Android Application Development For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Understanding Project Structure

You’ve created your first application. You even did it without coding. It’s nice that the ADT provides you with the tools to fire up a quick application, but that won’t help you create your next blockbuster application. The beginning of this chapter walks you through how to create a boilerplate Android application by using the New Android Project Wizard. The rest of this chapter shows you how to use the file structure that the Android wizard created for you.

The following sections aren’t ones you should skim (they’re vital!), because you’ll spend your entire Android development time navigating these folders. Understanding what they’re for and how they got there is a key aspect of understanding Android development.

Navigating the app’s folders

In Eclipse, the Package or Project Explorer expands the Hello Android project, as shown in Figure 3-20.

After the Hello Android project is expanded, the list of subfolders includes

src

gen

The Android version, such as Android 4.1

assets

res

Figure 3-20: The Project Explorer with the Hello Android project ...