Search icon CANCEL
Subscription
0
Cart icon
Your Cart (0 item)
Close icon
You have no products in your basket yet
Arrow left icon
Explore Products
Best Sellers
New Releases
Books
Videos
Audiobooks
Learning Hub
Newsletter Hub
Free Learning
Arrow right icon
timer SALE ENDS IN
0 Days
:
00 Hours
:
00 Minutes
:
00 Seconds
Expert Android Programming
Expert Android Programming

Expert Android Programming: Master skills to build enterprise grade Android applications

Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Prajyot Mainkar
Arrow right icon
£16.99 per month
Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 1 (1 Ratings)
Paperback Sep 2017 404 pages 1st Edition
eBook
£20.98 £29.99
Paperback
£36.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at £16.99p/m
Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Prajyot Mainkar
Arrow right icon
£16.99 per month
Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 1 (1 Ratings)
Paperback Sep 2017 404 pages 1st Edition
eBook
£20.98 £29.99
Paperback
£36.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at £16.99p/m
eBook
£20.98 £29.99
Paperback
£36.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at £16.99p/m

What do you get with a Packt Subscription?

Free for first 7 days. £16.99 p/m after that. Cancel any time!
Product feature icon Unlimited ad-free access to the largest independent learning library in tech. Access this title and thousands more!
Product feature icon 50+ new titles added per month, including many first-to-market concepts and exclusive early access to books as they are being written.
Product feature icon Innovative learning tools, including AI book assistants, code context explainers, and text-to-speech.
Product feature icon Thousands of reference materials covering every tech concept you need to stay up to date.
Subscribe now
View plans & pricing
Table of content icon View table of contents Preview book icon Preview Book

Expert Android Programming

Exploring Android Studio Developer Tools

According to Statista, one of the leading statistical analysis agencies, designing a smartphone is ultimately a game of trade-offs: screen size vs. portability; battery life vs. data speeds; appearance vs. sturdiness; to name just a few. To make these trade-offs, it's important to know what the consumer wants.

Now that we know how to use Gradle, in this chapter we will discuss some of the tools that provide help in building apps and also help in debugging and performance tooling. We will discuss three important tools:

  • APK Analyzer: the tool to analyze the Android Application Package (APK) file
  • Battery Historian: shows the details of how the battery is used in the phone
  • Memory Analyzer: understanding memory patterns while using the app

APK Analyzer

An APK is an Android Application package file. Gradle, by default, builds a single APK, no matter what libraries you include. This compiled and packaged file includes all of the application's code (.dex files), manifest files, resources, and assets.

The library, within itself, comprises multiple copies of the same native code, optimized for the different architecture. This means that the library is a native binary with multiple architecture such as x86, x86_64, armeabi, and so on, all packed together. A developer can easily run the command unzip <your_APK_name>.APK to understand the content of an APK:

When your app, and the libraries it references, reaches a specific threshold, you encounter build errors that point to the app's limit of the Android App Build Architecture. The most recent Android build system displays an error, trouble writing output...

Understanding basic battery drain

Earlier editions of Android OS used to run on Dalvik Runtime, which means apps used to compile at execution time. Post-Lollipop edition, Android has switched to Android runtime (ART), which means the apps are compiled beforehand, ensuring they are launched faster. ART, as the runtime, executes the Dalvik Executable format and dex bytecode specification. Apart from the launch, the entire consumer experience using the app is essential for app retention. One important feature is the battery - a dear feature of the phone.

An app which is greedy for power often finds itself in the position of either being uninstalled or lower rated when reviewed on the Google Play Store listing. Take a look at some of the most popular apps on the Store, including Facebook, which has had consistently bad reviews that quote battery drain as one of the top sources of...

Batterystats and Battery Historian

The Android Settings menu options provide high level measurements of battery drain. However, to gain more insight into battery consuming apps, there are some tools that can be useful. Tools such as Batterystats and Battery Historian come in handy. Batterystats collects battery data from your device, and Battery Historian converts that data into a HTML visualization that helps you understand power consumption graphically.

Batterystats, was introduced in KitKat, but Lollipop brought a large dataset for the users which included data about every Wakelock action on the device.

Please reset the data and enable full Wakelock reporting to receive comprehensive information including how the device utilizes the battery, along with details about all the running processes.

Here are some of the commands you can run after connecting your device:

adb shell...

Memory Monitor

When you hear the term memory management in an Android app, it is basically the Random Access Memory (RAM). Managing the RAM is the most critical section in the Android app development process, as the physical memory is often constrained. The fundamental principle of memory management is to avoid a memory leak from your app.

In Android Studio there is a tool we can use to check the memory usage in the App. To check this you could follow these steps:

  1. Run your app on an Android device connected to an emulator.
  2. Open the Android Monitor tab in Android Studio situated at the bottom window.
  3. Open the Monitor section within it, and you are there.

Here you'll be able to continuously check the memory usage of the app as and when the app is being used. The following image shows the memory usage for an app:

The preceding memory graph shows the memory used by a device...

Summary

Battery life is an excellent indicator of how your App performs. Apps without optimization can severely impact the battery life of a device. We've walked though in-depth analysis of battery drain in Android Apps. We also looked at Batterystats and the Historian tool to analyse battery usage patterns. Additionally, we explored memory optimization to ensure the app runs smoothly and stays off the memory leaking track.

In the next Chapter 3, Leap into the Android Support Library we will discuss Android Support Libraries.

Left arrow icon Right arrow icon
Download code icon Download Code

Key benefits

  • -Dive deep into Android development with practical hands on examples to help you in each stage.
  • -Develop smart professional grade apps for the latest Android N version and become a pro android developer.
  • -Unclog your development highway by utilising the industry standard best practices techniques.

Description

Android O brings a number of important changes for the users as well as the developers. If you want to create smart android applications which are fast, lightweight and also highly efficient then this is the book that will solve all your problems. You will create a complex enterprise grade app in this book. You will get a quick refresher of the latest android SDK and how to configure your development environment. Then you will move onto creating app layouts, component and module building, creating smart and efficient UIs. The most important part of a modern day app is how real time they are. With this book, you will create a smooth back-end for your app, ensure dynamic and real time communication between different app layers. As we move on, you will learn to leverage the different Android APIs and create an efficient SQLite data layer for your apps. You will implement effective testing techniques to make your app reliable and robust and finally you will learn to deploy it efficiently. The multiple stages of android development will also be simplified by giving you an industry standard set of best practices.

Who is this book for?

This book is for mobile developers having some expertise in building android apps and who wish to now take a leap into building complex app such as Zomato, using latest Android N power of Google.

What you will learn

  • ? Building UI/UX following best industry practices
  • ? Development of Zomato Clone
  • ? Measure and improve app performance
  • ? Improving app using test mechanisms
  • ? Bringing the app live on the play store

Product Details

Country selected
Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Sep 29, 2017
Length: 404 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781786468956
Vendor :
Google
Category :
Languages :
Tools :

What do you get with a Packt Subscription?

Free for first 7 days. £16.99 p/m after that. Cancel any time!
Product feature icon Unlimited ad-free access to the largest independent learning library in tech. Access this title and thousands more!
Product feature icon 50+ new titles added per month, including many first-to-market concepts and exclusive early access to books as they are being written.
Product feature icon Innovative learning tools, including AI book assistants, code context explainers, and text-to-speech.
Product feature icon Thousands of reference materials covering every tech concept you need to stay up to date.
Subscribe now
View plans & pricing

Product Details

Publication date : Sep 29, 2017
Length: 404 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781786468956
Vendor :
Google
Category :
Languages :
Tools :

Packt Subscriptions

See our plans and pricing
Modal Close icon
£16.99 billed monthly
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Simple pricing, no contract
£169.99 billed annually
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just £5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts
£234.99 billed in 18 months
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just £5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts

Frequently bought together


Stars icon
Total £ 106.97
Hands-On Android UI Development
£32.99
Mastering Android Development with Kotlin
£36.99
Expert Android Programming
£36.99
Total £ 106.97 Stars icon

Table of Contents

16 Chapters
Understanding the Gradle System Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Exploring Android Studio Developer Tools Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Leap into the Android Support Library Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Google Play Services Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Material Design Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
SOLID Android Development and Its Design Principles Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Understanding MVC, MVP, MVVM and Clean Arch Patterns Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Decision Making Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Performance Matters Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Building Restaurant finder Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Backend Service Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
App Quality Service Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Grow Up Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Testing Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Preparing for Google Play Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Understanding App Store Analytics for Optimization Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Rating distribution
Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 1
(1 Ratings)
5 star 0%
4 star 0%
3 star 0%
2 star 0%
1 star 100%
Amazon Customer Feb 07, 2018
Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 1
I took a chance on this book since it did not have any reviews yet and now I wish I hadn't.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Get free access to Packt library with over 7500+ books and video courses for 7 days!
Start Free Trial

FAQs

What is included in a Packt subscription? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

A subscription provides you with full access to view all Packt and licnesed content online, this includes exclusive access to Early Access titles. Depending on the tier chosen you can also earn credits and discounts to use for owning content

How can I cancel my subscription? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

To cancel your subscription with us simply go to the account page - found in the top right of the page or at https://subscription.packtpub.com/my-account/subscription - From here you will see the ‘cancel subscription’ button in the grey box with your subscription information in.

What are credits? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Credits can be earned from reading 40 section of any title within the payment cycle - a month starting from the day of subscription payment. You also earn a Credit every month if you subscribe to our annual or 18 month plans. Credits can be used to buy books DRM free, the same way that you would pay for a book. Your credits can be found in the subscription homepage - subscription.packtpub.com - clicking on ‘the my’ library dropdown and selecting ‘credits’.

What happens if an Early Access Course is cancelled? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Projects are rarely cancelled, but sometimes it's unavoidable. If an Early Access course is cancelled or excessively delayed, you can exchange your purchase for another course. For further details, please contact us here.

Where can I send feedback about an Early Access title? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

If you have any feedback about the product you're reading, or Early Access in general, then please fill out a contact form here and we'll make sure the feedback gets to the right team. 

Can I download the code files for Early Access titles? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

We try to ensure that all books in Early Access have code available to use, download, and fork on GitHub. This helps us be more agile in the development of the book, and helps keep the often changing code base of new versions and new technologies as up to date as possible. Unfortunately, however, there will be rare cases when it is not possible for us to have downloadable code samples available until publication.

When we publish the book, the code files will also be available to download from the Packt website.

How accurate is the publication date? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The publication date is as accurate as we can be at any point in the project. Unfortunately, delays can happen. Often those delays are out of our control, such as changes to the technology code base or delays in the tech release. We do our best to give you an accurate estimate of the publication date at any given time, and as more chapters are delivered, the more accurate the delivery date will become.

How will I know when new chapters are ready? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

We'll let you know every time there has been an update to a course that you've bought in Early Access. You'll get an email to let you know there has been a new chapter, or a change to a previous chapter. The new chapters are automatically added to your account, so you can also check back there any time you're ready and download or read them online.

I am a Packt subscriber, do I get Early Access? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Yes, all Early Access content is fully available through your subscription. You will need to have a paid for or active trial subscription in order to access all titles.

How is Early Access delivered? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Early Access is currently only available as a PDF or through our online reader. As we make changes or add new chapters, the files in your Packt account will be updated so you can download them again or view them online immediately.

How do I buy Early Access content? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Early Access is a way of us getting our content to you quicker, but the method of buying the Early Access course is still the same. Just find the course you want to buy, go through the check-out steps, and you’ll get a confirmation email from us with information and a link to the relevant Early Access courses.

What is Early Access? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Keeping up to date with the latest technology is difficult; new versions, new frameworks, new techniques. This feature gives you a head-start to our content, as it's being created. With Early Access you'll receive each chapter as it's written, and get regular updates throughout the product's development, as well as the final course as soon as it's ready.We created Early Access as a means of giving you the information you need, as soon as it's available. As we go through the process of developing a course, 99% of it can be ready but we can't publish until that last 1% falls in to place. Early Access helps to unlock the potential of our content early, to help you start your learning when you need it most. You not only get access to every chapter as it's delivered, edited, and updated, but you'll also get the finalized, DRM-free product to download in any format you want when it's published. As a member of Packt, you'll also be eligible for our exclusive offers, including a free course every day, and discounts on new and popular titles.