Tackling Android Fragmentation

Dev:Mobile 2012 @Glennbech , Inmeta consulting

16 klocs – not rocket science

Source: Twitter / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_operating_system#Market_share

Nairobi

HTC 3G SLIDE

On saleMay 2010

Got GingerbreadMay 2011

X

Situation report June 2012Situation report June 2012

Android

• ICS 7.3% (All versions)

• Honeycomb 2.7%

• Gingerbread (2.3) dominant @ 65%

• Froyo (2.2) still at 19.1 %

• As of February 2012 Phones with no ICS upgrade plan still sold

• This will continue

iOS

• 61% on iOS 5 or above in 15. days!

Source: http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-versions.html

WHO CARES?

AgendaAgenda

«Prove that it is feasable, and not overly difficult to, write single APK, native android apps that works well across android versions and form

factors»

ICS/Honeycomb

tabs

ActionBar& Home

Navigation

Action Items

ViewPager

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glennbech.nutrinfo

ContextualActionbar

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glennbech.nutrinfo

Tab Navigation

… with ListView

multiselect

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glennbech.nutrinfo

Android versions

Situation report June 2012Situation report June 2012

Android

• ICS 7.3% (All versions)

• Honeycomb 2.7%

• Gingerbread (2.3) dominant @ 65%

• Froyo (2.2) still at 19.1 %

• As of February 2012 Phones with no ICS upgrade plan still sold

• This will continue

iOS

• 61% on iOS 5 or above in 15. days!

Source: http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-versions.html

Androidmanifest.xmlAndroidmanifest.xml

<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion=”7"android:targetSdkVersion="14” />

Example. Hello worldExample. Hello world

public class TargetSDKVersionExample extends Activity {

public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {

super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);

}

@Override

public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {

MenuInflater inflater = getMenuInflater();

inflater.inflate(R.menu.menu, menu);

return true;

}

}

Example. Menu.xmlExample. Menu.xml

<menu >

<item android:id="@+id/menu_save«

android:icon="@drawable/ic_menu_save"

android:title="@string/menu_save"

android:showAsAction="ifRoom|withText" />

</menu>

ICS Gingrerbread

Androidmanifest.xmlAndroidmanifest.xml

<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion=”7"android:targetSdkVersion="10” />

ICS Gingrerbread

Android Support LibrariesAndroid Support Libraries

• Official Android 3 & 4 features backported

• Very simple to use; download using SDK manager and include JAR file in project Includes

• Fragment API & DialogFragment

• Loader API

• ViewPager, Pager Adapter & FragmentPagerAdapter

• SearchView

• Simple Actionbar implementation provided in samples

source: http://developer.android.com/sdk/compatibility-library.html#SettingUp

Limitations of the support librariesLimitations of the support libraries

• No action bar

• Code «infection»

• Cannot extend MapActivity since you have to extends custom Activity class

ActionbarSherlockActionbarSherlock

• Written by Jake Whorton

• Easy to use (git clone)

• Includes & based on support libraries

• Elaborate. Support for wide range of Honeycomb and ICS features

• Actionbar

• Navigation Modes, Tabs and spinners in the action bar.

• Contextual Action Bar / ActionMode The ICS feature "split action bar“

• Plugin for MapActvity (!)

• www.actionbarsherlock.com

• Apache License Version 2.0

ActionbarSherlock #1 IDEActionbarSherlock #1 IDE

Hello worldHello world

A quick summary A quick summary

• We have used the support libraries, through ActionBarSherlock to get ICS looking apps on pre-ICS phones (back to 1.6 supported)

• The price

• Must use a custom theme

• Must extends SherlockActivity classes

• Must use overloaded methods, and use getSuppportMenuInflater() etc.

Fragments

Fragments crash courseFragments crash course

WHAT

• Introduced in Android 3.0

• Reusable UI components

• Have their own lifecycle

• Can add their own items to actionbar etc.

WHY

• Code Reuse

• Fragments are integrated into the ICS SDK

Why - ReuseWhy - Reuse

http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/fundamentals/fragments.html

Actionbar uses TabListeners for tab navigation

onTabSelected(ActionBar.Tab tab, FragmentTransaction ft)

Source: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/ActionBar.TabListener.html

Using fragments - example Using fragments - example

• Declared in layout

• Added/removed from code using FragmentManager

Extreme client programming

Density and Size Density and Size

HTC Sensation

Button (100dpx100dp)

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Huawei IDEOS

Definitions Definitions

• xlarge screens are at least 960dp x 720dp.

• large screens are at least 640dp x 480dp.

• normal screens are at least 470dp x 320dp.

• small screens are at least 426dp x 320dp

Best Match layout picking Best Match layout picking

• Excellent support for providing resources based on device configuration

• Versions

• mcc310-mnc004 (US/Verizon)

• Car/desk (docking)

• Night mode

• ETCSource: http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/resources/providing-resources.html

In practiceIn practice

• Provide differnet layout for different screens and orientations - backed by the same activity

• Provide a different Activity class for a different device/layout. Example one for phone and one for tablet

Dispatch Activity idiomDispatch Activity idiom

DispatchActivity

(condition)

PhoneActivity

TabletActivity

Intent

New Intent

New Intent

ConclusionConclusion

• The Android OS and devices are both forward- and backwards compatible in regard to OS versions

• Android has excellent support for layout on devices with different screen sizes and densities

• By using the ActionbarSherlock/Fragment activities you can write code that use fragments and deploy on tablets and phones

• By using ActionbarSherlock you can get the «ICS look» on your Android 1.X + devices today. Including the kindle fire.

“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened” – Mark Twain