I am very good with AppInventor to build Android apps. I have good knowledge of C++ and little knowledge of Java and GUI building in Java. Suggest me how should I shift from App Inventor to Eclipse to build Android apps? Which path should I follow? Is building in Eclipse similar to building in AppInventor like defining different components and then handling their events? Or is it much more than that? Please guide me.
There is also the AppInventor to Java Bridge project at java.appinventor.org, details see below
About:
The AppInventor to Java Bridge project is an addition to
AppInventor that creates a Java written version of the application
from an existing application created through AppInventor. After
creating an application through AppInventor,the user can download a
version of the application that is written in Java, which uses the
JavaBridge* library .
What Our Application Can Do:
Create an Android project in JavaBridge using AppInventor
Applications that use texting, internet and/or sound are supported
Limitations:
- Location aware applications not yet supported
- Nested lists are not yet supported, and will produce incorrect code
UPDATE: the newest version of that tool can be found here: java.appinventor.org
Definitely you should check out the "ALTERNATE Java Bridge". The regular one, built originally by the app inventor team has long since been abandoned. Another programmer picked up the torch and has steadily been using, and improving the bridge for some time. I have been using it myself for 2 years and it is fantastic.
The google project is at: https://code.google.com/p/alternate-java-bridge-library/
and the google discussion group is at : http://groups.google.com/group/alternate-java-bridge-library-discussion
I would just go to the google project site above and ready the tutorial. It is very easy to get started, and he is really good about answering questions for newbies (and i can assist with that as well).
You could take a look at the App Inventor Java Bridge. Check out the link for lots of information, also see here...
The Google App Inventor Java Bridge The App Inventor Java Bridge helps
make a transition from developing Android applications with App
Inventor for Android, to developing with Java and the Android SDK. It
lets you incorporate App Inventor components into apps that you create
in Java with the standard Android SDK tools. If you’ve been using App
Inventor and know some Java, then the Java Bridge is a good way to get
started with the SDK, because building with App Inventor components
hides many of the complexities of the Android framework. As you gain
experience, you can switch over to regular SDK development and create
apps that harness the full power of Android.
Here another link:
http://code.google.com/p/apptomarket/ and you also find videos about the Java Bridge on Youtube, for example this one
Related
I'm student and and my favorite language is C#.
However i must create my first application for android and I have just found something about Xamarin. Does it make sense to use that instead of Java? Beacouse Java really doesn't match me.
It's a academic project, but also I'd like to deploy that to Google Play Store.
In the Xamarin shop I found that I can develop my application on the free version, but propable i need Xamarin.Forms and buy INDIE license, isn't it?
Adam, I will greatly encourage you to write your first app in native Android. Xamarin is an amazing tool set and you should keep tuned in to Xamarin but be rest assured that Xamarin or any other non native development tool is not for the beginners nor the faint of heart.
The reason I encourage you to get started with native Android is because of Documentation, Examples and Getting Unstuck. When you run into problem with native Android, either Google already have a sample project that addresses that issue with code example, or it has already been asked, debated and answered in StackOverflow.
One thing that will help you though is the complexity of your first project, if you choose a complex app you may never ship it. If you choose a moderate app, then the issue of having to know Java is essentially a mute point because the framework provides most of the plumbing code you need to accomplish most basic use cases. The remaining Java you will pick up as needed.
Goodluck
It dosnt matter if your develop with Xamarin or native Java. You will always have to know about the Android Framework.
Futher you don't need to use Xamarin.Forms, you could also write the UI Part platform specific.
The need for Xamarin.Form is that you code your UI once and be able to deploy them to iOS, Android and WindowsPhone devices.
I have one simple question, that is can I convert my android .apk app into ios using any software? If yes, then please give me the name of that software. If any alternative method for that please guide me.
Google has a tool to convert the back-end, nothing for front-end though
http://www.xda-developers.com/google-tool-helps-developers-port-android-apps-to-ios/
There is a new startup that clains to convert the APK to IOS.
It's called MechDome.
The goal is very simple and attractable:
Reduce time to market by eliminating cross-platform development. Automatically convert your existing Android apps to high-fidelity, native iOS apps.
There is nothing out there that would convert apk into ios app. To my knowledge there is also nothing out there that could translate android code to IOS. The operation is simply too complex for a simple tool to manage.
However, there are tools you could use to make your apps (developed by you) work across multiple platforms. I'm sure there are more, but here are 2 of them I found in minutes (look into them if you are interested): Apportable, Phonegap (discontinued as of 2020/03. It was made obsolete by ProgressiveWebApps - PWA).
In past decade or so WebApps have been picking up for anything that is not too graphically demanding as they can run on anything that has a Web Browser. With this style devs pretty much open their website in a platform-specific executable and it looks like an app.
As for your existing app depending on complexity of your software you have to rewrite from a little to a lot of code to adapt to IOS APIs.
In short: No. Unless your app is build on multiplatform framework, converting means manual adaptation.
There is no known way to convert an android app to iOS. MechDome which is a Developer Tool that Automatically Converts Android Apps into iOS Apps seems to have stopped as of 30/03/2021. link
However if it is your plan to launch android and iOS app from one coding project, use Flutter which allows you to launch on both platforms simultaneously.
Flutter is Google’s mobile UI framework that provides a fast and expressive way for developers to build native apps on both iOS & Android, using a single codebase.
Get started here link
I want to create a Android Application.
Altough I want to use HTML5 for creating that application.
Later on I even want to get the application to multiple platforms like for Apple.
I have tried Eclipse but couldn't get it to work.
When I create a new "Project > Web > Dynamic Web Project" I can't export this into a Android Application.
PhoneGap looks interesting.
Although I'm not sure how you can create a .apk (for android) there.
Or should this work together with Eclipse?
Could anybody give me a headstart?
What Application should I use to make a HTML application?
How do I create a .apk file?
Thanks in advance.
If you really want to dive right into developing with Phonegap, you can try out Telerik's AppBuilder (http://www.telerik.com/appbuilder). The demo project uses KendoUI Mobile (which I can also recommend) is comprehensive enough for anyone. As far as I recall you can use it for free for up to 2 projects.
There is also Intel's XDK (http://xdk-software.intel.com/), which is completely free - but the simulator and deployment features aren't as far developed as Telerik AppBuilder's are.
I strongly recommend AGAINST doing it the "real way" with eclipse/xcode if you have no prior experience with developing native android/iOS apps.
Start with the following project:
http://code.google.com/p/html5webview/
This will give you a good start. You can download it and import it into eclipse.
Phonegap does create an APK.
Essentially what Phonegap does is present a WebView and a simple API for calling native methods on the respective platforms. This allows you to write the same app and deploy it on multiple platforms with minimal or no changes. The majority of what you would do in Phonegap is set up the projects to pull in the cross-platform libraries.
The major limitations come from lack of access to native UI components. As you progress in app development you may find that it's a significant limitation. I rarely build HTML5-based UIs anymore, and instead go with native apps.
There are other cross-platform frameworks out there as well. Here's an article describing some pros and cons of each:
http://www.developereconomics.com/pros-cons-top-5-cross-platform-tools/
So I read this article on Mobile Orchard and, as I'm planning on having my first steps in Android development, it got me thinking: is it possible to develop for Android in Lua only? I Googled the topic but found no definitive answer. I know Java is the "base style" for Android but for the coding newbie which I am (elementary Python, basic C++), Lua seems somehow clearer and more friendly. Then here goes my question: can one develop an Android app using Lua only? If so, could you please show me some directions to move from here?
I've been developing a mobile application in Lua to control robots remotely from iOS and Android phones. The app is in pure Lua and runs on top of Mosync platform using MobileLua. There is still some plumbing required, but it's not too complex.
I also have a debugger and a Lua IDE (ZeroBraneStudio) that support debugging of Lua scripts running remotely (including MobileLua scripts running on Android or iOS devices). I provide a demo app you can use as a client to run simple scripts and check remote debugging in action.
[Update] If you are interested in more game oriented options, there are several available: (1) already mentioned Corona SDK, (2) Moai, and (3) Gideros Mobile. There is also Marmalade Quick and Cocos2d-x Lua bindings (for example, quick-cocos2d-x). All these toolkits/frameworks allow to develop in Lua.
Here is a detailed comparison of Moai vs. Corona.
I know this is an older question, but just to correct some misinformation (in the comments) for people who come later, Corona SDK (as of spring 2013) has a Starter Edition which is free -- no splash screen or anything. The main difference between it and the "Pro" version is you can't do in-app purchases in the Starter Edition. But you can use it to create apps for sale, etc. No expiration date on it or anything.
And in answer to the original question, learning Java may allow you to write Android apps, but if you then also want to target iOS you don't have any great options. By choosing something that's cross-platform from the beginning you can target Android or iOS or both. Lua (in any of the flavors already mentioned) is a great base language to learn for mobile development.
The question is what kind of app do you want to build and what skills do you have. If you are already familiar with JavaScript there is Phonegap/Cordova. If you are building games there are a number of frameworks for 2D and 3D which use Lua. Some are free, others have licensing fees but are worth it if it provides a solution to your problem. All have pros and cons. For example I'm not sure if I would want to build an RSS reader in a game framework. Java is just another language, I would recommend just learning Java and the Android framework to start and knowing what is there before adding another application specific framework layer on top.
Corona SDK allows you to write iOS and Android apps in Lua. Its very easy to learn, but its not free.
Edit:
I saw you posted that you found Corona just after I sent my post...
You can try http://scormpool.com/luastudio
Develop and run code on your device including iOS, Android, Mac, Win.
Exporter can help you to make standalone app on listed above platforms.
This may not be useful to the OP, however for other people interested in using lua to write their apps, I'd share my thoughts. So to answer the question:
Yes, you can use only lua to write apps for android using LuaJava from the kepler project (though I don't believe its being maintained anymore). You can create and manipulate Java objects seemlessly, and interact with the Android APIs through lua. You can even create UI elements dynamically using just lua. However, a small amount of java bootstrap code is needed to start the lua VM from your app. The AndroLua project is a great place to start for Android. The creator has done a lot of work making lua work with Android and packaging it all into an app. From experience I can say it works great! However, I would in no way recommend this to a beginner, as it requires a lot of knowledge about java and lua to make things work, meaning more work not less.
For AndroLua, just clone the repo and use that as a base for your own app. Last time I used it, I just imported it into android-studio, and after fixing a few problems with my own setup, had it compiling and running on my device.
If only pure Lua then the answer is no.. unless you want to use a lot of libraries
If you want to make little Android app/games then use a game engine, learning is a step by step process, don't dive straight into the hard part.
I'm searching for a framework to create apps for both Android and iOS from one codebase. I'm aware of Appcelarator and PhoneGap etc. However I need a different kind of product. I'm not sure if it exists. I can't find it here or on google.
We are a team of Android and iOS developers and aren't afraid to build natively. What I want is a tool to help me jumpstart development. Preferably a tool where I can create the basic UI and Models and generate native code to use as basis for further development.
Does such a tool exist?
Have you seen Mono??
iOS
Note: Make sure you following the instructions on the MonoTouch website re installation
Development tools (Free): XCode + Interface Builder (http://developer.apple.com/devcenter/ios)
MonoTouch ($399USD): http://monotouch.net/
Register for developer program/app store ($99USD): Register
Android
Note: Make sure you following the instructions on the MonoDroid website re installation
Development tools (Free): Java JDK, Android SDK
MonoDroid (public beta): monodroid-download
Register for developer program/market ($25USD): Register
Don’t forget for the iOS component you’re going to need to go buy a Mac to use.
Have a look at LiveCode 5 from RunRev.
http://www.runrev.com/
Have you checked out DAPP? I like it quite a bit.
http://dapp.kerofrog.com.au/
Yes you can Generate the code for both Android/ios and many more languages using the Tool Swagger
Please Check the tool,this tool gives the basic UI and Models and generate native code to just like your Requirement.
But You have to right the Swaggger Specification file(it will be on Json or Yaml) for that. And after Writing Swagger Specification file You can downlaod the code for Android/ios and other language as well. So kindly follow the document of swagger. You will get clear idea about that.
Here i list down usefull links of swagger :
https://swagger.io/
https://github.com/swagger-api/swagger-codegen
https://editor.swagger.io/
https://swagger.io/docs/
There's a tool called Genexus for Smart Devices, which is a code generator that supports iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows 8.
However, you need to learn the tool, and I've found it useful only for simple CRUD apps. It does enable extremely fast development of said apps, it's a good fit for simple LOB apps. I've tried it and deployed to Android (haven't tested on iOS or other platforms).
http://www.genexus.com/SD/mobile-application-development?en
If you're experienced with iOS and Android, you'll probably get frustrated though (and I'm sure the code it generates isn't pretty).
I've used the generator for desktop and web .NET and Java, and works reasonably well (with those caveats), so I'm sure the Smart Devices generator will continue evolving.
Take a look at Flutter, from their docs:
Flutter transforms the app development process. Build, test, and deploy beautiful mobile, web, desktop, and embedded apps from a single codebase.