Book Image

Google App Inventor

By : Ralph Roberts
Book Image

Google App Inventor

By: Ralph Roberts

Overview of this book

<center><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UgRhYG_bvW8" width="500" height="315" frameborder="0"></iframe></center> <p>The number of mobile apps has grown exponentially in the last two years. If you want to join the crowd, Google’s App Inventor is the easiest and best tool for you to get started with. It is a tool to create Android phone apps and uses a graphical user interface, and drag and drop methods to create apps. It’s so simple that anyone can build an app.<br /><br />Learn how Google App Inventor eliminates the mystery around programming. It is a visual language, where we simply drag and drop blocks (graphic elements representing blocks of code) in various combinations to give us applications that run on our phones or other Android-based devices. No programming background is required. Playing with blocks has never been more fun!<br /><br />The emphasis is on creating apps that work and that you understand fully. The first part of the book gives you a sound foundation in the basics, and lots of tips on how to use App Inventor. The second part is all about creating complete apps ready for real world use. The book includes apps that communicate, use databases to remember, surf the Web and other networks, use GPS and various sensors on your phone, and let you write or play games.</p>
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
Google App Inventor
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface

Individual component blocks


The Built-In tab of Blocks Editor always has pretty much the same blocks available. The "pretty much" caveat is there because each update (which you get automatically from the Google Labs developer heroes) adds new blocks from time to time.

Note

Frequent the forums at http://appinventor.googlelabs.com/forum to keep up with all the new goodies.

The My Blocks tab is a totally different animal. The number of drawers on it depends on what components you've dropped in place in Design.

For every component you add in Design, a drawer for it is automatically created in Blocks Editor. We'll be looking at and using these drawers during all the many examples to come.

Now, a short quiz, and you may go out and play with blocks.

Pop quiz

  1. 1. Error trapping is:

    a. Setting out steel traps for huge bugs.

    b. Causes your phone to lock up.

    c. Blocks that prevent known errors.

    d. None of the above.

  2. 2. "Declaring" a variable is:

    a. Illegal in some countries.

    b. Requires practice speaking in front...