Building Your First App

Welcome to Android application development!

This class teaches you how to build your first Android app. You’ll learn how to create an Android project and run a debuggable version of the app. You'll also learn some fundamentals of Android app design, including how to build a simple user interface and handle user input.

Before you start this class, be sure that you have your development environment set up. You need to:

1. Download the Android SDK Starter Package.
2. Install the ADT plugin for Eclipse (if you’ll use the Eclipse IDE).
3. Download the latest SDK tools and platforms using the SDK Manager.

If you haven't already done this setup, read Installing the SDK. Once you've finished the setup, you're ready to begin this class.

This class uses a tutorial format that incrementally builds a small Android app in order to teach you some fundamental concepts about Android development, so it's important that you follow each step.

Start the first lesson ›

Lessons

Creating an Android Project

Shows how to create a project for an Android app, which includes a set of default app files.

Running Your Application

Shows how to run your app on an Android-powered device or the Android emulator.

Building a Simple User Interface

Shows how to create a new user interface using an XML file.

Starting Another Activity

Shows how to respond to a button press, start another activity, send it some data, then receive the data in the subsequent activity.