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Understanding Android Application Lifecycle

The document discusses key aspects of Android application development including the Android manifest file, activities, intents, and the application lifecycle. The Android manifest file (AndroidManifest.xml) defines the application to the Android system and includes information like the application package and version. It also defines each activity as a screen with attributes like the activity name and label. Activities represent screens or forms presented to the user. The manifest file for a simple one screen app contains one activity definition. Intents allow activities to start other activities and components and include an action and data. Common intent actions and a registry of third party intents are also mentioned. The Android application lifecycle is driven by an activity stack and processes may be

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Anupam Bhardwaj
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8 views20 pages

Understanding Android Application Lifecycle

The document discusses key aspects of Android application development including the Android manifest file, activities, intents, and the application lifecycle. The Android manifest file (AndroidManifest.xml) defines the application to the Android system and includes information like the application package and version. It also defines each activity as a screen with attributes like the activity name and label. Activities represent screens or forms presented to the user. The manifest file for a simple one screen app contains one activity definition. Intents allow activities to start other activities and components and include an action and data. Common intent actions and a registry of third party intents are also mentioned. The Android application lifecycle is driven by an activity stack and processes may be

Uploaded by

Anupam Bhardwaj
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Presented by

Anupam Bhardwaj
078 1643207
[Link], 8th sem, USIT
IT - 456
Android Applications

 Applications are defined to Android via the android manifest file, located in
the root of the Eclipse project definition ([Link])

 Double clicking on the [Link] file in the Eclipse project will


open the Manifest editor.

 The manifest editor is the normal way of creating and modifying the
manifest file (defining the app to the system)
Android Applications

 An Android application is a collection of activities, an activity correlates to a

screen or form that is presented to the user.

 The HelloAndroid is a simple one screen app that is essentially the same as

a Java app run in a terminal/command window. Its [Link] file

reflects this :
AndroidManifest.x
ml
Android
[Link]
[Link]

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>


<manifest xmlns:android="[Link]
package="[Link]"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0">
<application android:icon="@drawable/icon" android:label="@string/app_name">
<activity android:name=".HelloAndroid"
android:label="@string/app_name">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="[Link]" />
<category android:name="[Link]" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
</application>
</manifest>
<manifest>

 The manifest tag has the following attributes:

 xmlns ; the name of the namespace (android) and where the DTD for

the xml parser is located

 package ; the name of the java package for this application (must have

at least two levels)

 android:version ; the version code for this version of the app

 android:versionName ; The version name (for publishing)


<activity>

 child tag of <manifest>

 need one <activity> tag for each activity of the application

 attributes:
 android:name; the name of the activity, this will be used as the name
of the Java file and the resulting class
 android:label; a string that we will be able to programatically retrieve
the activity name at run time.
<intent-filter>

• Child tag of <activity>


• First, what’s an intent? In OO-speak an intent is a message sent from one
program to another (message dispatcher) to tell the system what to do next.
Typically an intent consists of two parts; an action and the data that that action is
supposed to use to do it.
• When you select an icon on the main page the intent is to run the app
associated with that icon
• The tag is used to construct an [Link] object to handle a
particular [Link]
<action>

 child of <intent-filter>

 the action we want done:

 Predefined actions of the intent class of [Link] ; see the api at:
[Link]
<category>

 child of <intent-filter>

 additional attributes that can be supplied

 LAUNCHER – indicates that it should apper in the launcher as a top level


application

 see the api documentation for more on intent resolution.


Intents

 Commonly used Google application intents


[Link]

 Registry of 3rd party application Intents


[Link]
LIFE CYCLE OF
ANDROID
Life Cycle
of
Android
Life Cycle

 The steps that an application goes through from starting to finishing

 Slightly different than normal Java life cycle due to :

 the difference in the way Android application are defined

 the limited resources of the Android hardware platform


Life Cycle

 Each application runs in its own process.

 Each activity of an app is run in the apps process

 Processes are started and stopped as needed to run an apps components.

 Processes may be killed to reclaim needed resources.

 Killed apps may be restored to their last state when requested by the user
ANDROID
APPLICATION

MANGEMEN
T
Management

 Most management of the life cycle is done automatically by the system via
the activity stack.
 The activity class has the following method callbacks to help you manage
the app:
 onCreate()
 onStart()
 onResume()
 onPause()
 onStop()
 onRestart()
 onDestroy()
using the callbacks

 To use a callback just overload it in your activity java file.

 The lifecycle is explained very well here:


[Link]

 The use of the callbacks is explained in the api documentation for the activity
class:
[Link]
Anupam Bhardwaj
CSE – 078, USIT

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