2. Exploring the Application Basics

I’m sure you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and write more code. However, there are a few topics in the realm of theory and design to cover in detail first. In this chapter, we’ll cover the basics of some essential building blocks, including the files, parts, and terms that make up a simple Android application; the Activity class that controls a single screen; the Intent class, Android’s powerful communications class; and the Application singleton class that can be accessed from all your components.

I recommend you open Eclipse and follow along as I cover the working parts of an Android application. I’ll be using the Android project with the main activity, called MyActivity, that you created in Chapter 1.