Android Apps with App Inventor
The Fast and Easy Way to Build Android Apps
Published on 15. March 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
600 pages
978-0-321-81270-4 (ISBN)
Description
Wi>Android Apps with App Inventor provides hands-on walkthroughs that cover every area of App Inventor development, including the Google and MIT versions of App Inventor.
Kloss begins with the absolute basics of program structure, syntax, flow, and function, and then demonstrates simple ways to solve today's most common mobile development problems. Along the way, you'll build a dozen real Android apps, from games and geotrackers to navigation systems and news tickers. By the time you're done, you'll be comfortable implementing advanced apps and mashups integrating realtime multimedia data from all kinds of Web services with the communication and sensor-based features of your smartphone.
Topics covered include
Installing and configuring App Inventor
Building modern, attractive mobile user interfaces
Controlling Android media hardware, including the camera
Saving data locally with TinyDB, or in the cloud with TinyWebDB
Streamlining and automating phone, text, and email communications
Tracking orientation, acceleration, and geoposition
Integrating text-to-speech and speech-to-text in your apps
Controlling other apps and Web services with ActivityStarter
Building mobile mashups by exchanging data with Web APIs
Testing your apps for diverse hardware with the Android Emulator
Example apps, including multimedia center, online vocabulary trainer, finger painting, squash game, compass, geocacher, navigator, stock market ticker, and many more
This book will empower you to explore, experiment, build your skills and confidence, and start writing professional-quality Android apps-for yourself, and for everyone else!
Companion files for this title can be found at informit.com/title/9780321812704
Kloss begins with the absolute basics of program structure, syntax, flow, and function, and then demonstrates simple ways to solve today's most common mobile development problems. Along the way, you'll build a dozen real Android apps, from games and geotrackers to navigation systems and news tickers. By the time you're done, you'll be comfortable implementing advanced apps and mashups integrating realtime multimedia data from all kinds of Web services with the communication and sensor-based features of your smartphone.
Topics covered include
Installing and configuring App Inventor
Building modern, attractive mobile user interfaces
Controlling Android media hardware, including the camera
Saving data locally with TinyDB, or in the cloud with TinyWebDB
Streamlining and automating phone, text, and email communications
Tracking orientation, acceleration, and geoposition
Integrating text-to-speech and speech-to-text in your apps
Controlling other apps and Web services with ActivityStarter
Building mobile mashups by exchanging data with Web APIs
Testing your apps for diverse hardware with the Android Emulator
Example apps, including multimedia center, online vocabulary trainer, finger painting, squash game, compass, geocacher, navigator, stock market ticker, and many more
This book will empower you to explore, experiment, build your skills and confidence, and start writing professional-quality Android apps-for yourself, and for everyone else!
Companion files for this title can be found at informit.com/title/9780321812704
More details
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
02/2012
1st Edition
Pearson
€47.49
Available for download
Person
Joerg H. Kloss has been actively involved with innovative information and communication technology for many years, and has developed Android applications with App Inventor since it was still in early closed beta. Kloss has developed 3D online information systems, and worked at Fraunhofer IAO's VRLab. He is the author of X3D: Programming Interactive 3D Applications for the Internet, published in German (Addison-Wesley, 2010), and is currently working on mobile augmented reality, ubiquitous computing, and contextual services.
Content
Preface by Hal Abelson xv Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xxi
About the Author xxiii
Introduction 1
Structure and Overview 2
Requirements 5
History 5
Part I: Preparing Your First App 13
Chapter 1: Preparation and Installation 15
System Requirements 17
Login Data for App Inventor 27
Installation of the App Inventor Setup Software 29
Android Device Settings 33
Chapter 2: The Development Environment 39
Welcome to App Inventor! 40
App Inventor Designer 41
App Inventor Blocks Editor 53
Integrate Android Phone 63
Using the Emulator 69
Start-Up Problems 72
Chapter 3: Developing Your First App 81
Creating the Project "LaughBag" 82
Designing the User Interface 84
Developing App Functionality 97
Creating and Installing the App 107
Part II: Easy Projects as a Warm-Up 131
Chapter 4: Basic Terms and Central Concepts 133
Properties and Property Blocks 133
Events and Event Handlers 135
Methods and Method Blocks 137
Chapter 5: The AI References 139
Component Reference 139
Blocks Reference 143
Concepts Reference 145
Chapter 6: Graphical User Interface 147
Displaying Text with the Label Component 147
Triggering Actions with the Button Component 150
Selecting Options with the CheckBox Component 153
Entering Text with the TextBox Component 158
Entering Confidential Text with the PasswordTextBox Component 161
Displaying Notices and Alerts with the Notifier Component 164
Tidying the Screen with the Screen Arrangement Components 167
Actions at App Start with the Screen Component 171
Chapter 7: Multimedia 175
Media Access Options 175
The Basic Principle: Synergy 178
Displaying Local and Online Images with the Image Component 179
Taking Photos and Displaying Them with the Camera Component 183
Managing Images with the ImagePicker Component 188
Sound Effects and Vibration with the Sound Component 192
Playing Audio Files with the Player Component 195
Playing Movies with the VideoPlayer Component 199
Recording Audio with the SoundRecorder Component 203
Chapter 8: Example Project: Creating a Media Center 211
Ergonomic Redesign of a Media Center 211
Multiple Screens for the Media Center 215
Part III: On the Way to Becoming an App Developer 221
Chapter 9: Program Development Basics 223
Elements of Data Processing 224
Using Colors with the Color Block Group 227
Processing Numbers with the Math Block Group 229
Checking Program States with the Logic Block Group 232
Editing Text and Strings with the Text Block Group 234
Defining Container Structures with the Definition Block Group 241
Managing Lists with the List Block Group 247
Controlling Program Flow with the Control Block Group 252
Tips for Program Development 267
Example Projects 278
Chapter 10: Storage and Databases 305
Saving Data Locally with the TinyDB Component 306
Saving Data on the Web with the TinyWebDB Component 313
Part IV: Developing Attractive Apps 327
Chapter 11: Graphics and Animation 329
Painting as if on a Canvas with the Canvas Component 330
Animations with the Ball and ImageSprite Components 345
Controlling Automatic Processes with the Clock Component 358
Chapter 12: Sensors 375
Measuring Orientation with the OrientationSensor Component 376
Measuring g-Force with the AccelerometerSensor Component 387
Determining Geoposition with the LocationSensor Component 403
Chapter 13: Communication 433
Task: Developing a Driver Assistance System 434
Managing SMS Messages Fully Automatically 450
Data Exchange via an Interface 462
Mobile Mashups with Web Services 487
Part V: Useful Things for the Developer 511
Chapter 14: Special Functional Areas 513
Application-Specific Components 513
Dedicated Component Groups 518
Chapter 15: Tips and Tools 527
Supported Media Formats 527
Control with the Java Console 530
Setting Up the Speech Module 535
Appendix: Additional Resources 541
On the Companion Website 541
Online Sources and Interesting Links 542
Index 545
Acknowledgments xxi
About the Author xxiii
Introduction 1
Structure and Overview 2
Requirements 5
History 5
Part I: Preparing Your First App 13
Chapter 1: Preparation and Installation 15
System Requirements 17
Login Data for App Inventor 27
Installation of the App Inventor Setup Software 29
Android Device Settings 33
Chapter 2: The Development Environment 39
Welcome to App Inventor! 40
App Inventor Designer 41
App Inventor Blocks Editor 53
Integrate Android Phone 63
Using the Emulator 69
Start-Up Problems 72
Chapter 3: Developing Your First App 81
Creating the Project "LaughBag" 82
Designing the User Interface 84
Developing App Functionality 97
Creating and Installing the App 107
Part II: Easy Projects as a Warm-Up 131
Chapter 4: Basic Terms and Central Concepts 133
Properties and Property Blocks 133
Events and Event Handlers 135
Methods and Method Blocks 137
Chapter 5: The AI References 139
Component Reference 139
Blocks Reference 143
Concepts Reference 145
Chapter 6: Graphical User Interface 147
Displaying Text with the Label Component 147
Triggering Actions with the Button Component 150
Selecting Options with the CheckBox Component 153
Entering Text with the TextBox Component 158
Entering Confidential Text with the PasswordTextBox Component 161
Displaying Notices and Alerts with the Notifier Component 164
Tidying the Screen with the Screen Arrangement Components 167
Actions at App Start with the Screen Component 171
Chapter 7: Multimedia 175
Media Access Options 175
The Basic Principle: Synergy 178
Displaying Local and Online Images with the Image Component 179
Taking Photos and Displaying Them with the Camera Component 183
Managing Images with the ImagePicker Component 188
Sound Effects and Vibration with the Sound Component 192
Playing Audio Files with the Player Component 195
Playing Movies with the VideoPlayer Component 199
Recording Audio with the SoundRecorder Component 203
Chapter 8: Example Project: Creating a Media Center 211
Ergonomic Redesign of a Media Center 211
Multiple Screens for the Media Center 215
Part III: On the Way to Becoming an App Developer 221
Chapter 9: Program Development Basics 223
Elements of Data Processing 224
Using Colors with the Color Block Group 227
Processing Numbers with the Math Block Group 229
Checking Program States with the Logic Block Group 232
Editing Text and Strings with the Text Block Group 234
Defining Container Structures with the Definition Block Group 241
Managing Lists with the List Block Group 247
Controlling Program Flow with the Control Block Group 252
Tips for Program Development 267
Example Projects 278
Chapter 10: Storage and Databases 305
Saving Data Locally with the TinyDB Component 306
Saving Data on the Web with the TinyWebDB Component 313
Part IV: Developing Attractive Apps 327
Chapter 11: Graphics and Animation 329
Painting as if on a Canvas with the Canvas Component 330
Animations with the Ball and ImageSprite Components 345
Controlling Automatic Processes with the Clock Component 358
Chapter 12: Sensors 375
Measuring Orientation with the OrientationSensor Component 376
Measuring g-Force with the AccelerometerSensor Component 387
Determining Geoposition with the LocationSensor Component 403
Chapter 13: Communication 433
Task: Developing a Driver Assistance System 434
Managing SMS Messages Fully Automatically 450
Data Exchange via an Interface 462
Mobile Mashups with Web Services 487
Part V: Useful Things for the Developer 511
Chapter 14: Special Functional Areas 513
Application-Specific Components 513
Dedicated Component Groups 518
Chapter 15: Tips and Tools 527
Supported Media Formats 527
Control with the Java Console 530
Setting Up the Speech Module 535
Appendix: Additional Resources 541
On the Companion Website 541
Online Sources and Interesting Links 542
Index 545