1page.title=Notepad Tutorial 2parent.title=Tutorials 3parent.link=../../browser.html?tag=tutorial 4@jd:body 5 6 7<p>This tutorial on writing a notepad application gives you a "hands-on" introduction 8to the Android framework and the tools you use to build applications on it. 9Starting from a preconfigured project file, it guides you through the process of 10developing a simple notepad application and provides concrete examples of how to 11set up the project, develop the application logic and user interface, and then 12compile and run the application. </p> 13 14<p>The tutorial presents the application development as a set of 15exercises (see below), each consisting of several steps. You should follow 16the steps in each exercise to gradually build and refine your 17application. The exercises explain each step in detail and provide all the 18sample code you need to complete the application. </p> 19 20<p>When you are finished with the tutorial, you will have created a functioning 21Android application and will have learned many of the most important 22concepts in Android development. If you want to add more complex features to 23your application, you can examine the code in an alternative implementation 24of a Note Pad application, in the 25<a href="{@docRoot}resources/samples/index.html">Sample Code</a> section. </p> 26 27 28<a name="who"></a> 29<h2>Who Should Use this Tutorial</h2> 30 31<p>This tutorial is designed for experienced developers, especially those with 32knowledge of the Java programming language. If you haven't written Java 33applications before, you can still use the tutorial, but you might need to work 34at a slower pace. </p> 35 36<p>Also note that this tutorial uses 37the Eclipse development environment, with the Android plugin installed. If you 38are not using Eclipse, you can follow the exercises and build the application, 39but you will need to determine how to accomplish the Eclipse-specific 40steps in your environment. </p> 41 42<a name="preparing"></a> 43<h2>Preparing for the Exercises</h2> 44 45<p>The tutorial assumes that you have some familiarity with basic Android 46application concepts and terminology. If you are not, you 47should read <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/fundamentals.html">Application 48Fundamentals</a> before continuing. </p> 49 50<p>This tutorial also builds on the introductory information provided in the 51<a href="{@docRoot}resources/tutorials/hello-world.html">Hello World</a> 52tutorial, which explains how to set up your Eclipse environment 53for building Android applications. We recommend you complete the Hello World 54tutorial before starting this one.</p> 55 56<p>To prepare for this lesson:</p> 57 58<ol> 59 <li>Download the <a href="codelab/NotepadCodeLab.zip">project 60 exercises archive (.zip)</a>.</li> 61 <li>Unpack the archive file to a suitable location on your machine.</li> 62 <li>Open the <code>NotepadCodeLab</code> folder.</li> 63</ol> 64 65<p>Inside the <code>NotepadCodeLab</code> folder, you should see six project 66files: <code>Notepadv1</code>, 67 <code>Notepadv2</code>, <code>Notepadv3</code>, 68 <code>Notepadv1Solution</code>, <code>Notepadv2Solution</code> 69 and <code>Notepadv3Solution</code>. The <code>Notepadv#</code> projects are 70the starting points for each of the exercises, while the 71<code>Notepadv#Solution</code> projects are the exercise 72 solutions. If you are having trouble with a particular exercise, you 73 can compare your current work against the exercise solution.</p> 74 75<a name="exercises"></a> 76<h2> Exercises</h2> 77 78 <p>The table below lists the tutorial exercises and describes the development 79areas that each covers. Each exercise assumes that you have completed any 80previous exercises.</p> 81 82 <table border="0" style="padding:4px;spacing:2px;" summary="This 83table lists the 84tutorial examples and describes what each covers. "> 85 <tr> 86 <th width="120"><a href="{@docRoot}resources/tutorials/notepad/notepad-ex1.html">Exercise 871</a></th> 88 <td>Start here. Construct a simple notes list that lets the user add new notes but not 89edit them. Demonstrates the basics of <code>ListActivity</code> and creating 90and handling 91 menu options. Uses a SQLite database to store the notes.</td> 92 </tr> 93 <tr> 94 <th><a href="{@docRoot}resources/tutorials/notepad/notepad-ex2.html">Exercise 2</a></th> 95 <td>Add a second Activity to the 96application. Demonstrates constructing a 97new Activity, adding it to the Android manifest, passing data between the 98activities, and using more advanced screen layout. Also shows how to 99invoke another Activity to return a result, using 100<code>startActivityForResult()</code>.</td> 101 </tr> 102 <tr> 103 <th><a href="{@docRoot}resources/tutorials/notepad/notepad-ex3.html">Exercise 3</a></th> 104 <td>Add handling of life-cycle events to 105the application, to let it 106maintain application state across the life cycle. </td> 107 </tr> 108 <tr> 109 <th><a href="{@docRoot}resources/tutorials/notepad/notepad-extra-credit.html">Extra 110Credit</a></th> 111 <td>Demonstrates how to use the Eclipse 112debugger and how you can use it to 113view life-cycle events as they are generated. This section is optional but 114highly recommended.</td> 115 </tr> 116</table> 117 118 119<a name="other"></a> 120<h2>Other Resources and Further Learning</h2> 121<ul> 122<li>For a lighter but broader introduction to concepts not covered in the 123tutorial, 124take a look at <a href="{@docRoot}resources/faq/commontasks.html">Common Android Tasks</a>.</li> 125<li>The Android SDK includes a variety of fully functioning sample applications 126that make excellent opportunities for further learning. You can find the sample 127applications in the <code>samples/</code> directory of your downloaded SDK, or browser them 128here, in the <a href="{@docRoot}resources/samples/index.html">Sample Code</a> section.</li> 129<li>This tutorial draws from the full Notepad application included in the 130<code>samples/</code> directory of the SDK, though it does not match it exactly. 131When you are done with the tutorial, 132it is highly recommended that you take a closer look at this version of the Notepad 133application, 134as it demonstrates a variety of interesting additions for your application, 135such as:</li> 136 <ul> 137 <li>Setting up a custom striped list for the list of notes.</li> 138 <li>Creating a custom text edit view that overrides the <code>draw()</code> 139 method to make it look like a lined notepad.</li> 140 <li>Implementing a full <code>ContentProvider</code> for notes.</li> 141 <li>Reverting and discarding edits instead of just automatically saving 142 them.</li> 143 </ul> 144</ul> 145