How to create an apk application. Mobile application development: where to start. Application Development Tools: MobiCart

There are two ways to create a program for Android. The first one, which is used by serious developers, requires understanding Java language and installation of a special development environment. Users without special knowledge looking for information on how to create an application for Android can be advised to use one of the dozens of existing online editors, which in some cases allow them to generate simple mobile utilities in minutes. Let us next consider the process of creating a program using several specialized constructors.

Defining Application Functionality

This is the first stage of creating any mobile program. In our case, no time is wasted on steps such as, for example, creating icons, buttons, or planning the design of the utility. Internet editors are already using ready-made solutions, so all that remains is to select an existing layout, filling it with original content, which can be, for example, informational or gaming.

And for this you need to decide on the functionality. For example, for an online store it could be as follows:

Convenient navigation. The presence of categories and subcategories where the client could find the desired product using given templates.
Using a user-friendly ordering block with a payment system and status tracking.
Personal account for the client with sections “Favorites”, “Purchase History”, etc.
Availability of an information section with news reviews.

In this way, you can formulate tasks and determine the functionality of any type of Android application being created, be it forms, any services, content projects. Next, we’ll tell you how to become a developer of your own Android utility.

A utility with the functionality defined at the previous stage can now be written from scratch using various Internet services tailored for the creation of multifunctional or highly specialized applications. Since the minimum list of online store capabilities for Android was previously defined, let’s look at how to create a program of this type using MobiCart.

This service is designed specifically for commercial utilities. An Android application written using MobiCart can effectively replace an existing network platform. Features of the designer in question:

Russian interface support;
Payment is accepted by cash or PayPal;
Availability of a non-commercial tariff with limited functionality in the form of the ability to add a dozen items to the storefront.

To create your own utility, register in the service. After this, you can use your account, where as the first step you need to select Create Application. Further:

By selecting Upload logo, upload your logo future program and specify the design color.
Below you will need to select the tabs that users will see on the device screen. This section also specifies the pages that the designer will need to generate for your store.
After saving the changes, go to settings the application being created. This feature is available in the Store Settings section.
The name of the store being created and your email address write on the Store tab. You can select the currency to use from the drop-down menu.
The service shows if necessary Google Maps in the utility, for which the registered API key is indicated in a special field.
If you expect free delivery, here you can activate the above option and specify its conditions. In the Cash On Delivery line, you can specify a surcharge (in the form decimal), which the client will have to pay upon cash on delivery. For example, the number 1.06 would mean that the purchase price will increase by 6%.
Specify the region in Shipping in the drop-down list. You can specify the delivery price for a single (Single order) or a package (Multiple orders) of goods.
Select the line Prices to include tax by going to the Tax section. This means that the price of the product will be indicated including VAT, which is typical for all domestic retailers.
Payment systems through which clients will transfer funds to you are indicated in Payments Gateway. Popular systems like Qiwi or Yandex.Money are not supported in MobiCart, so be sure to activate the ability to use cash on delivery.
The language is configured in the Languges section. Since Russian is not supported here, the text of messages must be entered manually, and then be sure to save the information.
Go to App Vital, where you need to specify the name created utility, as well as the countries in which the application can be used.
The icons that the user will see on the screen of his gadget in the store can be uploaded to Images. Upload the image for the main screen to the Home Gallery.
Descriptions for products can be placed in Store Builder in several ways:
News content for the site can be created in the News section. Write the content of the message and click on Publish News.

Next, all that remains is to create installation file for a practically created mobile online store utility. For this purpose, go to Create Application, open the Submit Apps tab in it, click Continue. Here you will need to accept license agreement, after which the system will generate an installation file for the mobile application based on the settings you have made.

When choosing a non-commercial tariff, the created file in the store Google Play you will have to post on our own- Relevant instructions will be sent by email. If you choose a paid plan, MobiCart will independently publish your development on Google Play. You can verify that the program is working by installing the latest one on own gadget and checking the correct display of product cards and news.

Creating a themed mobile utility with AppsGeyser

To start using this Android constructor, you need to register, for which click Create Now.

AppsGeyser has become a multifunctional service that allows you to develop mobile utility any type. The following available templates are suitable for the information resource:

Manual for creating a small guide utility;
Blog for reading your blog pages on the gadget screen;
Website to convert your website to mobile app;
News, which creates an aggregator of news, for example, some thematic or regional;
Page capable of converting e-book or other similar content in the Android application.

Use a Blog template:

If you have already registered with AppsGeyser, the system will redirect you to your personal account, where you can install the created Android program on your own device and publish it on Google Play. The utility can be monetized here. When this option is selected, users will see advertisements. IN personal account Information about the number of installations of your program is also available, and here you can edit it.

Other Android app builders

For one reason or another, neither MobiCart nor AppsGeyser may be suitable for you. And they cannot solve such a problem as creating a game on Android without programming, for example. However, there are many similar constructors on the Internet today, with which you can write a program in a similar way. Here are some:

AppsMakerStore. Creates Android applications of almost any type - from commercial to thematic ones. Has a Russified interface and comprehensive guide. There is a fee for use.
Mobincube. Allows you to write and monetize generated utilities on various topics. Basic functionality is free.
Monomobi. Commercial tool for quick creation Android programs with a Russified interface. You can try the service for free during the trial period.
Appsbar. Free Android editor for creating simple applications for phones.

Most of these editors are paid, especially if the utilities created in them can be monetized for profit without the ability to “code.” On free constructors you can learn, try to do something of your own, but the quality and functionality of the program will be low. And create quality game It’s also unlikely to work on Android without programming.

Remember that when making a program using such a constructor, you often become dependent on a service that, if desired, can “cover” your project. Therefore, to create serious projects, it is better to learn basic principles programming and development required applications without network assistants.

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– it’s not as difficult as it might seem. However, you still cannot do without minimal knowledge in programming and code development.

There are many services online that provide ready-made templates to write programs, but you can only create a truly profitable application using code.

Before you start developing your first application yourself, the user needs to download and install the following software products.

Installing the Java Development Kit

After installation is complete, you need to open the application and check all uninstalled packages and resources.

In the next step, you must add it to the integrated development environment Android plugin SDK. For example Eclipse environments You can add a plugin like this:

In the “Help” tab, click “Add new software”.

Click the “Add” button and enter the plugin name and address.

Click “OK” and check the box next to “Developer Tools’”.
Click “Next” and start installing the plugin.

After installation, the user will introduce new icons into their integrated environment.

Setting up emulators for testing

The emulator relieves programmers from the need to have all types of devices with an operating system. Android system for testing new applications.

This is what it looks like Android SDK

To add a new device, click on the “New” button and create virtual device by entering basic data and its characteristics.

Name;

It is necessary to enter a name that would indicate as informatively as possible what it is this device.

Target;

Here you need to select the version of Android on which to test.

Advice! Testing is often carried out on latest versions operating system, however, if the programmer decides to do this on earlier versions, then it becomes necessary to install an SDK manager.

SD card;

Quantity required disk space, which will be used in the device.

Skin;

Allows you to create and modify appearance virtual device.

Hardware;

Adds equipment that will be used during testing.

Elena Shramenko

CEO
"Akintsev and Partners" company

“I would like to say a few words about the mobile application designer from AppGlobal.

We recently developed our application based on the AppGlobal constructor. And every day we are revealing more and more possibilities of this tool, with which you can implement the most different tasks.

Firstly, I realized that this tool is of great benefit to both parties: for us, as the owners of the application, and for our clients who use this application.

By solving our marketing problems, we give our clients additional benefits:

They have at their fingertips all the information on a topic that interests them, and have the opportunity to study materials that are not available in free access. They can take advantage of discounts and gifts that are only active through the app. They also have the opportunity to pay for your service or delivery from the application and make free call.

Thanks to this we get regular customers and attract new ones.”

Ilya Basnin

AppGlobal partner

“The big disadvantage of all other services is the lack of technical support.

I have analyzed many constructors.

Most often, simple inexpensive platforms are used, the owners of which simply copy AppGlobal materials, but the designer itself remains “raw” and unfinished.

Their big disadvantage is the lack of support. And, despite the low prices, they still cannot withstand the competition.”

Arthur Budovsky

“Sales increased by 14% in the first month of using the mobile application!

I write selling texts and teach people this art. The level of trust my readers have in me has increased only because there is a mobile application. Like, if my School is in Apstore and Google Play, it means that I have a solid business, and not some kind of “scam”. People buy trainings without even downloading the app to their phone.

The AppGlobal constructor itself is a mega-tool! You can create full application yourself, without special programming knowledge, in just a couple of hours! The only thing is that I would like to be able to make different interfaces, because all applications are similar to each other due to the buttons.

I am currently hosting audio and video materials, information tabs. There is a subscription to news, integration with social networks. I use push notifications for my readers. Eat Feedback, such as receiving messages, photos from clients.

Despite the fact that the launch of my product was delayed due to moderation, I am very pleased with the cooperation with the AppGlobal service. Problems are resolved quite quickly, consultants help to sort out all the issues.

My site now lives a mobile life. I really hope that my clients and readers will appreciate my mobile application and come back to me more than once!

Thanks AppGlobal for simple solutions difficult but important questions!”

04/09/17 3.3K

Mobile development software can be an interesting and useful activity. In this article we will tell you how to create an android application.

Android Studio

To write an application, you will need to download and install Android Studio. The package includes a software development kit with all libraries and Android codes necessary for application development. And also an Android emulator, which allows you to first test the application on your PC without installing it on a real mobile device.

But first you need to download and install the Java Development Kit ( JDK) from Oracle. Find the section " Java SE Development Kit 7u79» and download the version for your PC. Important to download correct version (32-bit or 64-bit), otherwise Android Studio will not be able to find Java Runtime Environment ( JRE).

Note: Oracle will not be publishing any updates to Java SE 7 on its public sites, and users are expected to migrate en masse to Java 8. But currently Android Studio requires Java 7. This may change in the future.

After you have installed the JDK, you need to install Android Studio. During installation, you must specify how much memory to reserve for Android emulator. It runs Android as a virtual machine, just like a smartphone with Intel processor. This is faster than ARM processor emulation on PC. But to run this virtual machine, the emulator must allocate some memory. But before you create an Android application yourself, keep in mind that the combination of Android Studio, Java and an emulator will be quite resource-intensive, and the computer may slow down.

Google says at least 2GB is needed random access memory, and 4 GB is recommended. But my main PC has 8 GB, and it still slows down sometimes:

At the first launching Android Studio will do primary initialization, which includes downloading and installing the latest Android versions SDK. This may take a few minutes.

Once everything is downloaded and installed, you will see a menu that allows you to create a new one, open an existing one, or import a project, etc.

Create a new project

Click " Start a new Android Studio project" and enter the name of your application in the field " Application name" In field " Company Domain» Enter the official domain of your company. If you are an independent developer or hobbyist, enter your own domain. If you're just experimenting with Android and don't plan to publish your apps to Google Play anytime soon, just leave the example domain, just change " user" in your name (without spaces):

In the next dialog box, make sure you have the " Phone and Tablet", and for " Minimum SDK» installed - API 15: Android 4.0.3. For options " Wear" And " TV» checkboxes should not be checked.

In the dialog box " Add an activity to Mobile» leave the default value « Blank Activity" and press " Next" In the dialog box " Customize the Activity" Leave all values and click " Finish»:

Integrated Development Environment ( IDE) is running. This may take a few minutes ( especially if this is your first time creating a project). If you see the error message " Rendering Problems: Rendering failed with known bug", click the link " rebuild" that appears next to the error message.

Default, working space The IDE is divided into three main parts ( not counting the toolbar, etc.). At the top left is the project tree. To the right of it is the code editor, and below them are messages.

Before you create an Android application from scratch, you can already compile and run the automatically created application, but this is not very interesting. Instead, we'll add a few tidbits to get you started with Android app development.

Project tree

The project tree contains all the files and resources needed to create an Android application. If you are familiar with the spelling simple programs in Java, C, Python, etc., you might think that everything would be contained in just one or two files. But Android app development is a little more complicated:

At node " app The project tree contains several nodes (for example, folders) that can be expanded. Knots top level are “ manifests”, “java" And " res" The latter is an abbreviation for “ resources”.

IN " manifests” the file is located “ AndroidManifest.xml", every application must contain it. This is an XML file with information about the application, including its name. An element often added to this file is a list of permissions required by the application. For this simple application there is no need to change anything here.

In chapter " java» contains the Java code of the application. It will be in a subdirectory called com.example.user.myfirstapp. This is the company domain name you entered earlier, but in reverse, plus the application name. This folder contains the MainActivity.java file. This is the entry point to the application and the only java file, which we will need.

We continue to create a simple application for Android. In chapter " res» there are several folders for graphics, menus and elements user interface. We are interested " layout" And " values" In folder " layout" there is a file called " activity_main.xml" This is an XML file that describes the user interface. You can edit it in two ways. First - direct editing XML code, the second is to use the built-in UI designer:

In folder " values"contains several XML files. IN this moment the most important one for us is strings.xml . Instead of specifying in Java code string values They are usually placed in the file " strings.xml", and we can refer to them through identifiers. The advantage is that if a string is used multiple times, it can only be changed once and the changes will take effect in all places. This also makes it easier to support multiple languages within the app.

To create an Android application yourself, you will need to change the MainActivity.java, activity_main.xml and strings.xml files.

Writing an application

For our example, we will add a button labeled " Tap Me!", change the default greeting " Hello world!" on " Tap me if you dare!" We will also change it so that it is in the center. And let's add code so that when the button is clicked, the text " toast»!

Let's start by changing the greeting text and its alignment. First, find the file “ activity_main.xml» and double-click on it. Remember, that " activity_main.xml" is a file that contains the user interface definition. At the bottom of the code window there are two tabs: " Design" And " Text" Go to the " Design».

Now click on the text " Hello world!", which is shown in the window preview smartphone screen. If it is too small, use the zoom button ( magnifying glass with plus sign).

In the properties window located to the right of the phone image, scroll down the screen until you find the words “ layout: centerInParent" Click on the space bar next to it and select " horizontal" After this the text “ Hello world!» will move to the center:

Before creating an Android application without skills, let's change the text. Line " Hello world!" is stored in the file " strings.xml" in the res->values section. If you double-click on this file, you will see several XML lines that define the strings used by the application.

Find this line:

XMLSELECT ALL XMLSELECT ALL Hello world!

And change it to:

CSSELECT ALL CSSELECT ALL Tap me if you dare!

We've changed the greeting's alignment and text. Now let's add a button. Return to the " Design» file « activity_main.xml", find in the list " Palette"To the left of the smartphone image is the item " Button" and click on it. Now click somewhere under the words “ Tap me if you dare!».

Double-click a button to change its text. At the end of the field “ text:” there is a button with three dots, click on it. In the window " Resources» click « New Resource", and then " New String Value…" In field " Resource name:" enter " tapme", and in the field " Resource value:» — “ Tap me!" Then click " OK" Now we have a button “ Tap me!”.

The last step in creating a simple Android application is to add Java code that responds to button clicks. One of the custom elements Android interface- This " toast." It provides a simple message in a small popup window. You've undoubtedly seen this. For example, in Gmail, when you sign out Email Before the email is sent, the message “ Message saved to drafts" Later certain time it disappears.

For our example application, we will display a message every time a button is clicked. The first step is to add the Java code. Find the file " MainActivity.java" and add the following code to " onCreate«:

JAVASELECT ALL JAVASELECT ALL public void onButtonTap(View v) ( Toast myToast = Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(), "Ouch!", Toast.LENGTH_LONG); myToast.show(); )

Word " View" in the phrase "( View v)" will be red and a message will appear next to it that you have used new design (View), without importing it in the import section, at the top of the Java code. This is easy to fix. Click on the word " View" and then ALT + ENTER. If the word “ Toast” is marked in red, do the same again:

Return to the file designer section " activity_main.xml", click the button and scroll the list of properties to the item " onClick" Click on the box on the right and a list of functions will appear on the screen. Click on " onButtonTap", this is a feature we just added.

Now the onButtonTap() function will be called whenever the button is clicked. To display the message, we call myToast.show() .

That's all for creating an Android application yourself, now let's test it in an emulator.

Building and testing the application

On the menu " Tools» Go to Android-AVD Manager. This tool displays a list of currently configured virtual Android devices. You will have one device configured by default, probably a Nexus 5. Click on the play icon (triangle) in the " actions" This will launch the emulator.

Depending on the performance of your PC and the amount of memory allocated, it may take a few minutes for the emulator to start. Once the emulator is running, go to the " Tools" and press " Run 'app" The application will be compiled and sent to the emulator. During this, Android Studio will ask you which emulator to use. You will see your current emulator listed. This should be the default option, so just click " OK»:

The application will appear in the emulator. Click the “ Tap me!” - a message should appear at the bottom of the screen. Congratulations, everything works!

What to do next and conclusion

You can also run the application on a real device. The easiest way to do this is to enable USB Debugging on Android-device and connect it to the computer. The USB debugging option can be found in the section Settings – For Developers. If you don’t have this section, open “Settings” - “About phone”, and then tap “Build number” seven times.

When the device is connected, click " Run 'app" on the menu " Tools", but this time do not send the application to the virtual device, but send it to the real device. If the device is not listed, it means that you have not enabled USB debugging or you need to install the appropriate USB driver. See the OEM USB Drivers and Google USB Drivers sections in Google documentation.

You have successfully created a simple Android application. The next thing to do is to write a second application and continue working. Google provides a lot educational materials for Android developers, and extensive documentation and many code examples.

But above all, you should keep learning!

This publication is a translation of the article “ Writing your first Android app– everything you need to know", prepared by the friendly project team

Good bad

Way to software development not easy, but if you are interested, like android, then you need to start somewhere. But, let’s say, there is no desire to study programming languages, but you want to immediately move on to creating a finished product. Is this possible? Yes, yes! So we'll look at how complete newbie(or on Android).

Search for material

To create a good game, many people look for manuals. They are useful for step-by-step training and understanding the basics, but this is not enough for complex projects. So, a person must have the skills to solve problems that arise. And this only comes with experience, and manuals, alas, will not help here. Therefore, the best answer to the question “How to create an application for iOS 9 yourself” (or for Android) is to start working on it. But let’s figure it out how this process happens.

Choosing a direction

Many people recommend not starting with big projects like MMO, 3D FPS and so on. The argument is based on the fact that many people abandon their development without completing it. Therefore, it is recommended to start with small projects. But at the same time, you can hear the idea that it is necessary to decide on an idea and begin to implement it. It may take a person a year or even more, but in the end he will do everything that needs to be done. But it is necessary to weigh and understand all the risks, since even a small mistake made at the beginning may turn out to be significant problem already at the final stage of creating the project. Therefore, it is necessary to study the existing theoretical issues qualitatively, carefully and very carefully.

For ease of operation one major project can be divided into a large number of little ones. But after one module is completed, it must be combined with existing work.

Event Handling: Essentials

When work begins, you should take on the easiest thing, where you don’t need to worry about the presence of complex algorithms or artificial intelligence. At the same time, we must try our best to understand fundamentals gaming architecture and logic. IN in this case the optimal thing would be something that works on a step-by-step basis.

When considering how to create iOS applications from scratch, one cannot help but mention this advice: start with the core of the program. Individual details will not be difficult to finalize at the final stage.

Various actions

The most used ones include motion, collision, synchronization and animation. In addition to these, game loops, scoring, determining victory or defeat status, and other important basic concepts that are used in many applications are of great importance. So, it is recommended to start with collision detection, transitions between levels, creating minimal logic, primitive artificial intelligence, and so on. You can also try splitting the program into two or three files to achieve the best result in terms of optimizing the resources used. At the same time, it is advisable to try to keep everything within reason, and the application does not turn out to be too large.

We reach a more difficult level

Before this stage, a person should already understand and know how to create an application for iOS or Android. It requires a carefully designed architecture, which necessitates the use of planning. Thus, it is often necessary to have advanced physics (for example, recognizing collisions of different objects and various types surfaces). This is necessary to make applications (in this case games) more realistic.

Just remember Super Mario - in it, gravity and inertia are made in such a way that they create the feeling of their real presence. For a serious brain challenge, consider a game like billiards.

If you want to create programs aimed at useful activities, you need to take other features into account. These include the following: the accuracy of the data processed and stored and the formulas used; the correctness of all paths; application stability; optimal use available resources and so on. Returning to the topic of games, we note that good result In this case, they will be able to show you level editors that simplify the writing of complex developments.

Working on artificial intelligence

Success modern games lies in their principle of interaction between several people. But the presence of artificial intelligence allows us to introduce a number of interesting aspects, so it is not completely ignored, but used as a good addition.

To simplify tasks, certain algorithms are often used. Of course, for this, as a rule, it is also necessary to have a good understanding of mathematics, but thanks to the Internet it will be possible to understand almost anything without any knowledge. basic knowledge. Algorithms are also useful for interaction at varying difficulties gameplay. In applications artificial intelligence can analyze user actions and offer optimal work options for him.

Using the network

When considering the question of how to create applications for iOS or Android, it should be said that adding the Internet significantly complicates the task. For example, care must be taken to ensure that the actions of one player are transmitted to others. For this purpose, as a rule, a server is used as an intermediary. The better it is done, the more reliable the development will be. But along with this, the load will also increase.

For applications where network latency and packet loss have a negative impact, you will have to design everything as optimally as possible. First of all, this means programs that exchange significant amounts of data. To understand the working mechanisms here, it is highly recommended to use a local host and small programs that transmit small amounts of information (chats are an example). In addition, due to the nature of the protocols used, one often has to make a choice between speed and reliability.

So we looked at how to create iOS applications from scratch. As you can see, this requires a lot of study and practice. Is it possible to do without this? Oddly enough, this is quite real. Let's talk about this.

Development without learning programming

This is especially relevant in cases where you need to quickly do small program for a site with simple functionality. Although experienced web developers can also resort to this. Special services come to the rescue with this. They can all be united under the slogan “Simple, cheap and fast!”

Examples include the following services: AppsGeyser, TheAppBuilder, Appsmakerstore, Biznessapps, My-apps.com, iBuildApp, Viziapps, AppMakr, Mobile Roadie and AppsBuilder. Each of them has its own unique features and functions.

You also need to understand that almost all of them are paid. A free versions do not have wide functionality. If we consider them general scheme, then we can say that they reflect the idea of level editors that we discussed earlier. But in this case they cover a very wide scope. Here, answering the question of how to create an application for iOS without programming skills, you also need to worry about the fact that you will have to pay for such luxury, and a considerable amount. Such servers are foreign or aimed primarily at foreign users. Thus, the price of their services will range from 10 dollars to several hundred for one month of use. That is, time is money. In this case, it will be necessary to ensure that the opportunities presented are used to the maximum.

Service functionality

So we looked at how to create applications for iOS and Android. Now let's pay attention to the functionality they have. If we divide it into categories, we have the following:

Aimed at working with content. Such services help collect information from the site and combine it into one application. An example is AppsGeyser. Moreover, in this case, you can not only collect information, but also place advertisements in applications.
Shareware services, which, using templates and designers, allow you to create applications for sports, education, music, and so on. True, they will contain advertising, which can be disabled for a certain amount. In the case of TheAppBuilder, this will cost $5.
Paid design services, which allow you to create business-related applications. Their functionality includes a basket for goods, geolocation, placement of information about available goods and services, upcoming events and promotions, and so on. An example is the previously mentioned Biznessapps service, but its prices are steep, because they start at $29.
Creating applications is free, money is required when it is published in the store(for example, in the Google Play Market). An example is BuildFire. True, its peculiarity is that you only need to pay once a month. The amount in this case is 49 US dollars.

As you can see, there are two options for creating applications for iOS and Android. Which one to ultimately choose is up to the user.