Configuring Basic Application Settings

If you use the Android project wizard in Eclipse to create a project, then an Android manifest file will be created for you by default. However, this is just a starting point. It is important to become familiar with how the Android Manifest file works; if your applications manifest file is configured incorrectly, then your application may not run properly.

In terms of the XML definition for the Android manifest file, it will always start with an XML header:

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

Many of the important settings your application requires are set using attributes and child tags of the <manifest> and <application> blocks. Now, let’s look at a few of the most common manifest file configurations.