Android App Development

Description

Using innovative, engaging methods, Android App Development cultivates student knowledge of app development through a progressive, building block approach. Each chapter includes a classroom-friendly, meaningful app that illustrates the concepts covered at the chapter level. Model View Controller architecture is used throughout the book to promote good software engineering practice. Students will be engaged by essential as well as specialized topics such as XML resources, event-driven programming, animation, sounds, making a game, voice recognition, and more.

Key Features

• Android Studio, the official development environment by Google, is used to develop all applications
• The Model View Controller architecture is used throughout the book, allowing the instructor to download the Model and concentrate on the View and Controller elements of the app
• Students learn how to make device-independent apps using a progressive approach, incorporating fun topics such as animation, sounds, photo editing, using the GPS, displaying a map, and advertising
• Software Engineering and Common Error boxes highlight software engineering tips and common errors throughout each chapter
• Chapters are written independently of others so that instructors can select topics and customize the book to their course
• Each chapter concludes with exercises for student practice, including Multiple Choice, Fill In the Code, and Write an App exercises

Table of Contents

1. Chapter 1 Basics of Android: Hello World
2. Chapter 2 Model View Controller, GUI Components, Events
3. Chapter 3 Coding the GUI Programmatically, Layout Managers
4. Chapter 4 Multiple Activities, Passing Data between Activities, Transitions, Persistent Data
5. Chapter 5 Menus, SQLite
6. Chapter 6 Managing the Device Orientation
7. Chapter 7 Touches and Swipes
8. Chapter 8 Graphics, Animations, Sounds and Gaming
9. Chapter 9 Fragments
10. Chapter 10 Using Libraries and their APIs: Speech Recognition and Maps
11. Chapter 11 Using the GPS and Location Services
12. Chapter 12 Using an Existing app: Taking a Photo and Sending an Email
13. Chapter 13 XML and Content Apps
14. Chapter 14 Making an Android Widget
15. Chapter 15 In App Advertising
16. Chapter 16 Security and Encryption
17. Appendix A: Retrieving the Height of the Status Bar and the Action Bar Dynamically
18. Appendix B: Setting the Font Size of a TextView Dynamically
19. Appendix C: How to Download and Install Google Services, Use Maps
20. Appendix D: The AsyncTask Class

Author Biography

Hervé J. Franceschi – University of Maryland, College Park

Hervé Franceschi has a mathematics and computer science background with extensive teaching experience. He likes to assign exercises and problems from a variety of angles, as well as an occasional group project where students can develop communication skills in addition to working on more complex projects. In addition to his teaching duties, Mr. Franceschi has developed a full set of browser-enabled, user interactive, shockwave movies for the CS1 curriculum and part of the CS2 curriculum. He holds an MS in Engineering Management from Stanford University and an MS in Computer Science from University of Maryland Baltimore County.