1 page.title=Notepad Tutorial 2 parent.title=Tutorials 3 @jd:body 4 5 6 <p>This tutorial on writing a notepad application gives you a "hands-on" introduction 7 to the Android framework and the tools you use to build applications on it. 8 Starting from a preconfigured project file, it guides you through the process of 9 developing a simple notepad application and provides concrete examples of how to 10 set up the project, develop the application logic and user interface, and then 11 compile and run the application. </p> 12 13 <p>The tutorial presents the application development as a set of 14 exercises (see below), each consisting of several steps. You should follow 15 the steps in each exercise to gradually build and refine your 16 application. The exercises explain each step in detail and provide all the 17 sample code you need to complete the application. </p> 18 19 <p>When you are finished with the tutorial, you will have created a functioning 20 Android application and will have learned many of the most important 21 concepts in Android development. If you want to add more complex features to 22 your application, you can examine the code in an alternative implementation 23 of a Note Pad application, in the 24 <a href="{@docRoot}resources/samples/index.html">Sample Code</a> section. </p> 25 26 27 <a name="who"></a> 28 <h2>Who Should Use this Tutorial</h2> 29 30 <p>This tutorial is designed for experienced developers, especially those with 31 knowledge of the Java programming language. If you haven't written Java 32 applications before, you can still use the tutorial, but you might need to work 33 at a slower pace. </p> 34 35 <p>Also note that this tutorial uses 36 the Eclipse development environment, with the Android plugin installed. If you 37 are not using Eclipse, you can follow the exercises and build the application, 38 but you will need to determine how to accomplish the Eclipse-specific 39 steps in your environment. </p> 40 41 <a name="preparing"></a> 42 <h2>Preparing for the Exercises</h2> 43 44 <p>The tutorial assumes that you have some familiarity with basic Android 45 application concepts and terminology. If you are not, you 46 should read <a href="{@docRoot}guide/components/fundamentals.html">Application 47 Fundamentals</a> before continuing. </p> 48 49 <p>This tutorial also builds on the introductory information provided in the 50 <a href="{@docRoot}training/basics/firstapp/index.html">Building Your First App</a> 51 tutorial, which explains how to set up your Eclipse environment 52 for building Android applications. We recommend you complete the Hello World 53 tutorial before starting this one.</p> 54 55 <p>To prepare for this lesson:</p> 56 57 <ol> 58 <li>Download the <a href="codelab/NotepadCodeLab.zip">project 59 exercises archive (.zip)</a>.</li> 60 <li>Unpack the archive file to a suitable location on your machine.</li> 61 <li>Open the <code>NotepadCodeLab</code> folder.</li> 62 </ol> 63 64 <p>Inside the <code>NotepadCodeLab</code> folder, you should see six project 65 files: <code>Notepadv1</code>, 66 <code>Notepadv2</code>, <code>Notepadv3</code>, 67 <code>Notepadv1Solution</code>, <code>Notepadv2Solution</code> 68 and <code>Notepadv3Solution</code>. The <code>Notepadv#</code> projects are 69 the starting points for each of the exercises, while the 70 <code>Notepadv#Solution</code> projects are the exercise 71 solutions. If you are having trouble with a particular exercise, you 72 can compare your current work against the exercise solution.</p> 73 74 <a name="exercises"></a> 75 <h2> Exercises</h2> 76 77 <p>The table below lists the tutorial exercises and describes the development 78 areas that each covers. Each exercise assumes that you have completed any 79 previous exercises.</p> 80 81 <table border="0" style="padding:4px;spacing:2px;" summary="This 82 table lists the 83 tutorial examples and describes what each covers. "> 84 <tr> 85 <th width="120"><a href="{@docRoot}training/notepad/notepad-ex1.html">Exercise 86 1</a></th> 87 <td>Start here. Construct a simple notes list that lets the user add new notes but not 88 edit them. Demonstrates the basics of <code>ListActivity</code> and creating 89 and handling 90 menu options. Uses a SQLite database to store the notes.</td> 91 </tr> 92 <tr> 93 <th><a href="{@docRoot}training/notepad/notepad-ex2.html">Exercise 2</a></th> 94 <td>Add a second Activity to the 95 application. Demonstrates constructing a 96 new Activity, adding it to the Android manifest, passing data between the 97 activities, and using more advanced screen layout. Also shows how to 98 invoke another Activity to return a result, using 99 <code>startActivityForResult()</code>.</td> 100 </tr> 101 <tr> 102 <th><a href="{@docRoot}training/notepad/notepad-ex3.html">Exercise 3</a></th> 103 <td>Add handling of life-cycle events to 104 the application, to let it 105 maintain application state across the life cycle. </td> 106 </tr> 107 <tr> 108 <th><a href="{@docRoot}training/notepad/notepad-extra-credit.html">Extra 109 Credit</a></th> 110 <td>Demonstrates how to use the Eclipse 111 debugger and how you can use it to 112 view life-cycle events as they are generated. This section is optional but 113 highly recommended.</td> 114 </tr> 115 </table> 116 117 118 <a name="other"></a> 119 <h2>Other Resources and Further Learning</h2> 120 <ul> 121 <li>For a lighter but broader introduction to concepts not covered in the 122 tutorial, 123 take a look at <a href="{@docRoot}resources/faq/commontasks.html">Common Android Tasks</a>.</li> 124 <li>The Android SDK includes a variety of fully functioning sample applications 125 that make excellent opportunities for further learning. You can find the sample 126 applications in the <code>samples/</code> directory of your downloaded SDK, or browser them 127 here, in the <a href="{@docRoot}resources/samples/index.html">Sample Code</a> section.</li> 128 <li>This tutorial draws from the full Notepad application included in the 129 <code>samples/</code> directory of the SDK, though it does not match it exactly. 130 When you are done with the tutorial, 131 it is highly recommended that you take a closer look at this version of the Notepad 132 application, 133 as it demonstrates a variety of interesting additions for your application, 134 such as:</li> 135 <ul> 136 <li>Setting up a custom striped list for the list of notes.</li> 137 <li>Creating a custom text edit view that overrides the <code>draw()</code> 138 method to make it look like a lined notepad.</li> 139 <li>Implementing a full <code>ContentProvider</code> for notes.</li> 140 <li>Reverting and discarding edits instead of just automatically saving 141 them.</li> 142 </ul> 143 </ul> 144
