How To Create Your Own Android Apps

mrdigitech

New Member
Mobile application development has grown astronomically in recent years due the preponderance of smartphones and other digital devices. With millions of download each day, the Android mobile operating system is one of the major smartphones Operating Systems in the world. Although some of these downloads are free, yet they still provide revenue to their developers. You can create your own android app, which will allow you join the international community of mobile app developers who monetize their apps and then smile to the banks for doing so.

The App Inventor


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The app inventor is a Google lab that lets you build apps using your browser and either an Android phone emulator or a connected phone. The three main components of the App inventor include: The app’s designer, which allows you to select components for your apps including labels, buttons, media and many other functions you could use in your app design.

The second is the app’s block editor, which allows you process your app building activities. Its interface displays something like a puzzle that lets you drag and drop pieces like a jigsaw. The third is the Android app emulator, which acts like an android smartphones but a “Virtual one.”This component is very important because you may need to test the apps in real-time so as to make the necessary changes.

Step 1 : Download the latest version of browsers and obtain Java

In other to successfully use the App inventor, you’ll need to download the latest browsers and then run a Java test to ensure that your system is ready for the App inventor. Once you have succeeded with the Java test, you’ll need to check java app for inventor page and then sign-in with your Google account if you are prompted to do so. The page will let you know if you have correctly configured your browser.

Step 2: Download the App Inventor Software installer

You need to visit the App inventor download page and then click download, ensure that it’s the setup installer you’re downloading, take note of the directory but don’t change it.

Step 3: Launch the App Inventor

You’ll need to launch the App inventor and then click “start new project.” Use ‘Hellopurr’ to name the project and click okay. This project makes use of two media files which consist of an MP3 of purring and a cat in PNG format. At the left hand pane, you’ll see the palette, showing you the components you can use. Click button 1, and then under ‘image’ select ‘none.’ You need to browse to your cat picture, to do this, choose ‘Add’. The appearance of the button will change as a result of these actions; now delete the existing wording after clicking under text.


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Step 4: Setup the app in the Blocks Editor

In other to do this, set up your app via the block editor, and it can run your app through your phone or via the emulator. It’s now time to open the block editor, but you’ll need to exercise a little patience for it to load in a new window. Remember to keep existing windows open. Select connect to device, a drop down list will appear, and then select your phone. Exercise a little patience by waiting for your device to connect properly. If the connection succeeds, you should see the picture of a cat on your phone.


If you decide to use the emulator, just run it and connect it using the same procedures for connecting your phone. Once the connection succeeds, the picture of a Cat will be displayed on your emulator screen. The emulated phone might be locked, in other unlock it; just drag the green lock button to the right. Return to the designer window and make the label appear below the picture. To do this, just drag the label from the palette to the viewer in screen 1. Choose a different colour if you like and change the font size to 30. When the cat is stroked, a purring sound will be added.

Click Palette > Media> Player in the designer window and then in the viewer, drag it to screen 1. Add the source by selecting components > player 1 > source. Search for the Mp3 file, click on it and select okay. Now everything is in place, it’s time to program the app to play sound when the cat is touched.

Go back to the Blocks Editor, Click on button 1 after selecting the Tab ‘My blocks’. Drag into the main editor element ‘when Button1.Clickdo.’ Drag the element which is called ‘player 1. Start’ after clicking player 1 into the space within the element. To play the sound, click the cat. Go back to the editor and Choose the package for your phone and download to this computer, and you’re done with it.

Once you successfully run this simple hello Purr program, you can challenge yourself by exploring other tutorials for building or developing apps at the App inventor. These include various arcade style games, various quiz, painting program and apps that use GPS. Nigerian android app developers can take advantage of their skills by developing quality and relevant android apps, which they publish and sell on Google Playstore. In other to take advantage of financial opportunities on Google playstore, learn to develop your own Android app today.


Photo Credit: mit.edu, computerworld.com
 
No you don't. The major reason why the App inventor was created is to help newbies create their own Android apps without writing codes. Code writing is boring and it requires a lot of skill and expertise. That doesn't mean you shouldn't learn to write codes as an app developer. The App inventor is just a stop-gap approach for newbies venturing into app development.
 
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