can take some steps to create an application without significant problems. Then programming for Android becomes a pleasure.

Choosing a regular development environment

Eclipse and the Android SDK are seen as the biggest players. They are both free. In general, it should be noted that these development environments are serious competitors, and each of them has a number of strengths and weaknesses. Each of them is worth studying. Separately, let us just dwell a little on one aspect of the Android SDK - the emulator. It is a program that pretends to be a phone or tablet that runs on Android. The emulator runs smoothly on regular computer and on the desktop it looks like a standard mobile device. There is only one peculiarity - it is controlled using the mouse and keyboard, and not with your finger. In the emulator you can check the functionality of the application under various screen extensions, as well as on different versions mobile operating system"Android". Therefore, no matter how strange it may sound to you, when developing applications aimed at Android, it is not at all necessary to have a phone.

What do you need to develop your application?

Graphical development environments

This option is suitable for those who have no idea about programming at all, but want to get their application here and now. First, you should familiarize yourself with the description and capabilities of graphical development environments. Thus, some can place only the simplest elements and attach minimal functionality to them. It is better not to use such resources, since with their help it will be difficult to understand the logic of work and create a developed final product. It is advisable to make a selection according to the following parameters:

Availability of an intuitive interface.
Using clear operating logic.
Ability to create elements in graphical and code modes.
Availability of documentation for working with the development environment and a support forum.

Online development environment

They can provide quite a wide range of functionality in a simple access point - the Internet. “Online development environment” probably says it all. Although it should be clarified that under Android it is still not an easy task. So, the most difficult will be to implement shooters and applications of similar complexity. But the programs with text design and data transfer is easy.

Conclusion

We hope there are no more questions about the first steps of preparing to create your own programs. If you decide to get serious about programming, then you can use special literature. For example, the book “Programming for Android” by Hardy Brian. Of course, this is not the only good work, but you have to start somewhere. By reading this manual, you can begin the path to success.

Great. But where to start? What language should I learn? From what sources? And where to apply the acquired basic skills? Our article will help you get answers to these questions.

Each language and framework has its own complexities and nuances, advantages and disadvantages. Let's look at the main languages for writing Android applications.

Java

Official language programming environment supported Android development Studio. According to the annual Stackoverflow survey, in 2018 Java was among the top five most popular programming languages.

The first step to mastering Java is to install Android Studio. This is a type of software called IDE - Integrated Development Environment, or built-in development environment. Android Studio comes with Android SDK - a set of tools for Android development and everything you need for a reliable start.

Most of Google's official documentation refers to Java, and it's not difficult to find paid and free libraries and tutorials - there are a great many of them.

The main reasons to use PhoneGap for application development at Live Typing were:

reducing the time and cost of developing an application for several platforms at once (an application for obtaining a subscription to city sports institutions);
the ability to use the client’s existing website and its fragments (application for payment for services and online purchases).

Conclusion

In general, applications for Android can be created in almost any popular language - there are frameworks and utilities for everything. However, if you want to become a professional Android developer, use all the capabilities of the operating system and have access to the latest Android features, then Java or Kotlin will be your faithful companions. Even if these languages are unfamiliar to you and seem complicated, they are worth learning to write rich, beautiful, and functional applications for the Android operating system.

And you need to start getting acquainted with the theoretical side of Android development from our article, in which we collected.

How does the Android development process work? Let's highlight a few basics:

In Java files, you describe program logic—what you want your application to do.
In XML files you develop layouts - the appearance.
Once the application is written, you need to use a build tool to compile all the files and package them together into an .apk file that can be run on Android devices and/or publish on Google Play.
All utilities and files that are used to create an Android application are combined into an integrated development environment (IDE). An IDE is a program that you will open to edit your code files and compile and run them.
Previously, the standard IDE for Android development was Eclipse, but it has now been replaced by the more functional Android Studio, a Google product.

You will, of course, find deeper processes going on behind the scenes of the above steps. For example, advanced users will want to know the role virtual machine Dalvik. At the end of the article there will be links to useful resources that every Android developer should be familiar with. The first one is the official documentation from Google.

Let's download and install Android Studio.
Let's learn about launching and testing applications on Android devices and emulators.
Let's create a simple Android application that displays "Hello World" on the screen of a mobile device.

At the end of the article, you can read useful recommendations from the company for novice developers.

Installing the Android Studio development environment

It's really tempting to start reading documentation and writing code to find out what the platform is capable of. And we will do it soon! However, to get started with Android platform you need to set up your development environment.

For those new to Android programming, it is especially important to take your time and methodically follow each step. Even if you follow the steps correctly, you may need to troubleshoot a small environment setup issue depending on your system configuration or product version. To do this, use search services. One can especially highlight the resource StackOverflow.

It's important not to let any pitfalls get in the way of your ultimate goal of learning Android programming. It is known that even professionals sometimes experience certain problems with setting up their working environment. In such cases, it is important to know command line. If you'd like to become more familiar with this tool, there's a link to a good introductory one below.

Along with training in syntax, it is important to train yourself to have the mindset of a successful programmer that will not accept the file X error message not found the final verdict. This kind of thinking is easily trained by you in cases where you do not give up and look for a solution to the problem that has arisen.

Go to Android page Studio developer.android.com/studio/index.html and find the download button latest version for your platform.

Click on the download button and you will be asked to read the terms and conditions of use software product. After carefully reading (as you always do) and accepting, the download begins. This will probably take a few minutes. After this, you can install Android Studio just like any other program. The initial download page contains installation instructions for Mac and Windows.

Now that you have Android Studio installed, let's launch it! Launch Android Studio. The program will ask if you want to import your settings. Since you're starting from scratch, just select the second option and continue.

You should see a beautiful loading screen in Material Design style.

Once the download is complete, you will be taken to a welcome screen.

Even if you just downloaded Android Studio, you may not have the latest version. To avoid problems with versions in the future, click the "Check for updates now" button and, if necessary, follow all instructions to obtain the latest version. Sometimes Studio will automatically inform you that there is an update with a screen like this:

In this case, always select Update and Restart. Great! We have successfully completed the installation of the development environment.

Creating the first Android project

It's time to create the first project. Let's start with something simple. Programmers usually call the first program “Hello World”. Let's follow this tradition and then make a few small changes to make the app use your name as a greeting. At the end, you can download it to your device and show it to your friends. Android Studio has a small step-by-step tool that will help you create your project. Click "New Project" on the start screen:

Fill it out like this. Feel free to replace "example" in the package name with something else to remove the warning at the bottom of the screen. You can also set the project location by pointing to any folder on your hard drive

For drop-down SDK versions, note the Description section at the bottom of the dialog box. It explains what each setting does.

Install the minimum required SDK as shown in the screenshot. This sets the minimum version of Android required to run the application. Choosing this value for your own projects is a matter of balancing the SDK capabilities you want with the devices that will be supported.

To receive additional information about API versions and their use, there is a special Dashboards page on the website for Android developers https://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html.

After selecting the version, the starting template selection screen opens. You can create an application that already interacts with the api google maps and displays the map. In our test example, select the Empty Activity and click the “Next” button.

And now you are at the last step of the application creation process. Before you click Finish, there are a few things to note. This is the first time you come across references to the main architectural components of any application.

- this is the first, but not the last mention of the word Activity. In the Android context, an Activity is usually thought of as a "screen" in your application. This element is very flexible. When Android Studio creates the MainActivity class, it inherits it from the Activity class in the Android SDK. Those familiar with object-oriented programming will understand this concept, but for beginners, this basically means that your MainActivity will be a customized version of the Activity.

Layout Name— the layout of what will be shown to the user is defined in a special form of Android XML. You will soon learn how to read and edit these files.

Click Finish. It will take some time to create and download the project. After a while Android time Studio will complete the build of your project. Of course, the project is still empty, but it has everything you need to run on an Android device or emulator.

After loading the project, you view the layout file in XML format. Before we move on to Android programming, let's talk about how we can run this application. It's time to say "Hello world!"

Running an application on an emulator

Now it's time to say a few words about the emulator. Android Studio comes with software that can emulate an Android device to run apps, browse websites, debug, and everything else on it.

This feature is provided by Android Virtual Device (AVD) Manager. If you wish, you can set up multiple emulators, set the screen size and platform version for each new emulator. This functionality is very useful because it saves developers from having to buy multiple devices to test programs.

Click on the Run button in the form of a green arrow.

You'll have to wait a while for the emulator to load and once it's ready, you'll see something like this:

Congratulations! You've made your first Android app!

And so... Why and how did it work?

To start making changes and adding interesting features, you need to gain a working knowledge of what's going on behind the scenes. Take a look at the Android Studio project section with files and folders on the left side of the screen. You may need to click the small tab on the edge (see below) if the project explorer is not currently visible.

Browse your folder structure for a few minutes and double-click on files to see their contents in the main window. If this all looks mysterious, don't worry!

Android project structure: Team

Each good team consists of people who perform their assigned roles. Do you want to get the job done right? You need the right team. Android projects have several key elements, and each of them has a specific role to play:

Java: Professional

This is the part of your code that is responsible for the application logic. Your code will be located in the src\main\java directory in the main project folder. To learn Java, I recommend Bruce Eckel's book "The Philosophy of Java";

Resources: Artist

It's not enough to just do it Android application, it should also be stylish. Your app will never stand out if it doesn't have clear icons and images, well-designed layouts, and maybe even smooth animations.

When initialized, the folder contains the following folders:

drawable, which stores icons. Now there is only standard icon applications.
layout with XML files, which are screen designs.
menu with XML files of lists of elements that will be displayed in the action panel.
values with XML files containing sizes, colors, string constants and styles.

AndroidManifest.xml: Boss

This XML file informs your system of hardware requirements and software application and contains its version name and icon. The manifest also contains information about all Activities in the application. Do you need the work done by your application? Talk to your boss first.

Making changes

Navigate to res/values/strings.xml and double-click the file. When you open the file, you will see two string resources in XML.

These resources are used in different places, but it is very convenient to have all the text used in your application in one file. If you need to translate it, or if your fellow marketer asks you to remove all the unnecessary links, it's easy to make all the changes here.

Change the hello_world string that the application displays on the screen. Change the content to something more personal, such as using your own name. You'll get something like:

Matt is learning Android!

Click Run. The application should restart and you will see a personalized message:

We congratulate you - you have completed your first project and learned how to edit the source code. The first step in Android programming has been taken. We wish you good luck on this difficult but incredibly interesting path! If you need professional Android application development, contact Infoshell specialists.

From the author: Hi all! Today we will talk about how to become a mobile application developer for Apple and Android. Number of applications on services such as Apple Store and Google Play is growing every day. These applications can perform a variety of functions. Some of them allow you to process photos using fashionable retro filters and all kinds of effects. Others help you learn foreign languages, while others help you download and read e-books. You can even install a metal detector or building level. In general, applications ready to make our lives easier are now in abundance.

Some of them are free to download, some are not, either way. free apps will contain advertising and paid content. But at the moment we are interested in a slightly different aspect. The fact is that you can make money by developing mobile applications, and quite well.

Where to start learning how to develop applications for mobile devices?

Becoming a mobile app developer is much easier if you already have an understanding of programming. Then you can safely skip this section. But, as you know, repetition is the school of the artist, and in our case, the programmer. In addition, it is possible that you will have to do some of the work related to graphic design.

If you have no idea about programming, it’s okay, because you can always learn. Moreover, the Internet contains a lot dedicated to the study of programming.

For those who want to delve into the field of web programming in general and want to “get to the bottom of everything”; For those who are interested in programming not only as a craft, but also as an art, we can advise you to study , CSS, and maybe even jQuery, if you want to truly test yourself and your inquisitive mind =)

Is a diploma really necessary?

There is a stereotype that the best programmers are those who graduated from programming schools and have certificates and diplomas that supposedly confirm their skills. But this is sometimes far from the truth.

Both among professional programmers and among self-taught people, there are people who really find themselves in the right place and who have a penchant for programming. But there are also those who simply consider themselves masters of their craft, although, in reality, web design or something else more related to creativity would be more suitable for them.

And, oddly enough, this picture is observed more often among certified specialists than among those who studied programming on their own. This is explained by the fact that those who really want to master this profession actually study and constantly apply knowledge in practice, and do not just attend classes and wait in line for a diploma.

What does a mobile application developer need to know?

Using modern programming languages that are used to develop mobile applications for Android or iOS, it is quite possible to create your first creation within a month.

Just imagine: in just a month you will become a mobile application developer. Training to become a programmer, of course, is far from being limited to this. Yes, you will be able to develop some simple games and even make a profit from them after monetization.

Go to Google Play or the App Store: most of these applications are there, especially among games. According to statistics, nine out of ten such applications. This is what the average mobile application developer does. But where to start your training if you don’t want to stop there?

In order not to be that average developer and create something truly original, you need a high-quality foundation. Experienced programmers recommend starting your studies with computer science, data structures, classical algorithms, hash table devices, and so on.

It is necessary to understand the basic concepts that are used in programming, regardless of the language and device. Here it will be useful to know the basics of C++, despite the fact that many already consider it outdated. Perhaps so, but these are the basics, without which Java and PHP would not have arisen. It will be useful to learn about data protection, encryption, network protocols and about the Unix kernel.

So far we have only talked about the technical part of the issue, but this will not be enough for success. Truly high-quality software is not only a program that works without errors. High-quality software implies a well-thought-out interface that would be understandable to the user (and not just the developer), the logic of the program, taking into account all possible options developments of events. Paying attention to details and finding interesting, non-standard solutions is the responsibility of every developer.

Feel like a trend maker

No matter how strange it may seem at first glance, a mobile application developer should not only be a good programmer, but also an astute marketer.

It is important to understand what is currently in demand among users, and then hurry to occupy the niche that has not yet been occupied by your competitors. You don't have to chase what's popular now or what was once popular.

Of course, the new is the well-forgotten old, but successful programmers do not adapt to modern trends. They themselves take responsibility for creating these very trends.

In addition, one should not forget to study English language, after all program codes are written on it. By writing these codes, you can only learn technical English, but to communicate with English-speaking customers, you will have to deepen your knowledge. In addition, this will be a useful practice not only for application development.

Only if you harmoniously develop the skills of a programmer, designer and marketer can you achieve success in the field of mobile application development.

In conclusion

When you acquire the necessary knowledge, you can safely offer your services to customers, who can be found in abundance on freelance exchanges. You shouldn’t expect success to fall on you immediately after registering and filling out a portfolio with your work.

At first you will have to carry out small and simple orders, but if you do not stop there, over time you will be able to develop truly impressive projects for customers not only in your country, but throughout the world.

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Write a program for Android yourself in Russian. How to create your first mobile application

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