YouTip

## Installing Android SDK You can download the latest version of the Android SDK from the official website, (https://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html). If you are installing the SDK on a Windows machine, you will find an installer_rXX windows.exe file. Simply download and run this exe, which will launch the Android SDK Tools installation wizard to guide you through the entire installation. Just follow the instructions to install the Android SDK Tools on your machine. This tutorial assumes you will be installing the development environment on the Windows 7 operating system. Therefore, let's open the Android SDK Manager from the options: All Programs > Android SDK Tools > SDK Manager, which will pop up the following window:  Once the SDK Manager is open, you can start installing other necessary packages. By default, it lists 7 packages that need to be installed, but it is recommended to uncheck the Android SDK Documentation and SDK Samples to reduce installation time. Next, click the Install button, which will display the following dialog: !(#) If you agree to install these packages, select the "Accept All" radio button and click the "Install" button. Then, let the SDK Manager work on its own until all packages are installed. This may take some time, mainly depending on your network connection. Once all packages are installed, close the SDK Manager using the button in the top right corner. ## Installing Eclipse IDE All examples in this tutorial are written in the Eclipse IDE. Therefore, it is recommended to install the latest version of Eclipse on your machine. Download the latest Eclipse binary from [https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/](https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/) to install. Once the installation package is downloaded, extract it to a convenient location, such as C:eclipse on Windows or /usr/local/eclipse on Linux, and set the appropriate PATH environment variable. On a Windows machine, you can start Eclipse by executing the following command, or simply by double-clicking eclipse.exe. %C:eclipseeclipse.exe On Linux, use the following command: $/usr/local/eclipse/eclipse After successful installation, if everything goes well, the following result will be displayed: !(#) * * * ## Installing the Android Development Tools (ADT) Plugin This step will help you install the Android Development Tools (ADT) plugin for Eclipse. Open Eclipse, select "Help" > "Software Updates" > "Install New Software". This will display the following dialog: !(#) Now use the "Add" button to add the ADT plugin as a name, and fill in the location with https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse/. Then click "OK" to add this location. When you click "OK", Eclipse will start searching for plugins at the given location and eventually list the found plugins. !(#) Click "Select All" to select all listed plugins, and click the "Next" button to guide you through the installation of the ADT tools and other required plugins. * * * ## Creating an Android Virtual Device To test Android applications, a virtual Android device is needed. Therefore, before we start writing code, create an Android Virtual Device. Launch the Android AVD Manager through the Eclipse menu item "Window" > "AVD Manager". Click the "New" button to create a new Android virtual device, and enter the following information before clicking the "Create AVD" button. !(#) If the AVD is created successfully, it means your Android application development environment is ready. If you like, close the window using the button in the top right corner. Finally, restart your computer. After completing the last step, you are ready to develop your first Android example. But before that, we will first look at some important concepts related to Android application development.