I'm sure these are noobie questions, but I'd like to take care of these issues and such before I fully dive into the development process and literature that I have on hand for the Android OS. Okay, so, as per the Android programming book I have (the one by the Deitels and Morgano), aside from selecting for installation the latest revision of the Android SDK Tools, Android SDK Platform-tools, the SDK platforms for the 2.2, 2.3.3, 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2, I need to install the Documentation for Android SDK, API 13, revision 1. On the Android SDK Manager that I have on my laptop, under the Android 4.0.3, there's the 'Documentation for Android SDK'. However, it's the API 15, revision 1 version. I'm a bit confused, as, for one thing, isn't the Android 4.0.3 the Ice Cream Sandwich version of the OS? I'm just wondering if this documentation is supposed to work with all earlier versions of the OS or just with the 4.0. If it's the latter, then does the fact that it falls under the Android 4.0.3 directory merely refer to it's being the latest documentation for the Android SDK, in general or just for the Ice Cream Sandwich? In the screen shot from the book, there's a combined Android SDK and AVD manager, which is different from what I'm seeing, due to the new updates to Eclipse and Android. Also, the documentation and the SDK Platforms for all the versions that the book covers are shown under the 'Android Repository' which doesn't show up in the version I have running on my laptop. My final question (for now) is: Do I just need the SDK Platforms or do I also need to install everything that falls under the various API directories (e.g. samples for SDK, Google API's etc.)? Thanks in advance for any and all help.
See ya on the flipside,
Cyon Corell
I'm just wondering if this documentation is supposed to work with all earlier versions of the OS or just with the 4.0.
The documentation highlights when various classes and methods were added, in terms of their API levels.
In the screen shot from the book, there's a combined Android SDK and AVD manager, which is different from what I'm seeing, due to the new updates to Eclipse and Android.
Your book is slightly out of date. The SDK Manager and AVD Manager were split into separate windows a couple of months ago.
Do I just need the SDK Platforms or do I also need to install everything that falls under the various API directories (e.g. samples for SDK, Google API's etc.)?
You will want the Google APIs, as they give you access to Google Maps. Even if you do not plan on using Google Maps in your project, it is better if you test with emulators that have Google Maps, as they are incrementally closer to what most users have.
Whether you want the samples is up to you.
Related
The PhoneGap installation requires that I install Eclipse, and then use the Android SDK Manager to install the versions of the Android SDK/API. Each of these is a large download, and there is access to versions API 3 through API 21. However, I do not want to install them all and I would like advice on which is a good mix to use when I am not targeting a particular Android version but would like to cover as many devices as possible.
I checked the previous questions and I could not find this specific question from a search. I have noted an important question concerning the Android SDK Build Tools versions, but not the APIs to select.
Do I need to download more than one? Or is the latest (API 21) sufficient for my development work?
If you are aware of previous discussions on this that I have missed in my search I would greatly appreciate being pointed to these.
Phonegap is currently supporting Cordova 3.6.3 which requires API version 19. That is really the only version you need.
I'm having a bug with Xamarin. The bug I'm having is in regards to the Android SDK, and to fix it I believe that I need an older version of the Android SDK, which I'm having trouble locating. I know that there have been posts such as this Quora post and here, but I'm not sure if the newer versions are excluded from this or if I'm just not guessing the address correctly.
Anyways, what is the easiest way to correctly obtain older versions of the Android SDK, specifically for Jelly Bean 4.3? Thanks.
There is only one version of the Android SDK. Revisions just update some features, such as ADB or the building system for making Android apps. However, you can download more packages in your SDK installation, such as Android 4.3 or Android 2.1. To do that:
Go into the path you downloaded the SDK into. Then open SDK Manager.exe. When it loads and refreshes the packages list, it will display a list of packages you can download. If you want to download the 4.3 packages, just click the checkbox next to the Android 4.3 - API level 18 item.
Hi can anyone tell me what all the other packages for android 2.3.3 in the SDK manager? The SDK platform, sample SDKs, and google APIs are always necessary in all SDKs. But what are the rest of the packages (Intel Atom, Real3D, Droid4, Motorola, etc.). Should I download them as well?
For what I can tell they look like compatibility packages for different phones or something. Does anyone know/want to share the full story on this, specifically why 2.3.3 has so many packages and the rest of the SDKs don't? All responses appreciated.
PS: I know this isn't a programming question and shouldn't be asked here, but a lot of people programming for Android go here, so I might as well ask it once.
- Mentioning those packages with like Real3D, Droid4, Motorola etc, are straight away pointing to include the APIs that will expose the functionality provided by those Phones.
- Now as you mentioned that SDK version 2.3.3 has all these packages where others don't, well its because these are targeted to the Devices which has SDK 2.3.3 version installed and working on them, You will see that SDK version 3.2 has XOOM2ME and XOOM2, which is not present in other packages, it because of same reason i mentioned above....
I am very new to the android development. I currently installed Android 4.0.3(API 15) via android sdk manager. I am in great confusion if this version is enough to develop the android apps or we should install from Android 1.5 (API 3) to the latest. Thanks in advance.
Depends which versions you want to support.
This depends on your users and features you use.
(Also, I hate the emulator, so depends on what device you actually have access to!)
If you're only playing around and figuring things out don't worry about it and just use the most recent.
To get a sense of what each version has changed, take a look at the platform highlights:
4.0
3.2
3.1
3.0
2.3.4
2.3.3
2.2
2.1
With regards to learning, 4 is much better than 3, since 4 is open source, so you can look at the source. In fact if you're using Eclipse, you can browse the source within your project!
I would like to test and distribute my phonegap app. It already runs for iPhone.
At first I installed the newest SDK (4.0.3) but this one does not run on my phone. So... i guess I have to install more.
What do I need to install in the Android SDK Manager?
All SDKs? Do I need the Sample/Arm/GoogleAPI/Sources too?
Generally I install all the SDK versions as it is good to be able to test on the various emulators to make sure you app works in all versions of Android. You should always build your application with the latest SDK but in your AndroidManifest.xml file you should have a android:minSdkVersion set to the lowest Android level you want your app to run on. For now I recommend 7 (Android 2.1) as 97% of the phones are running 2.1 or above.
As you can see in the platform versions chart here it is recommended to use Android 2.1 or 2.2 SDK to cover almost all the Android devices on the market.
I think you don't need Sample/ARM/Sources, though if you need to use Google proprietary API (for example Google Maps API) you need to use Google API versions of 2.1 or 2.2.
You only need the SDK that matches the API level you intend to build for.
This page: http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-versions.html
has a breakdown of what devices are most active in currrent use (accessed market within 2 weeks)
Judging by that, if you target 2.1 you'd be able to install your app on 98.3% of all such devices.
It is generally best to pick the oldest platform that supports all of the features you need. Just stay at or above 1.6, that is when support for multiple screen sizes was introduced.
As I think, the best solution is SDK 2.2. Many devices work with this android version.
On your Android phone go to settings->About Phone and view the Android version. This should be the sdk you will need. Afterwords, you can just change the target android sdk version in your app and it should run on your phone. As for the folders you speak of - they contain some examples, the source code of the sdk and some additional apis to use google services. It is up to you whether you will need them. You will definitely need the platform-tools from the Android SDK manager - they provide you with the adb tool that enables you to upload applications to your device.