Compiling the native static libraries for Android

Android NDK includes a number of GCC and Clang toolchains for each kind of the supported processors.

Getting ready

When building a static library from the source code, we follow the steps similar to the Windows version.

How to do it...

1. Create a folder named jni and create the Application.mk file with the appropriate compiler switches, and set the name of the library accordingly. For example, one for the FreeImage library should look like the following:

   APP_OPTIM := release
   APP_PLATFORM := android-8
   APP_STL := gnustl_static
   APP_CPPFLAGS += -frtti 
   APP_CPPFLAGS += -fexceptions
   APP_CPPFLAGS += -DANDROID
   APP_ABI := armeabi-v7a x86
   APP_MODULES := FreeImage

2. The Android.mk file is similar to the ones we have written for the sample applications in the previous chapter, yet with a few exceptions. At the top of the file, some required variables must be defined. Let us see what the Android.mk file for the FreeImage library may look like:

   # Android API level...