Developing Android on Android: Automate Your Device with Scripts and Tasks

312 Pages·2013·4.44 MB·English

by  Mike Riley

Developing Android on
Android
Automate Your Device with Scripts and Tasks
by Mike Riley
Version: P1.0 (November 2013)
Copyright © 2013 The Pragmatic Programmers, LLC. This book is licensed to
the individual who purchased it. We don't copy-protect it because that would
limit your ability to use it for your own purposes. Please don't break this trust—
you can use this across all of your devices but please do not share this copy with
other members of your team, with friends, or via file sharing services. Thanks.
—Dave & Andy.
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are
claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and The Pragmatic
Programmers, LLC
was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial
capital letters or in all capitals. The Pragmatic Starter Kit, The Pragmatic
Programmer, Pragmatic Programming, Pragmatic Bookshelf and the linking
g device are trademarks of The Pragmatic Programmers,
LLC.
Every precaution was taken in the preparation of this
book. However, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions,
or for damages that may result from the use of information (including program
listings) contained herein.
Our Pragmatic courses,
workshops, and other products can help you and your team create better software
and have more fun. For more information, as well as the latest Pragmatic titles,
please visit us at
http://pragprog.com.
This book is dedicated to my three favorite M’s: Marinette, Marielle, and
Mitchell.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
 Why Android? Why Now?
 Who This Book Is For
 Requirements
 Jailbreaking and Rooting
 What’s in This Book
 Online Help
I. Customize
  1. Getting Started
  1.1Analyzing Your Mobile Lifestyle
  1.2Mobile Personalization
  1.3Next Steps
  2. Personalizing Your Home Screen
  2.1Launchers
  2.2Widgets
  2.3Floaters
  2.4Home Screen Customization
  2.5Next Steps
  3. Listening to Your Android
  3.1Wearable Computing
  3.2The Sound of Data
  3.3Button Control
  3.4Next Steps
II. Explore
  4. Automating with Tasker
  4.1Introducing Tasker
  4.2Talking Clock
4.3Train Station Alarm
  4.4Tasker App Factory
  4.5Next Steps
  5. Scripting with SL4A
  5.1SL4A: Scripting Layer for Android
  5.2Programming with SL4A
  5.3Scheduling the SL4A Script
  5.4Other Android-Ported Languages
  5.5Next Steps
  6. Programming with AIDE
  6.1Getting Started
  6.2Programming the Clock
  6.3The Clock Is Running
  6.4Talking Clock Automation
  6.5Next Steps
III. Build
  7. Tasker Pomodoro Widget
  7.1Rapid Tasker Prototyping
  7.2Pomodoro Widget Redux
  7.3Testing the Revised Widget
  7.4Addressing the Limitations
  7.5Next Steps
  8. Messaging Projects
  8.1Check Email
  8.2Speak ’n’ Tweet
  8.3Jabber Tracker
  8.4Next Steps
  9. Notification Projects
  9.1Talking Notifications
  9.2Forecast.io
  9.3AutoNotification
9.4Next Steps
  10. Graphics Projects
  10.1Application Launcher
  10.2Twitch.tv Widget
  10.3Next Steps
IV. Appendixes
  A1. Android Programming Tools
  A1.1 Code Editors
  A1.2 Source Version Control
  A1.3 Miscellaneous Tools
  A2. Resources on the Web
Bibliography
Copyright © 2013, The Pragmatic Bookshelf.
Acknowledgments
This is my second book for Pragmatic Bookshelf, and it has been a pleasure to
once again work with my dedicated and insightful development editor, Jackie
Carter. If you can follow along with the projects without any problem, you have
Jackie to thank. Her editorial skills and professional project management were
crucial in keeping the book flowing smoothly and on schedule.
I would also like to thank all the wonderful technical editors and beta reader
participants who shared valuable feedback, caught typos and other errors, and
generally offered excellent suggestions on improving the quality of the book. In
particular, I would like to thank Mike Bengtson for his awesome ingenuity,
Corey Butler for his progressive technical edge, Ed Burnette for his pragmatic
expertise, John Cairns for his eagle-eye criticality, and Glen Ferrel for his
proofreading expertise and infectious enthusiasm. I also want to give a big
shout-out to Dr. James Withers and Simon Wood (two of the geniuses behind the
awesome SwiftKey Android soft keyboard replacement program) for their eagle-
eye analysis of the book’s content. And a special thank-you goes to Jan Debiec
and Cristina Zamora for their vigilant review of the material, active participation
in the beta, and unending encouragement for my work. I am so blessed and
humbled to be surrounded by such technically minded people as gifted, kind, and
supportive as you.
No amount of thanks can match the sacrifice my family made to give me the
time to devote to another book. I promise to take a break from book writing for a
while so I can make up for lost time with you.
Lastly, a big high-five to publishers Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas for once again
entrusting me to deliver a book worthy of the Pragmatic Bookshelf imprint.
Thank you for giving me such a wonderfully rewarding opportunity to do so.
Copyright © 2013, The Pragmatic Bookshelf.
Introduction
In this book, we’re going on a journey of discovery. We’re going to discover
how amazing the Android OS is and how it is transforming the way people
communicate. We’re also going to learn how to leave our legacy desktop PCs
behind, even for native Android application development needs.
The idea for this book was the result of a conversation I had with Pragmatic
Bookshelf publisher Dave Thomas. He had just acquired a Galaxy S3 Android
phone and wanted to know what kind of cool things he could do with it. Since I
have been an Android user since the release of the first commercial Android
phone, the G1, I had a few suggestions on where to start. As he became more
enthusiastic about the broad possibilities of customization and personalization
that the Android platform has to offer, a new book on the subject started to
crystallize.
The objectives of this book are simple. You will learn about how to apply and
codify your mobile automation needs in an Android program. Using both
scripting and native application development approaches, we will build several
programs that not only teach you how to quickly automate your mobile lifestyle
but also give you the skills to extend these programs beyond their tutorial roots.