Unit 2: Installation and configuration of android.

a. Explain Android SDK in detail.

The Android Software Development Kit (SDK) is a set of tools and resources provided by
Google for developers to create applications for Android devices. Android SDK is a
comprehensive package that equips developers with everything they need to create, test, and
deploy Android applications, making the development process smoother and more efficient.
It includes-
1. Tools for Development: The SDK includes tools like the Android Studio IDE
(Integrated Development Environment), which is a special software where
developers write and build their Android apps.
2. Libraries and APIs: It provides libraries and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces)
that developers use to access various functionalities of the Android operating system, such as
handling user interfaces, managing device resources, and interacting with hardware features.
3. Emulator for Testing: The SDK includes an emulator, which is a virtual Android
device that allows developers to test their apps on different versions of Android without
needing a physical device.
4. Documentation: It comes with documentation that explains how to use different
features and functionalities, helping developers understand how to build effective and
efficient Android applications.
5. Sample Code: The SDK provides sample code that developers can use as a reference or
starting point for their own projects. This helps speed up development by offering
examples of common coding patterns.
6. Debugging and Profiling Tools: Debugging tools are included to identify and fix issues
in the code, and profiling tools help developers optimize the performance of their
applications.
7. Build and Deployment Tools: The SDK includes tools for building the final version of an
app and deploying it to a device or uploading it to the Google Play Store for distribution.
8. Compatibility Packages: Android SDK often includes compatibility packages to
ensure that apps work across different Android versions and devices.
b. List and explain Android Developer Tools (ADT).
Android developer tools refer to a set of software and resources that aid developers in
creating, testing, and debugging Android applications. These tools collectively provide a
comprehensive environment for Android developers, offering everything from code
development and testing to debugging and performance optimization.
Here are key Android developer tools:
1. Android Studio: Android Studio is the official Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
designed for Android app development. It provides a user-friendly interface for
writing, debugging, and testing Android applications. Android Studio includes advanced
features such as a visual layout editor, emulator support, and powerful debugging tools.
2. Android Software Development Kit (SDK): The Android SDK is a comprehensive set of
tools, libraries, and APIs that developers use to build Android applications. It includes
everything needed to compile code, access device features, and manage the entire
development lifecycle.
3. ADB (Android Debug Bridge): ADB is a versatile command-line tool that facilitates
communication between a computer and an Android device or emulator. Developers use
ADB for various tasks, including installing and debugging apps, copying files between
devices, and accessing the device shell for advanced troubleshooting.
4. Android Emulator: The Android Emulator is a virtual device that emulates the behaviour
of a real Android device. It allows developers to test their apps on different Android versions
and screen sizes without needing physical devices. The emulator is essential for ensuring app
compatibility across a range of configurations.
5. DDMS (Dalvik Debug Monitor Server): DDMS is a set of debugging tools integrated
into Android Studio. It includes features for profiling system resource usage, capturing
screenshots, and simulating phone calls and messages. These tools are valuable for
analysing and optimizing app performance during development.
Explain ADT plugins in detail.
Its plugins include:
• Project Creation and Management: ADT plugins offer wizards and tools to create and
manage Android projects in Eclipse. Developers can easily set up new projects, specify
project properties, and manage dependencies.
• Layout Editor: ADT plugins include a graphical layout editor that allows developers to
design app layouts visually. With drag-and-drop functionality, developers can easily arrange
UI components, set their attributes, and preview the layout in different configurations.
• XML Editors: ADT plugins provide XML editors for various Android resource files, such
as layouts, strings, styles, and manifests. These editors offer syntax highlighting, code
completion, and validation to assist developers in editing XML files effectively.
• Build and Debug Tools: ADT plugins seamlessly integrate with the Android SDK
(Software Development Kit) and provide tools for building, packaging, and deploying
Android applications. They allow developers to compile their code, create APK (Android
Package) files, and install the app on devices or emulators directly from Eclipse.
c. Define Android Virtual Devices (AVD).

An Android Virtual Device (AVD) is an emulator that simulates the configuration and
behaviour of an Android device. It allows developers to test their applications on a variety of
Android device configurations without requiring physical devices.
Purpose:
 Testing and Debugging: AVDs enable developers to test their apps on different
Android versions, screen sizes, resolutions, and hardware configurations,
ensuring compatibility across a diverse range of devices.
 Emulating Device Features: Developers can use AVDs to simulate various device
features such as cameras, sensors, and network conditions during testing.
 Efficient Development: AVDs contribute to a more efficient development process
by providing a quick and cost-effective way to identify and address issues without
the need for multiple physical devices.
d. Explain Android emulator.
Android emulator is responsible for running,debugging and testing the android application.
• An android sdk comes with a virtual mobile device emulator that runs on the
computer.
• The Android emulator mimics all the hardware and software features of a typical mobile
devices except that it cannot place annual phone calls
• It provides selection of navigation and control keys which we can press using out mouse
keyboard to generate events for our applications.
• We can select the version of android system we want to run in our emulator.
e. Explain Dalvik Virtual Machine (DVM) in detail.
The DVM (Dalvik Virtual Machine) is the virtual machine that was used by the Android
operating system prior to Android 5.0 (Lollipop). It was specifically designed to run
applications written in the Java programming language on Android devices.
Here are some key details about the DVM:
• Purpose: The DVM was developed as a part of the Android platform to execute
Android applications efficiently. It is optimized for mobile devices with limited
resources, such as memory and processing power.
• Bytecode Format: The DVM executes bytecode, which is the compiled form of Java source
code. However, the DVM uses a specialized bytecode format called Dalvik Executable
(DEX) format. The DEX format is optimized for smaller file sizes and efficient memory
usage.
• Register-based Architecture: The DVM is a register-based virtual machine, meaning it
uses a set of registers to store and manipulate data during program execution. It differs from
stack- based virtual machines like the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which operate on a stack
structure.
• Memory Management: The DVM employs automatic memory management through
garbage collection. It automatically frees memory that is no longer needed by the application,
allowing developers to focus on writing code without explicitly managing memory allocation
and deallocation.
• Just-In-Time (JIT) Compilation: The DVM initially used a technique called "Just-In-
Time" (JIT) compilation, where certain parts of the application's bytecode are dynamically
compiled into machine code at runtime for improved performance. This allows frequently
executed code to be optimized for the specific device architecture.
• Application Isolation: Each Android application runs in its own instance of the DVM,
providing a level of isolation and security between different applications. This means that
applications cannot directly access each other's memory or resources.
• Optimization Techniques: The DVM employs various optimization techniques to
improve performance, including instruction packing, constant pool reduction, and
efficient garbage collection algorithms.
f. Differentiate between DVM and JVM.
Dalvik Virtual Machine (DVM) Java Virtual Machine (JVM)
It is Register based which is designed to run It is Stack based.
on low memory.
DVM uses its own byte code and runs ".Dex" JVM uses java byte code and runs ".class"
file. From Android 2.2 SDK file having JIT (Just In Time).
Dalvik has got a Just in Time compiler.
DVM has been designed so that a device Single instance of JVM is shared with
can run multiple instances of the VM multiple applications.
efficiently. Applications are given
their own instance.
DVM supports Android operating system JVM supports multiple operating systems.
only.
For DVM very few Re-tools are available. For JVM many Re-tools are available.

There is constant pool for every It has constant pool for every class.
application.
 Here the executable is APK. Here the executable is JAR.

g. Explain the steps to install and configure Android studio .

Step 1: Go to https://developer.android.com/android-studio/download to get the Android
Studio executable or zip file.
Step 2:
● Click on the Download Android Studio Button.
● Click on the “I have read and agree with the above terms and conditions” checkbox
followed by the download button
● Click on the Save file button in the appeared prompt box and the file will start
downloading.
Step 3: After the downloading has finished, open the file from downloads and will prompt the
following dialog box. Click on next. In the next prompt, it’ll ask for a path for installation.
Choose a path and hit next.
Step 4: It will start the installation, and once it is completed, it will be like the image shown
below.
Step 5: Once “Finish” is clicked, it will ask whether the previous settings need to be imported
[if the android studio had been installed earlier], or not. It is better to choose the ‘Don’t import
Settings option’. Click the OK button.
Step 6: This will start the Android Studio. Meanwhile, it will be finding the available SDK
components.
Step 7: After it has found the SDK components, it will redirect to the Welcome dialog box.
Choose Standard and click on Next. Now choose the theme, whether the Light theme or the
Dark one. The light one is called the IntelliJ theme whereas the dark theme is called Darcula.
Choose as required. Click on the Next button.
Step 8: Now it is time to download the SDK components. Click on Finish. Components
begin to download let it complete. The Android Studio has been successfully configured.
Now it’s time to launch and build apps. Click on the Finish button to launch it.
Step 9: Click on Start a new Android Studio project to build a new app.
i. State how the APK files are built?
 The javac tool compiles the java source file into the class file.
 The dx tool takes all the class files of your application and generates a single
.dex file. It is a platform-specific tool.
 The Android Assets Packaging Tool (aapt) handles the packaging process and
finally creates an executable file with extension .apk.
 An APK file contains all of a program's code (such as .dex files), resources, assets,
certificates, and manifest file.
j. Write the directory path where images are stored while developing Android
application.
app/src/main/res/drawable