book

Pro Android UI

by Wallace Jackson

February 2014

Intermediate to advanced

580 pages

15h 21m

English

Apress

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Java 6: Download and Install the Foundation for AndroidAndroid ADT Bundle: Find and Download Android’s IDEAndroid ADT Bundle: Installing the Android IDEAndroid ADT Bundle: Launch the IDE and Update the ADTUI Wireframing Tool: Downloading and Installing PencilDigital Image Editing: Download and Install GIMP 2.8.103D Modeling and Animation: Download and Install BlenderDigital Audio Editing: Downl oad and Install Audacity 2.0.5Digital Video Editing: Download and Install Lightworks 11.5Summary

Layout Containers: Using XML for Tag-based UI DesignUsing Parameters: Refining and Customizing the UI TagsAndroid ViewGroup: Our Layout Container’s SuperclassViewGroup.LayoutParams: Nested Class Controls LayoutViewGroup.MarginLayoutParams: Nested Class for MarginThe Difference Between Margins and Padding ParametersAnimating Your ViewGroup: LayoutAnimationControllerCreate a UserInterface Project and pro.android.ui PackageViewGroup XML Attributes: Configuring the RelativeLayoutView XML Attributes: Configuring the TextView UI WidgetView Padding Parameter: Add Space Inside the ContainerThe AnalogClock Widget: Adding a View to the ViewGroupUsing the Values Folder: Finish Your UI Design Using XMLSummary
The Android View Class: The Superclass for UI WidgetsAndroid View Direct Subclasses: Key Widgets and UtilitiesUsing View Properties: Important ParametersFocus of a View: Which UI Widget has the User’s AttentionView Listeners: Making a UI Widget Respond to the UserUI Layout Creation: Using the setContentView() MethodAdding a Button UI Widget to Our RelativeLayout ContainerEclipse ADT Problems Tab: Debugging XML Errors in ADTRelative Positioning: Adding the UI Button to the HierarchyString Constants: Adding a <string> Tag for Our UI ButtonEvent Handling: Adding an OnClickListener in Java CodeControlling AnalogClock Visibility: .setVisibility() MethodInstall and Configure an Emulator: Testing Our Java CodeCompleting the UI Design Simulation: Adding Two ButtonsSummary
Android Menu Class: A Public Interface for Making MenusMenus for Android User Interface Design: An OverviewUsing XML to Define a Menu: <menu> and <item> TagsDefining the Menu Attributes: Using Child Tag ParametersOptions Menu Design: Using the main.xml Menu DefinitionCustomizing Our OptionsMenu: Adding String ConstantsCustomizing Our OptionsMenu: Editing the ParametersExpanding Our OptionsMenu: Adding Six More MenuItemsBasic Digital Imaging with GIMP: Creating Our Menu IconsSetting a Target Emulator: The Run Configurations DialogTesting Our OptionsMenu: Using Switch Orientation ModeOptionsMenu Event Handling: onOptionsItemSelected()Summary
ContextMenu Overview: The ContextMenu Public InterfaceContextMenu Methods: How to Implement a ContextMenuContextMenu Event Handling via onContextItemSelected()Creating a ContextMenu for Our UserInterface ApplicationAndroid’s PopupMenu Class: A UI Widget Localized MenuCreating a PopupMenu UI for the UserInterface ApplicationSummary
ActionBar ComponentsThe ActionBar Navigation ModesThe Android ActionBar ClassCreating an XML Foundation for ActionBar Tabs: LayoutsCreating a Java Foundation for ActionBar Tabs: FragmentsAndroid’s LayoutInflater ClassUsing LayoutInflaterclockTabListener: A Private Class Implements TabListenerThe FragmentTransaction Class:Using FragmentTransactionThe FragmentTransaction ClassSummary
Android Media Formats: Digital Images and Digital VideoThe Terminology of Digital Image and Digital Video ColorDigital Image Compression: Concepts and TerminologySound for Android: Digital Audio Codecs and FormatsThe Terminology Behind Digital Audio and Sound DesignDigital Video Compression: 4D Concepts and TerminologyDefine a UI Screen Look and Feel: An Introduction to StylesCreating a Style for Our UserInterface Application ClocksUsing Digital Images and Alpha Channels: A New Media UIUsing GIMP 2.8.10 with Android: Compositing Two ImagesCreating Resolution Density Image Assets for All DevicesSummary
Prototyping the UI Design: Wire-framing Using Pencil 2.0.5Prototyping Your Landscape UI Design Using Pencil 2.0.5Android UI Design Is Complex: The Many ConsiderationsBasic Android UI Design Rules: Conforming to Android UIAndroid UI Screen Navigation: Primary Gestures Used in AndroidAdvanced UI Navigation Classes: Navigation Drawer or Swipe ViewAndroid Intra-Application Navigation: The Difference Between Up and BackAllowing Users to Configure Your Apps: Settings and HelpFeedback in UI Design: Notification and ConfirmationBranding in UI Design: Writing Style, Fonts, and IconsUI Design Patterns: Grouping Devices by Product GenresUI Design Patterns: Why Different Layouts Are NecessaryUI Design for Backward Compatibility: Android 2, 3, and 4Android UI Design Principles: Exciting, Simple, and PersonalSummary
UI Layout Spacing: The 48 DIP User Interface Layout RuleUI Layout Panes: Single Pane Versus Multi-Pane LayoutsUI Layout Compound View Types: Orientation ChangesAuto-Scaling and Positioning UI Design: Layout ConstantsDesign UI Elements Relative to Each Other: RelativeLayoutUsing Multiple UI Layout Definitions: Resource QualifiersCreating Morphable UI Designs: Using Resource QualifiersSummary
Introduction to Themes: Styling an Entire App or ActivityApplying Application-wide Theme: The <application> TagCustomizing the Theme: Creating a Grey Color ActionBarApplying an Activity-wide Theme: Using <activity> TagsAndroid Digital Image Formats: PNG8, PNG24, PNG32, JPEG, GIF, WebPDigital Image Color Values: Color Theory and Color DepthImage Compositing: Alpha Channels and Blending ModesRepresent Color or Alpha in Code: Hexadecimal NotationDigital Image and UI Masking: Alpha Channel UI CompositingAchieving Smooth Edges in a Design: Using Anti-AliasingDigital Image Optimization: Compression and DitheringCreating Our World Clock Image Asset: GIMP CompositingCreating Our Golden Hoop Clock: Shifting the Hue in GIMPImplementing AnalogClock UI in Java Code: Finishing Up!Screen Size Resource Qualifiers: An AnalogClock in SpaceSummary
Android’s FrameLayout Class: Framing Individual ContentAndroid’s VideoView Class: Using Digital Video in a FrameAndroid’s MediaPlayer Class: The Video Playback EngineThe MediaController Class: Controlling Video PlaybackSummary
LinearLayout Class: Android’s Most Used UI ClassImageButton Class: Create Custom Button GraphicsCreating a UserInterface Menu Structure: UI Layouts MenuUsing GIMP Digital Imaging Software for UI DesignNesting UI Layout Containers for Advanced DesignSummary
The RelativeLayout Class: UI Design Using Your RelativesMargin Aligning a UI Design Using the Anchor UI ElementSummary
The GridLayout Class: UI Design Using a GridLayout Parameters in GridLayout: Nested ClassesImplementing GridLayout in the UserInterface AppSummary
The DrawerLayout Class: Designing Using a Retractable UIAndroid Classes Used with DrawerLayoutCreating a DrawerLayout Activity for Your UserInterface AppSummary
SlidingPaneLayout Class: UI Design Across Device TypesAdding a SlidingPaneLayout to Your UserInterface AppSummary
The ViewPager Class: Horizontal Sliding Screen UI DesignDefine a ViewPaging Layout: Coding Multi-Pane UIs in XMLAdd a ViewPagingActivity Class to Your MainActivity MenuFinish Defining Planet UI Pane: Adding Four ImageButtonsCreate a ViewPagingActivity Class to Swipe Space ImagesAdding ViewPagerAdapter Class to the ViewPagingActivityTesting Your Galaxy Digital Image Asset Paging UI InterfaceSummary
The PagerTitleStrip Class: Horizontal Sliding Screen TitlesThe PagerTabStrip Class: Horizontal Sliding Screen TabsSummary

Overview

If you're an Android application developer, chances are you're using fixed, scrolling, swipe-able, and other cutting-edge custom UI Designs in your Android development projects. These UI Design approaches as well as other Android ViewGroup UI layout containers are the bread and butter of Pro Android User Interface (UI) design and Android User Experience (UX) design and development.

Using a top down approach, Pro Android UI shows you how to design and develop the best user interface for your app, while taking into account the varying device form factors in the increasingly fragmented Android environment. Pro Android UI aims to be the ultimate reference and customization cookbook for your Android UI Design, and as such will be useful to experienced developers as well as beginners.

With Android's powerful UI layout classes, you can easily create everything from the simplest of lists to fully tricked-out user interfaces. While using these UI classes for boring, standard user interfaces can be quite simple, customizing a unique UI design can often become extremely challenging.

What you'll learn

How to design and develop a sleek looking and highly functional user interface (UI) design and experience (UX) design using Android APIs

What Android layout containers are, and how to best leverage them

How to design user-friendly UI layouts that conform to Android UI guidelines

What, when, why and how to use fundamental Android UI layout containers (ViewGroup subclasses) and Android UI widgets (View subclasses)

How to use new media assets such as images, video, and animation in a UI

How to create UI Fragments for UI design for specific ActionBar or Activity classes that you wish to create for UI designs within your applications

Scaling UI Design for the various Android smartphone and tablet form factors

Who this book is for

This book is for experienced Android app developers. It can also be for app developers and UI designers working on other platforms like iOS and BlackBerry who might also be interested in Android.