The thought of creating our own Android apps amuses most of us. “I have an excellent idea for an app,” we tell ourselves. “I could do that so much better than this developer,” is another common one. We’re never going to be able to bring those admirable ideas to light or improve upon someone else’s work if we don’t start.
Starting can be difficult, though. It can be even more difficult if you don’t have the tools to begin your Android coding journey. We’re going to show you what those tools are, how to download them, and how to get them ready for you to start programming your own apps.
The JDK and the IDE
The JDK (Java Development Kit) and IDE (Integrated Development Environment) are crucial to begin programming Android applications. The JDK implements platforms released by Oracle Corporation, such as Java EE or Java SE, to let you begin developing on the Java platform. An IDE is essentially the interface you will be programming in.
We’re going to be downloading the Netbeans IDE with JDK 8 packaged with it. We could download them both separately, but Oracle’s Netbeans and JDK download package removes quite a few steps and streamlines the process really well. You can click here to find the package.
Next, you’re going to want to select the correct download for your computer. In my case, it’s going to be the Windows x64 download. Depending on your Internet connection, it may take awhile to download the large file size.
Once it’s finished downloading, open the .exe file. A window will appear. Start the installation process, and make sure to accept the license agreement. Beyond that, it’s just like installing any normal file. Keep in mind that the installation process will take awhile, as it’s unpacking a rather large file. Once the installation is complete, simply click “Finish.”
Netbeans
Next up, you need to go here to download the Android SDK (Software Development Kit). Once it’s finished downloading, go through the installation process and setup all the recommended options. Make sure you install it to C:Androidandroid-sdk.
Once that is installed, go into Netbeans > Tools > Plugins > Settings. From there, you need to add a new update center. To do that, press “Add” and use this URL: http://nbandroid.org/updates/updates.xml. Now, go back to Available Plugins, and install the one that says Android. It’s a small file and should only take a short amount of time to finish. Once finished, a window will pop-up saying that the plugin certificates are not trusted, just say OK.
Now you’re almost ready to go! Select File > New Project > Android Project > OK. It will say that an Android SDK location has to be specified first. This is an easy fix because we downloaded the Android SDK earlier in C:Androidandroid-sdk. Simply click the Manage Android SDK button. It’ll open up an Options menu, asking you for the SDK location. Give it to the location, select OK, and you should be good to go!
Android Studio
If you’re just getting started programming, all of those previous steps are great experience. However, there’s a more simple way to setup the Android SDK. You can simply use Google’s custom Android Studio IDE to begin development. You can download it here.
After downloading Android Studio and launching the .exe, it will take you through all the necessary steps to get you setup. They aren’t hard steps to follow either, it’s quite simple, and it downloads most of the necessary tools automatically, but with your permission.
Wrap Up
So that’s how to get your computer ready for Android development! If you’re not sure how to start programming in Android and want to learn YouTube user The New Boston has some great beginner tutorials for you to go through. I personally used the tutorials when I was first starting, and they were wonderful.
How smoothly did the Android SDK setup go for you? If you still need some assistance, be sure to leave a comment below. We’d be glad to help you finish the process.
So that’s how to get your computer ready for Android development! If you’re not sure how to start programming in Android and want to learn YouTube user The New Boston has some great beginner tutorials for you to go through. I personally used the tutorials when I was first starting, and they were wonderful. You might also want to check out this resource on Java app performance
Come comment on this article: How to set up your computer for Android application development
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