Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've been programming computers for about thirty years, but have just started programming on the Android platform in the last few months. I found this to be a great book that not only explains the SL4A (Scripting Layer for Android), but also provides a great primer for the underlying Android architecture. The book starts with an easy to understand explanation of the Android SDK & API, as well as the Eclipse development platform. The book covers the initial setup of the SDK under Windows & Linux. For my own development I am running Linux in Virtualbox, and while I was already setup, I found the setup instructions comprehensive. Adding SL4A to the phone took only a few minutes, and I was writing scripts to send SMS messages and do other cool things in just a few minutes more.
The book then delves into the SL4A platform (which offers a variety of languages in addition to Python). SL4A & Python also provide extensive access to the Android platform's wide range of features. I was especially impressed with the range of examples provided. One of the weaknesses I often find in programming books is that the examples can be contrived and not as helpful as they might be. This book provides great examples, and reading each one reinforces how much you can do with scripting.
In addition to the batch-like scripting, SL4A offers various dialog and HTML user interface options, and the book goes into what is necessary to provide these features. It concludes with a discussion of the steps needed to package your scripts for distribution.
My overall feeling about the book is favorable, and I can recommend it to anyone who wants to start Android development who has at least an intermediate level of programming experience.
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Pro Android Python with SL4A is for programmers and hobbyists who want to write apps for Android devices without having to learn Java first. Paul Ferrill leads you from installing the Scripting Layer for Android (SL4A) towriting small scripts, to more complicated and interesting projects, and finally to uploading and packaging your programs to an Android device. Android runs scripts in many scripting languages, but Python, Lua, and Beanshell are particularly popular. Most programmers know more than one programming language, so that they have the best tool for whatever task they want to accomplish. Pro Android Python with SL4A explores the world of Android scripting by introducing you to the most important open-source programming languages that are available on Android-based hardware. Pro Android Python with SL4A starts by exploring the Androidsoftware development kitand then shows you how to set up an Eclipse-based Android development environment. You then approach the world of Android programming by using Beanshell, which runs on the Dalvik, and learning how to write small programs to administer an Android device. Next, discover how Lua, a lightweight language perfectly suited for scripting on smaller devices, can work with Android. Lua can be used for small but important tasks, like SMS encryption and synchronizing photos with flickr. Last, but certainly not least, you will discover the world of Python scripting for SL4A, and the power contained within the full range of Python modules that can combine with the Android SDK. You'll learn to write small location-aware apps to get you started, but by the end of this book, you'll find yourself writing fully GUI-fied applications running on the Android desktop! Pro Android Python with SL4A is rounded out with a chapter on distributing and packaging scripts, a skill that you'll find very useful as you reach out to a wider audience with your programs.
What you'll learn
Understand the SL4A
Explore the Androidsoftware development kit
Write scripts to administer an Android phone
Write and execute full Python and applications
Learn how to write simple apps using Facades
Explore the full Android development process, from development to packaging
Who this book is for
This is a book for beginning and intermediate Android developers, and a book for anyone coding in Python, Lua or exploring Beanshell.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Getting Started with Android Scripting
Navigating the Android SDK
Developing Androids Scripts with Eclipse
Exploring the Android API
Background Scripting
Python Utilities
Python Dialog-Based GUIs
Python for GUI with WebUI
Packaging and Distributing Your Scripts
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