Leveraging the Power of the Android Platform
Android provides a powerful threading model and rich background execution capabilities. In this course, you'll learn how to leverage these capabilities through the use of AsyncTask, Handlers, Services, Job Scheduler, Broadcast Receivers, and more.
What you'll learn
Modern applications include many rich time-based and background behaviors that extend well beyond direct interaction with the user. In this course, Leveraging the Power of the Android Platform, you'll learn how to use the powerful capabilities of the Android platform to create applications that incorporate these and other related behaviors. First, you'll explore how to utilize the Android threading model, AsyncTasks, Handlers, and StrictMode to effectively perform long-running work in a way that doesn't impact the user experience. Next, you'll discover how to use Android Services for background work that can be safely performed even after the user exits your application. After that, you'll learn how to use the Android Job Scheduler to create background jobs that rely on run criteria such as networking and power requirements, and delegate those jobs to the Android system for management and execution. Additionally, you'll cover how to use Android Broadcasts and Broadcast Receivers to publish information from one application, and allow other applications running on the same device to subscribe to that information. Finally, you'll delve into scheduling time-sensitive tasks using the Android Alarm Manager. By the end of this course, you'll have the skills and knowledge to create your own Android applications that incorporate the rich time-based and background execution behaviors required to create a successful application.
Table of contents
- Introduction 2m
- Protecting the Main Thread with StrictMode 4m
- Using StrictMode in Your App 3m
- Identifying Inappropriate Operations with StrictMode 4m
- A Closer Look at AsyncTask 3m
- Passing Data Between AsyncTask Methods 3m
- Inserting a New Note Using AsyncTask 5m
- Verifying AsyncTask Behavior and Threading 4m
- Including Progress Feedback with Note Insert 4m
- Providing Progress Updates with AsyncTask 4m
- Working with Handlers 4m
- Delayed Opening of NavigationDrawer with Handlers 6m
- Summary 2m
- Introduction 1m
- Background Work and Activities 3m
- Background Work and Services 3m
- Implementing a Service 3m
- Implementing a Service with IntentService 3m
- Your App Note Backup Feature 5m
- Creating the Backup Service 6m
- Verifying the Backup Service Behavior 4m
- Starting a Service 4m
- Using a PendingIntent to Start Your Service 4m
- Summary 2m
- Introduction 1m
- Background Work Challenges and Job Scheduler 3m
- Job Scheduler and Job Implementation Class 3m
- Creating a Job Implementation Class 5m
- Job Information and Scheduling 4m
- Scheduling Your Job 4m
- Passing Job-specific Data Values 3m
- Performing Job Work 2m
- Launching Job Work in the Background 4m
- Coordinating Background Work with the Job Scheduler 5m
- When Work Needs to Be Stopped 2m
- Handling Work Stoppage 3m
- Verifying Work Stoppage Behavior 2m
- Choosing Between Services and JobScheduler 2m
- Summary 3m
- Introduction 1m
- Broadcasts 3m
- Sending Broadcasts 4m
- Broadcasting When the App Starts Editing 4m
- Broadcast Receivers 2m
- Implementing a Broadcast Receiver 4m
- Passing Receiver Events to an Activity 4m
- Context Registered Receivers 2m
- Registering Your Broadcast Receiver 4m
- Manifest Declared Receivers 3m
- Summary 2m
About the author
Jim Wilson is president of JW Hedgehog, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in solutions for the Android, iOS, and Microsoft platforms. Jim has over 30 years of software engineering experience, with the past 15 years heavily focused on creating mobile device and location-based solutions. He has co-founded multiple software-related startups and has served in a consulting role at several more. After nearly a decade as a Microsoft Device Application Development MVP, Jim now focuses on developing A... more