The Files

Any mobile application, in its most basic form, consists of a single screen that launches by clicking an icon on the device’s main screen.

When the SDK creates a basic Android project, it also creates several files and important directories.

As with any project, before you start building the structure it’s important to at least take a quick look over the blueprints. Here are the file and folders that make up your Android project structure.

• AndroidManifest.xml

• /res

• /src

Throughout the rest of this chapter, I’ll refer to the manifest and these folders.

The Manifest

The AndroidManifest.xml file is your portal to the rest of the phone. In it, you’ll describe which of your components should receive what events. You’ll also declare, in the manifest file, what hardware and software your app will need permission to access. First, let’s take a look at the <manifest> declaration in the AndroidManifest.xml file: