How do I turn an APK into code on android Studio? - android

I've made many apps using a drag and drop program which just compiles the apk for you. I'm getting into programming my own apps so I want to know if it's possible to import one of my apk files into android studio so I can edit the source code myself.
Thanks

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Why don't we have a single file to open an Android Studio Project?

Why don't we have a file similar to the .xcodeproj (for XCode applications) or an .xds (for Sencha Architect Projects) for our Android Studio Project?
I'm pretty sure a good number of you here have experienced the frustration of trying to import a project you see online in order to piece it apart better and learn how it works. I get that we are supposed to Import Android Projects built using Eclipse and Open Android Projects built using Android Studio.
However, why is it that we have to go through File -> Open -> then pick out the directory of the Android Studio app that we want to open? And the thing is, Android Studio doesn't seem to know it's an Android Studio project until it tries to open and build it. In the screenshot I have below, I have the sample Android Studio projects of ARToolKit, but I've only imported two of them.
As you can see, only those I've imported "can be seen as an Android Studio Project" as indicated that they have the Android Studio logo instead of a Folder.
This can be an issue for those just starting to develop in Android Studio on their own and they try and use existing projects (build from Eclipse or Android Studio) and they hit a snag with just trying to import the projects for reference. They might not know that they should import the folder and not the projectname/src subfolder. It adds to the "steep learning curve" that Android Development has if opening/importing projects aren't streamlined to a degree.
To sum up, my question is:
Why don't we have a single file that we can open that would in turn open Android Studio and import and build the project if it isn't built yet?
Android is not iOS. iOS development is only possible in xcode, hence it makes sense they added a shortcut to open it in xcode directly with a .xcodeproj file. Make life easier for iOS developers.
Android development however can be done outside of android studio as well. Eclipse is just one example, there may be other IDE's that support this. This is possible because android has standalone SDKs and tools that third party applications can use. iOS does not.
Imagine you are working on an android project in android studio. Then your boss tells you someone from 3000km away is going to help you. This guy may be using android studio, but maybe he isn't. When there are multiple options that developers can choose from individually, you do not want to pollute version control with files that you are using, but others may not care about. Each their environment.
This is merely a logical conclusion that you can come to by comparing. The "real" reason why this was done can only be answered by the people that created (adapted intellij) android studio.
This has been very frustrating to me too.
I try to give you a "beta" answer, waiting somebody to confirm it to me.
An Android project is just the composition of many parts that in some cases are concurrent to create the apk file.
It's just like what happens for the whole java projects: you have the main/src/java, the main/src/test, the maver or gradle files, the gradle or maven wrapper, the manifest, the configuration etc.
So you won't have a single project, but a series of folders that can contain many "flavours" or "versions" of the product itself.
The only help it is given to us is the Android studio icon that appears if a folder contains an android project in its subfolders.
I don't know if I have really answered to you, I just have given you my impressions and my thought.

Load AOSP Application to Android Studio

I found a few questions asking how to get the source code from the AOSP running in Android Studio. However, I could not find any explanation on how to import only a single application of the AOSP.
I am trying to do it for the Dialer application which can be found here. However, I had only minor success, I was able to import the code as a project, but didn't manage to set up dependencies and required libraries and all that.
Can anybody tell me if it is possible, and if so, how this is done?
UPDATE:
It seems impossible to achieve this with the code that i found and which was part of the full android distribution of google. But google decided to distribute the Dialer application just like any other application via the playStore. So there should be a possibility to find this code, IF it is also running under the open source project.
You can only open the whole AOSP inside Android Studio.
After you finish building the source do make idegen && development/tools/idegen/idegen.sh inside your root folder and then open the new android.ipr in your root via Android Studio.
AOSP code you are looking is not Android Studio compatible, It's an Eclipse project.

Can I retrieve android files from my debug phone?

So my laptop has seriously crashed & i REALLY need my android working files (not backed up)
Is there any way I can get the app from my debug phone into android studio (in another laptop) & have them as working android files - pleaseee help!!
If it's your own application and you own copyrights, you can use some tools for decompiling Android apk. Quick google gave me this.
or you can have a look at Is there a way to get the source code from an APK file?

Retrieving an app build from android device

I was working on a game using eclipse and cocos2d-x and through some freak accident I lost all of my data. However, the build of the app is still saved on my nexus tablet from when I would test my app. Is there any possible way for me to salvage the work I've done from what's left on my tablet?
You need to decompile the classes.Here is a tutorial :
http://pof.eslack.org/2011/02/18/from-apk-to-readable-java-source-code-in-3-easy-steps/
And another tutorial with an eclipse plugin:
http://www.mkyong.com/java/java-decompiler-plugin-for-eclipse/
And an older post here in s.o. :
How to decompile an APK or DEX file on Android platform?

Creating a new Android Library in Android Studio

I've been searching the web for half a day now but I just can't figure out how to create a new Android Library with Android Studio.
I've tried doing things like this: How to create a library project in Android Studio and an application project that uses the library project
But when I enter the New Module menu it just says "Nothing to show".
I can't find out why or how to fix it.
Is there a way to manually add a library? If so, how?
I'm trying to add an import method to my app so users can import a preferably rar file or just a folder to be used in the app.
TL;DR: How can I add the option Android Library to my New Module menu inside Android Library?
EDIT: To clarify things; I've made a web app in which u can create your own click/touch-able interface. The projects u make with that app can be exported to a rar file which is basicly a webpage with html, css and javascript that runs the project. I can run that webpage in my android app just fine but I need other users to be able to import the files somehow. So I was thinking about using a file manager so users can import the files into the app. I'm working with this one a.t.m. https://code.google.com/p/afiledialog/ but it needs to be a library.
Updated my Android Studio today and guess what, it's fixed!
So anyone who has this problem just update asap. Tried this on Mac and Windows and it now works on both.
PS: I'm on version 0.2.6 now (version of august 24). Guess I was one day too early with the question :P

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