Compiling from Java to DEX
The recipe following this one breaks down the DEX file format; but before delving into the DEX file, it would be useful to first get to know the process of interpreting/compiling a Java program into a DEX program. One of the key reasons for demonstrating compilation from Java to DEX is because the file used in the example here will be used to explain the DEX file format in the next recipe.
Getting ready
Before we get going, there are a couple of things you will need:
Java Development Kit: We need this to be able to compile Java code into the class files
Android SDK: We need some of the tools in this package to be able to transform Java class files into DEX files
Text editor: We need a text editor so that we can write a sample Java program to convert to a DEX program
Once you've got all of these things, we can begin preparing a sample DEX file.
How to do it...
To compile a Java program into a DEX program, you will need to do the following:
Open your text editor and create...
