Android App Development – Android Studio Development Essentials

Overview

Android Basics with Compose
Instructor: Bernard Aybout

Course Summary:
Android Basics with Compose is an online, self-paced course focused on building Android apps using the latest best practices. You’ll learn to use Jetpack Compose, the recommended toolkit for creating user interfaces on Android.

Course Objectives:

• Master the fundamentals of Kotlin and Jetpack Compose.
• Build basic Android apps.
• Implement Modern Android Development practices with app architecture and Jetpack libraries.

Prerequisites:

• Basic computer skills
• Basic math skills
• A computer that meets Android Studio’s system requirements
• (Optional) An Android device

Unit 1: Your First Android App

Duration: 10 hours
Pathways: 3

Learn to:

• Write simple Kotlin programs that display text output.
• Download and install Android Studio.
• Build an Android app with a simple UI to display text and images.
• Run the app on a device or emulator.

Pathways:

1. Introduction to Kotlin (3 hours): Learn programming basics in Kotlin.
2. Setup Android Studio (4 hours): Install and set up Android Studio, create your first project, and run it on a device or emulator.
3. Build a Basic Layout (3 hours): Create an app with a simple UI to display text and images.

Unit 2: Building App UI

Duration: 21 hours
Pathways: 3

Learn to:

• Use conditionals, function types, classes, and lambda expressions in Kotlin.
• Add a button to an app UI and respond to user taps.
• Work with data entered by the user.
• Use state to display data and automatically reflect changes.
• Write unit tests for isolated functions.

Pathways: – Android App Development

1. Kotlin Fundamentals (8 hours): Learn more about Kotlin, object-oriented programming, and lambdas.
2. Add a Button to an App (6 hours): Respond to button clicks in an Android app.
3. Interacting with UI and State (7 hours): Create a tip calculator app to calculate tips from user input.

Unit 3: Display Lists and Use Material Design – Android App Development

Duration: 15 hours
Pathways: 3

Learn to:

• Use data classes, functions, and collections in Kotlin.
• Create a scrollable list displaying text and images.
• Add click listeners to interact with list items.
• Enhance apps with Material Design, using colors, shapes, and typography.

Pathways:

1. More Kotlin Fundamentals (8 hours): Learn additional Kotlin concepts to build more interesting apps.
2. Build a Scrollable List (4 hours): Create an app with a scrollable list of text and images using Compose.
3. Build Beautiful Apps (3 hours): Use Material Design, animations, and accessibility best practices to enhance app appearance and usability.

Unit 4: Navigation and App Architecture – Android App Development

Duration: 27 hours
Pathways: 3

Learn to:

• Explain activities and their lifecycles.
• Understand Modern Android architecture.
• Use StateFlow and UDF patterns for state and events.
• Add a ViewModel to save data and state.
• Set up and use the Navigation component with Compose.
• Adapt for different screen sizes.

Pathways:

1. Architecture Components (9 hours): Learn about app architecture, ViewModels, UI State, and StateFlow.
2. Navigation in Jetpack Compose (6 hours): Use the Navigation component to build complex apps with multiple screens.
3. Adapt for Different Screen Sizes (13 hours): Adapt apps for various screen sizes and provide a better user experience.

Unit 5: Connect to the Internet – Android App Development

Duration: 14 hours
Pathways: 2

Learn to:

• Use Kotlin coroutines for concurrent tasks.
• Understand HTTP and REST to retrieve data from the internet using Retrofit.
• Display images using the Coil library.
• Implement dependency injection for easier testing, maintenance, and scaling.

Pathways:

1. Get Data from the Internet (6 hours): Implement coroutines and learn about HTTP and REST.
2. Load and Display Images from the Internet (3 hours): Use Coil to download and display images in the app.

Unit 6: Data Persistence – Android App Development

Duration: 10 hours
Pathways: 3

Learn to:

• Store data locally on the device.
• Use SQL to manage data in a SQLite database.
• Add a database to an Android app using the Room library.
• Use Preference DataStore to store user preferences.

Pathways:

1. Introduction to SQL (2 hours): Use SQL to read and manipulate data in a relational database.
2. Use Room for Data Persistence (6 hours): Create and use relational databases in an Android app with the Room library.
3. Store and Access Data Using Keys with DataStore (2 hours): Store simple key-value pair data with Preferences DataStore.

Unit 7: WorkManager – Android App Development

Duration: 6 hours
Pathway: 1

Learn to:

• Use WorkManager API for background tasks.
• Add WorkManager to an Android app.
• Create a Worker object and enqueue work.
• Use the Background Task Inspector to inspect and debug WorkManager tasks.

Pathway:

1. Schedule Tasks with WorkManager (3 hours): Handle background work that needs to run regardless of the application process.

Unit 8: Views and Compose – Android App Development

Duration: 4 hours
Pathways: 2

Learn to:

• Use Compose and the older UI toolkit based on Views together.
• Add a composable in an app built with Views.
• Use AndroidView to display views.
• Add existing View-based UI components in a Compose app.

Pathways:

1. Android Views and Compose in Views (3 hours): Build apps with Android Views and add composables.
2. Views in Compose (1 hour): Add and use existing Views inside a Compose app.