Developer Preview of Android O

Google share a first developer preview of the next version of Android OS: Android O. Android O introduces a number of new features and APIs to use in your apps.

read more: Android Developers Blog - O-MG, the Developer Preview of Android O is here!

Android Apps for Absolute Beginners: Covering Android 7 - 4th Edition

Android Apps for Absolute Beginners: Covering Android 7

Get your first Android apps up and running with the help of plain English and practical examples. If you have a great idea for an Android app, but have never programmed before, then this book is for you. Android Apps for Absolute Beginners cuts through the fog of jargon and mystery that surrounds Android app development, and gives you simple, step-by-step instructions to get you started.

This book teaches Android application development in language anyone can understand, giving you the best possible start in Android development. It provides clean, straightforward examples that make learning easy, allowing you to pick up the concepts without fuss. It offers clear code descriptions and layout so that you can get your apps running as soon as possible

Although this book covers what's new in Android 7, it is also backwards compatible to cover some of the previous Android releases.

What You'll Learn

• Download, install, and configure the latest software needed for Android app development
• Work efficiently using an integrated development environment (IDE)
• Build useful, attractive applications and get them working immediately
• Create apps with ease using XML markup and drag-and-drop graphical layout editors
• Use new media and graphics to skin your app so that it has maximum appeal
• Create advanced apps combining XML, Java and new media content

Who This Book Is For

If you have a great idea for an Android app, but have never programmed before, then this book is for you. You don�t need to have any previous computer programming skills ? as long as you have a desire to learn and you know which end of the mouse is which, the world of Android apps development awaits.

Download NASA Software for Free!

The NASA Software Catalog offers an extensive portfolio of software products for a wide variety of technical applications!

You can access the full catalog for FREE at https://software.nasa.gov/

Implement transparent status bar for android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar

Implement transparent status bar for android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar:

- Follow the steps in "Replace ActionBar with android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar" to implement a simplest toolbar.

- Edit styles.xml to add the item of "android:windowTranslucentStatus".

<resources>

    <!-- Base application theme. -->
    <style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light.NoActionBar">
        <!-- Customize your theme here. -->
        <item name="colorPrimary">@color/colorPrimary</item>
        <item name="colorPrimaryDark">@color/colorPrimaryDark</item>
        <item name="colorAccent">@color/colorAccent</item>
        <item name="android:windowTranslucentStatus">true</item>
    </style>

</resources>

Edit MainActivity.java to set the padding (with the height of status bar) of the status.

package com.blogspot.android_er.androidtoolbarex2;

import android.content.res.Resources;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar;
import android.widget.Toast;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        Toolbar toolbar = (Toolbar)findViewById(R.id.toolbar);
        setSupportActionBar(toolbar);

        toolbar.setPadding(0, getStatusBarHeight(), 0, 0);

    }

    private int getStatusBarHeight() {
        int height;

        Resources myResources = getResources();
        int idStatusBarHeight = myResources.getIdentifier(
                "status_bar_height", "dimen", "android");
        if (idStatusBarHeight > 0) {
            height = getResources().getDimensionPixelSize(idStatusBarHeight);
            Toast.makeText(this,
                    "Status Bar Height = " + height,
                    Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
        }else{
            height = 0;
            Toast.makeText(this,
                    "Resources NOT found",
                    Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
        }

        return height;
    }
}

After finished:

Get the height of status bar

Example to get the height of status bar, in size of pixel.

package com.blogspot.android_er.androidgetstatusbarheight;

import android.content.res.Resources;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.widget.Toast;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        getStatusBarHeight();
    }

    private int getStatusBarHeight() {
        int height;

        Resources myResources = getResources();
        int idStatusBarHeight = myResources.getIdentifier(
                "status_bar_height", "dimen", "android");
        if (idStatusBarHeight > 0) {
            height = getResources().getDimensionPixelSize(idStatusBarHeight);
            Toast.makeText(this,
                    "Status Bar Height = " + height,
                    Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
        }else{
            height = 0;
            Toast.makeText(this,
                    "Resources NOT found",
                    Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
        }

        return height;
    }
}

Remix OS is Android PC. Re-imagining mobile. Redefining PC.

Remix OS for PC, now powered by Android Marshmallow,  allows you to run PC optimized version of Android on any computer. Through a simple and quick setup process, enjoy millions of Android apps and games on your PC alongside the many intuitive and amazing PC features we�ve engineered into Remix OS.

Learn more: http://www.jide.com/remixos-for-pc

Building interfaces with ConstraintLayout in Android Studio

The new Layout Editor in Android Studio 2.2 include a new blueprint mode, revamped properties inspector and support for ConstraintLayout, a new way to define layouts for your apps.


In this Android Tool Time episode Wojtek Kalicinski shows you the basics of working with ConstraintLayouts in the visual editor. If you want to try it out yourself, you can find our codelab here: https://codelabs.developers.google.com/codelabs/constraint-layout

When you�re familiar with the layout editor interface, read the rest of our Medium article where you�ll find some more advanced tips and tricks for ConstraintLayout: https://goo.gl/a5orYw