Book Image

Android Programming for Beginners - Second Edition

By : John Horton
Book Image

Android Programming for Beginners - Second Edition

By: John Horton

Overview of this book

Are you trying to start a career in programming, but haven't found the right way in? Do you have a great idea for an app, but don't know how to make it a reality? Or maybe you're just frustrated that in order to learn Android, you must know Java. If so, then this book is for you. This new and expanded second edition of Android Programming for Beginners will be your companion to create Android Pie applications from scratch. We will introduce you to all the fundamental concepts of programming in an Android context, from the basics of Java to working with the Android API. All examples use the up-to-date API classes, and are created from within Android Studio, the official Android development environment that helps supercharge your application development process. After this crash course, we'll dive deeper into Android programming and you'll learn how to create applications with a professional-standard UI through fragments and store your user's data with SQLite. In addition, you'll see how to make your apps multilingual, draw to the screen with a finger, and work with graphics, sound, and animations too. By the end of this book, you'll be ready to start building your own custom applications in Android and Java.
Table of Contents (35 chapters)
Android Programming for Beginners - Second Edition
Contributors
Preface
Other Books You May Enjoy
Index

Introducing the NavigationView


What's so great about NavigationView? Well the first thing that might catch your eye is that it can be made to look extremely stylish. Take a look at this following screenshot, which shows off NavigationView in action in the Google Play app:

To be honest right from the outset, ours is not going to be as fancy as the one in the Google Play app. However, the same functionality will be present in our app.

What else is neat about this UI is the way that it slides to hide/reveal itself when required. It is because of this behavior that it can be a significant size, making it extremely flexible with regard to the options that can be put on it and, when the user is finished with it, completely disappears, like a drawer.

I suggest trying the Google Play app now and seeing how it works if you haven't already.

You can slide your thumb/finger from the left-hand edge of the screen and the drawer will slowly slide out. You can, of course, slide it away again in the opposite...