10 Must-Have Android Tools for Developers

The Android SDK comes with a robust set of tools to help developers design, develop, test, and publish quality Android applications. In this article, we discuss 10 of the most common tools you should know about and learn to use.

Android Tool #1: Eclipse w/ADT

Although Eclipse is not the only Java development environment that can be used to develop Android applications, it is by far the most popular. This is partially due to its cost (free!) but mostly due the strong integration of the Android tools with Eclipse. This integration is achieved with the Android Development Tools (ADT) plug-in for Eclipse, which can be downloaded from the Android website.

Android Tool #2: The SDK and AVD Manager

This tool serves a number of important functions. It manages the different versions of the Android SDKs (build targets) that you can develop for, as well as third-party add-ons, tools, devices drivers, and documentation. Its second function is to manage the Android Virtual Device configurations (AVDs) you use to configure emulator instances.

Android Tool #3: Android Debug Bridge

The Android Debug Bridge (adb) connects other tools with the emulator and devices. Besides being critical for the other tools (most especially the Eclipse ADT plug-in) to function, you can use it yourself from the command line to upload and download files, install and uninstall packages, and access many other features via the shell on the device or emulator.

Android Tool #4: Dalvik Debug Monitor Server

The Dalvik Debug Monitor Server (DDMS), whether it's accessed through the standalone application or the Eclipse perspective with the same name, provides handy features for inspecting, debugging, and interacting with emulator and device instances. You can use DDMS to inspect running processes and threads, explore the file system, gather heap and other memory information, attach debuggers, and even take screenshots. For emulators, you can also simulate mock location data, send SMS messages, and initiate incoming phone calls.

Android Tool #5: The Android Emulator and Real Devices

Once you have begun to develop an app, it's important to test it on the appropriate device targets. The emulator can be used in conjunction with AVDs to simulate device targets. That said, testing on real physical devices is essential for complete test coverage. The emulator, while powerful, cannot emulate the idiosyncrasies of individual devices. Therefore, a solid test plan must incorporate both emulators and real devices. After all, your users won't be running your app on an emulator, will they?

 

Android Tool #6: LogCat

LogCat is the name of the Android logging system. LogCat data is accessible from within Eclipse, as well as through adb, and provides helpful diagnostic information about events on the system. As a developer, you can enable your applications to log debugging and diagnostic information to LogCat as well. Logging from within an application is about as easy as a printf() statement.

Android Tool #7: The Hierarchy Viewer

The Hierarchy Viewer, whether it's access through the standalone application or the relatively new Eclipse perspective, is used to see how your layouts and screens resolve at runtime. It provides a graphical representation of the layout and view hierarchy of your application and can be used to diagnose layout problems.

Android Tool #8: Draw 9-Patch

When it comes to graphics design, the Draw 9-patch tool comes in handy. This tool allows you to convert traditional PNG graphic files into stretchable graphics that are more flexible and efficient for mobile development use. The tool simplifies the creation of NinePatch files in an environment that instantly displays the results.

Android Tool #9: The Monkey Test Tools

The Monkey Test Tools, including the Monkey exerciser tool and the monkeyrunner tool, are a pair of applications that can be used to automate application testing. The Monkey exerciser randomly sends events to your application for stress testing purposes. The monkeyrunner tool is a scripting library that can be used for automated testing and checking of the results via screenshots using Python scripts.

Android Tool #10: ProGuard

ProGuard, which is now part of the typical Android build process, provides developers with a straightforward way to increase protection of their intellectual property after publication. The ProGuard tool can be configured to obfuscate the resulting binaries to make them difficult to reverse engineer. The ProGuard tool can also be used to optimize the size of the resulting binary, reducing the overall package size and speeding delivery to your users.

Conclusion

The Android SDK ships with numerous other tools. Many of which are used for special development cases. However, the tools listed above will be used with just about every project, regardless of the type of app being developed. For more information on these and other tools available, check out the Android Tools section of the Android website. Also, new tools and improved tools are released on a fairly regular basis, so make sure you keep all of the packages updated with the AVD and SDK Manager.

Finally, above and beyond the Android tools we've discussed, your best resource is the Android Developer website. Complete with up-to-date SDK downloads, source documentation, tutorials, technical articles, and the Android blog with the latest news, this website provides critical knowledge and support for Android developers.

What is your most useful Android development tool?

 

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10必须具备的Android的开发工具 
的Android SDK配备了一套强大的工具，以帮助开发人员设计，开发，测试和发布质量Android应用程序。在这篇文章中，我们讨论了最常用的工具，你应该了解和学习使用10。

Android的工具＃1：Eclipse的瓦特/ ADT的 
尽管Eclipse是不是唯一的Java开发环境，可以用来开发Android应用程序，它是目前最流行的。这部分是由于它的成本（免费），但主要是由于在与Eclipse的Android强大的整合工具。这种一体化是实现与Android开发工具（ADT）插件的Eclipse，它可以在Android网站上下载。

 

Android的工具＃2：SDK和AVD管理 
此工具提供一个重要的功能。它管理的Android软件开发工具包（生成目标），您可以开发，以及第三方插件，工具，设备的驱动程序和文档的不同版本。它的第二个职能是管理的Android虚拟设备配置（自动真空淀积系统）用于配置模拟器实例。

 

Android的工具＃3：机器人调试桥 
在Android调试桥（亚行）连接仿真器和设备与其他工具。除了是至关重要的其他工具（最特别的Eclipse ADT的插件）功能，您可以使用自己的命令行来上传和下载文件，安装和卸载程序包，并通过壳上的许多其他功能的访问设备或模拟器。

Android的工具＃4：Dalvik调试监视器服务器 
在Dalvik调试监视器服务器（DDMS的），无论是通过独立的应用程序或具有相同的名称访问Eclipse的角度，提供了检验，调试和交互的仿真器和设备实例的便捷功能。您可以使用DDMS的检查正在运行的进程和线程，文件系统的探索，收集堆和其他存储信息，附加调试器，甚至采取截图。仿真器，您还可以模拟模拟位置数据，发送短信，并开始电话来电。

 

Android的工具＃5：Android模拟器和真实设备 
一旦你已经开始开发一个应用程序，重要的是要适当的设备上测试它的目标。该模拟器可与自动真空淀积系统配合使用，模拟设备的目标。这就是说，在真正的物理设备的测试是完全必要的测试覆盖率。模拟器，同时强大的，不能效仿单个设备的特质。因此，雄厚的测试计划都必须包括模拟器和真实设备。毕竟，你的用户将无法运行您的应用程序在模拟器上，是吗？

 

Android的工具＃6：LogCat 
LogCat是在Android测井系统的名称。 LogCat数据是从在Eclipse中访问，以及通过亚洲开发银行，并提供有用的有关系统事件的诊断信息。作为一名开发人员，可以使你的应用程序日志调试和诊断信息LogCat以及。从一个应用程序日志几乎像一个printf（）语句容易。

Android的工具＃7：层次器 
浏览器的层次，不管是通过相对独立的应用程序或新的Eclipse透视访问，是用来看看你的布局和屏幕解决在运行时。它提供了一个应用程序的视图层次布局和图形表示，可以用来诊断布局问题。

 

Android的工具＃8：绘制9修补 
当涉及到图形设计，绘图9修补工具就派上用场。这个工具允许你转换成传统的巴新是移动更灵活，更有效地利用拉伸图形开发的图形文件。该工具简化了的环境中即时显示结果的NinePatch文件的创建。

 

Android的工具＃9：猴子测试工具 
猴子测试工具，包括猴锻炼工具和monkeyrunner工具，是一种可用于自动测试应用程序对应用程序。猴子锻炼活动，以随机发送你的压力测试目的的应用。该monkeyrunner工具是一个脚本库，可用于自动化测试和检查的结果通过使用Python脚本使用截图。

Android的工具＃10：ProGuard的 
ProGuard的，这是典型的机器人现在的生成过程的一部分，提供了一种简单的方式公布后，增加他们的知识产权保护开发商。 ProGuard的工具可以配置生成的二进制代码进行模糊处理，使它们难以扭转工程师。 ProGuard的工具也可以用来优化的二进制规模，降低整体封装尺寸和加快交付给用户。

结论 
Android的SDK附带有许多其他的工具。其中许多是用在特殊的发展情况。然而，上面列出的工具将被用于几乎所有的项目，无论应用程序正在开发的类型。欲了解更多有关这些和其他工具的资料，检查出的Android Android的网站工具部分。此外，新的工具和改进的工具是一个相当定期公布的基础上，所以一定要保持与经理的AVD和SDK更新所有软件包。

最后，超出了Android我们讨论过，你最好的资源是Android开发者网站的工具。完成了最新的SDK下载，源文件，教程，技术文章，以及与Android的博客的最新消息，这个网站提供了关键的知识和Android开发人员的支持。 
什么是你最有用的Android开发工具？