143 lines
6.3 KiB
Plaintext
143 lines
6.3 KiB
Plaintext
page.title=Notepad Tutorial
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@jd:body
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<p>This tutorial on writing a notepad application gives you a "hands-on" introduction
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to the Android framework and the tools you use to build applications on it.
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Starting from a preconfigured project file, it guides you through the process of
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developing a simple notepad application and provides concrete examples of how to
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set up the project, develop the application logic and user interface, and then
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compile and run the application. </p>
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<p>The tutorial presents the application development as a set of
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exercises (see below), each consisting of several steps. You should follow
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the steps in each exercise to gradually build and refine your
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application. The exercises explain each step in detail and provide all the
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sample code you need to complete the application. </p>
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<p>When you are finished with the tutorial, you will have created a functioning
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Android application and will have learned many of the most important
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concepts in Android development. If you want to add more complex features to
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your application, you can examine the code in an alternative implementation
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of a Note Pad application, in the
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<a href="{@docRoot}resources/samples/index.html">Sample Code</a> section. </p>
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<a name="who"></a>
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<h2>Who Should Use this Tutorial</h2>
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<p>This tutorial is designed for experienced developers, especially those with
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knowledge of the Java programming language. If you haven't written Java
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applications before, you can still use the tutorial, but you might need to work
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at a slower pace. </p>
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<p>Also note that this tutorial uses
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the Eclipse development environment, with the Android plugin installed. If you
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are not using Eclipse, you can follow the exercises and build the application,
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but you will need to determine how to accomplish the Eclipse-specific
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steps in your environment. </p>
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<a name="preparing"></a>
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<h2>Preparing for the Exercises</h2>
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<p>The tutorial assumes that you have some familiarity with basic Android
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application concepts and terminology. If you are not, you
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should read <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/fundamentals.html">Application
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Fundamentals</a> before continuing. </p>
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<p>This tutorial also builds on the introductory information provided in the
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<a href="{@docRoot}resources/tutorials/hello-world.html">Hello World</a>
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tutorial, which explains how to set up your Eclipse environment
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for building Android applications. We recommend you complete the Hello World
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tutorial before starting this one.</p>
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<p>To prepare for this lesson:</p>
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<ol>
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<li>Download the <a href="codelab/NotepadCodeLab.zip">project
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exercises archive (.zip)</a>.</li>
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<li>Unpack the archive file to a suitable location on your machine.</li>
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<li>Open the <code>NotepadCodeLab</code> folder.</li>
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</ol>
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<p>Inside the <code>NotepadCodeLab</code> folder, you should see six project
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files: <code>Notepadv1</code>,
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<code>Notepadv2</code>, <code>Notepadv3</code>,
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<code>Notepadv1Solution</code>, <code>Notepadv2Solution</code>
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and <code>Notepadv3Solution</code>. The <code>Notepadv#</code> projects are
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the starting points for each of the exercises, while the
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<code>Notepadv#Solution</code> projects are the exercise
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solutions. If you are having trouble with a particular exercise, you
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can compare your current work against the exercise solution.</p>
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<a name="exercises"></a>
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<h2> Exercises</h2>
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<p>The table below lists the tutorial exercises and describes the development
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areas that each covers. Each exercise assumes that you have completed any
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previous exercises.</p>
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<table border="0" style="padding:4px;spacing:2px;" summary="This
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table lists the
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tutorial examples and describes what each covers. ">
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<tr>
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<th width="120"><a href="{@docRoot}resources/tutorials/notepad/notepad-ex1.html">Exercise
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1</a></th>
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<td>Start here. Construct a simple notes list that lets the user add new notes but not
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edit them. Demonstrates the basics of <code>ListActivity</code> and creating
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and handling
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menu options. Uses a SQLite database to store the notes.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<th><a href="{@docRoot}resources/tutorials/notepad/notepad-ex2.html">Exercise 2</a></th>
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<td>Add a second Activity to the
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application. Demonstrates constructing a
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new Activity, adding it to the Android manifest, passing data between the
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activities, and using more advanced screen layout. Also shows how to
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invoke another Activity to return a result, using
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<code>startActivityForResult()</code>.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<th><a href="{@docRoot}resources/tutorials/notepad/notepad-ex3.html">Exercise 3</a></th>
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<td>Add handling of life-cycle events to
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the application, to let it
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maintain application state across the life cycle. </td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<th><a href="{@docRoot}resources/tutorials/notepad/notepad-extra-credit.html">Extra
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Credit</a></th>
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<td>Demonstrates how to use the Eclipse
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debugger and how you can use it to
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view life-cycle events as they are generated. This section is optional but
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highly recommended.</td>
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</tr>
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</table>
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<a name="other"></a>
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<h2>Other Resources and Further Learning</h2>
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<ul>
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<li>For a lighter but broader introduction to concepts not covered in the
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tutorial,
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take a look at <a href="{@docRoot}resources/faq/commontasks.html">Common Android Tasks</a>.</li>
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<li>The Android SDK includes a variety of fully functioning sample applications
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that make excellent opportunities for further learning. You can find the sample
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applications in the <code>samples/</code> directory of your downloaded SDK, or browser them
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here, in the <a href="{@docRoot}resources/samples/index.html">Sample Code</a> section.</li>
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<li>This tutorial draws from the full Notepad application included in the
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<code>samples/</code> directory of the SDK, though it does not match it exactly.
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When you are done with the tutorial,
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it is highly recommended that you take a closer look at this version of the Notepad
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application,
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as it demonstrates a variety of interesting additions for your application,
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such as:</li>
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<ul>
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<li>Setting up a custom striped list for the list of notes.</li>
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<li>Creating a custom text edit view that overrides the <code>draw()</code>
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method to make it look like a lined notepad.</li>
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<li>Implementing a full <code>ContentProvider</code> for notes.</li>
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<li>Reverting and discarding edits instead of just automatically saving
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them.</li>
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</ul>
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</ul>
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