Initial impressions of Android Studio

[George Hovey-2]

Bliss.  Three days of reading Android docs and searching for the answer to a problem produced

   Hello World (from NetRexx)

using Google's Android Studio ("AS", beta 0.8.9).  For the benefit of those wanting to come to grips with Android Studio but fearing the worst (e.g. me), I'll briefly describe my experience.

Android Studio is a custom version of IntelliJ IDEA's Android plugin.  Why not use the original?  I don't know, but I can see Google's version seems to be removing any trace of extraneous elements in order to improve the user experience.  There is a cost.  Like all of Google's Android development efforts this proceeds at a blistering pace and the documentation is always behind.  So you are often forced to read IntelliJ's docs which requires some reading between the lines.

This happened when I attempted to tell AS about NetRexxR.jar.  The docs unhelpfully discussed "remote and local binary dependencies" which sounded like jars but seemed to have no precise definitions.   I could see a couple of plausible places to put it, but my naive attempts produced results from the build like "unable to assemble NetRexxR.jar" (huh?).  This turned out to be a popular question at StackOverflow, and produced several complicated and wrong answers (as did AS), and one right one which I'll recite in case the docs haven't caught up by the time you try this:

       -- Copy jar to libs directory in the app
       -- Refresh project so libs show up in the structure
       -- Expand libs and right click on the jar
       -- Select "Add as Library"

As an example of the endless felicitous touches in AS, you can right click on any item in the build tree and produce an Explorer window (under Windows) of its containing directory.  This makes moving NetRexx's .java files to their proper place in AS simple.

In case you have no preconceived notions about work flow I'll describe mine, which is low-tech but starkly simple.  I work under Windows and use the VIRTUAWIN multiple desktop program to reduce clutter; a single keystroke moves to any of 9 desktops.   I use three adjacent desktops for Android development.  One contains docs, another Android Studio, and the last jEdit and a command window.  For the moment I am keeping my .nrx sources outside of AS.  A build cycle is:

   1) Edit in jEdit.
   2) Compile in the command window
      -- use the ugly form of .java output so line numbers remain in sync
      -- output NetRexxC messages to a file which is constantly visible in
         jEdit.
   3) Move the .java to AS with a script
   4) Build.
  
Note that AS and jEdit are not coupled in any way, which I regard as a plus.

My initial impression of Android Studio is very favorable: fit and finish are outstanding and it appears to be the result of some very innovative thinking about the build process.

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[rvjansen]

George,

thank you, very interesting.

Dare I ask you to write a chapter for the Programmers' Guide that illustrates building a simple Android app in NetRexx using this toolset? If you write plain text and send some screenshots I'll add the tags and check it into version management. Maybe it can be in time for 3.04, which will take another month or so.

best regards,

René.

On 11 sep. 2014, at 16:01, George Hovey <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Bliss.  Three days of reading Android docs and searching for the answer to a problem produced
>
>    Hello World (from NetRexx)
>
> using Google's Android Studio ("AS", beta 0.8.9).  For the benefit of those wanting to come to grips with Android Studio but fearing the worst (e.g. me), I'll briefly describe my experience.
>
> Android Studio is a custom version of IntelliJ IDEA's Android plugin.  Why not use the original?  I don't know, but I can see Google's version seems to be removing any trace of extraneous elements in order to improve the user experience.  There is a cost.  Like all of Google's Android development efforts this proceeds at a blistering pace and the documentation is always behind.  So you are often forced to read IntelliJ's docs which requires some reading between the lines.
>
> This happened when I attempted to tell AS about NetRexxR.jar.  The docs unhelpfully discussed "remote and local binary dependencies" which sounded like jars but seemed to have no precise definitions.   I could see a couple of plausible places to put it, but my naive attempts produced results from the build like "unable to assemble NetRexxR.jar" (huh?).  This turned out to be a popular question at StackOverflow, and produced several complicated and wrong answers (as did AS), and one right one which I'll recite in case the docs haven't caught up by the time you try this:
>
>        -- Copy jar to libs directory in the app
>        -- Refresh project so libs show up in the structure
>        -- Expand libs and right click on the jar
>        -- Select "Add as Library"
>
> As an example of the endless felicitous touches in AS, you can right click on any item in the build tree and produce an Explorer window (under Windows) of its containing directory.  This makes moving NetRexx's .java files to their proper place in AS simple.
>
> In case you have no preconceived notions about work flow I'll describe mine, which is low-tech but starkly simple.  I work under Windows and use the VIRTUAWIN multiple desktop program to reduce clutter; a single keystroke moves to any of 9 desktops.   I use three adjacent desktops for Android development.  One contains docs, another Android Studio, and the last jEdit and a command window.  For the moment I am keeping my .nrx sources outside of AS.  A build cycle is:
>
>    1) Edit in jEdit.
>    2) Compile in the command window
>       -- use the ugly form of .java output so line numbers remain in sync
>       -- output NetRexxC messages to a file which is constantly visible in
>          jEdit.
>    3) Move the .java to AS with a script
>    4) Build.
>    
> Note that AS and jEdit are not coupled in any way, which I regard as a plus.
>
> My initial impression of Android Studio is very favorable: fit and finish are outstanding and it appears to be the result of some very innovative thinking about the build process.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Ibm-netrexx mailing list
> [hidden email]
> Online Archive : http://ibm-netrexx.215625.n3.nabble.com/
>

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[Mike Cowlishaw]

 

Bliss.  Three days of reading Android docs and searching for the answer to a problem produced

   Hello World (from NetRexx)

using Google's Android Studio ("AS", beta 0.8.9).  

 

Nice work!  As René suggests, definitely would be good to have in the docs!

 

Mike

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[Kermit Kiser]

How do you compile the xml graphical components so that the NetRexx code can reference them?
--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail.

On September 11, 2014 7:01:36 AM PDT, George Hovey <[hidden email]> wrote:

Bliss.  Three days of reading Android docs and searching for the answer to a problem produced

   Hello World (from NetRexx)

using Google's Android Studio ("AS", beta 0.8.9).  For the benefit of those wanting to come to grips with Android Studio but fearing the worst (e.g. me), I'll briefly describe my experience.

Android Studio is a custom version of IntelliJ IDEA's Android plugin.  Why not use the original?  I don't know, but I can see Google's version seems to be removing any trace of extraneous elements in order to improve the user experience.  There is a cost.  Like all of Google's Android development efforts this proceeds at a blistering pace and the documentation is always behind.  So you are often forced to read IntelliJ's docs which requires some reading between the lines.

This happened when I attempted to tell AS about NetRexxR.jar.  The docs unhelpfully discus! sed "remote and local binary dependencies" which sounded like jars but seemed to have no precise definitions.   I could see a couple of plausible places to put it, but my naive attempts produced results from the build like "unable to assemble NetRexxR.jar" (huh?).  This turned out to be a popular question at StackOverflow, and produced several complicated and wrong answers (as did AS), and one right one which I'll recite in case the docs haven't caught up by the time you try this:

       -- Copy jar to libs directory in the app
       -- Refresh project so libs show up in the structure
       -- Expand libs and right click on the jar
       -- Select "Add as Library"

As an example of the endless felicitous touches in AS, you can right click on any item in the build tree and produce an Explorer window (under Windows) of its containing directory.  This makes moving NetRexx's ! .java files to their proper place in AS simple.

In case you have no preconceived notions about work flow I'll describe mine, which is low-tech but starkly simple.  I work under Windows and use the VIRTUAWIN multiple desktop program to reduce clutter; a single keystroke moves to any of 9 desktops.   I use three adjacent desktops for Android development.  One contains docs, another Android Studio, and the last jEdit and a command window.  For the moment I am keeping my .nrx sources outside of AS.  A build cycle is:

   1) Edit in jEdit.
   2) Compile in the command window
      -- use the ugly form of .java output so line numbers remain in sync
      -- output NetRexxC messages to a file which is constantly visible in
         jEdit.
   3) Move the .java to AS with a script
   4) Build.
  
Note that AS and jEdit are not coupled in any way, which I regard as a plus.

My initial impression of Android Studio is very favorable: fit and finish are outstanding and it appears to be the result of some very innovative thinking about the build process.

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[George Hovey-2]

Kermit,

Haven't a clue.  I assume it requires knowledge beyond "Hello World".  What do you think?

On Thu, Sep 11, 2014 at 12:14 PM, Kermit <[hidden email]> wrote:

How do you compile the xml graphical components so that the NetRexx code can reference them?
--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail.

On September 11, 2014 7:01:36 AM PDT, George Hovey <[hidden email]> wrote:

Bliss.  Three days of reading Android docs and searching for the answer to a problem produced

   Hello World (from NetRexx)

using Google's Android Studio ("AS", beta 0.8.9).  For the benefit of those wanting to come to grips with Android Studio but fearing the worst (e.g. me), I'll briefly describe my experience.

Android Studio is a custom version of IntelliJ IDEA's Android plugin.  Why not use the original?  I don't know, but I can see Google's version seems to be removing any trace of extraneous elements in order to improve the user experience.  There is a cost.  Like all of Google's Android development efforts this proceeds at a blistering pace and the documentation is always behind.  So you are often forced to read IntelliJ's docs which requires some reading between the lines.

This happened when I attempted to tell AS about NetRexxR.jar.  The docs unhelpfully discus! sed "remote and local binary dependencies" which sounded like jars but seemed to have no precise definitions.   I could see a couple of plausible places to put it, but my naive attempts produced results from the build like "unable to assemble NetRexxR.jar" (huh?).  This turned out to be a popular question at StackOverflow, and produced several complicated and wrong answers (as did AS), and one right one which I'll recite in case the docs haven't caught up by the time you try this:

       -- Copy jar to libs directory in the app
       -- Refresh project so libs show up in the structure
       -- Expand libs and right click on the jar
       -- Select "Add as Library"

As an example of the endless felicitous touches in AS, you can right click on any item in the build tree and produce an Explorer window (under Windows) of its containing directory.  This makes moving NetRexx's ! .java files to their proper place in AS simple.

In case you have no preconceived notions about work flow I'll describe mine, which is low-tech but starkly simple.  I work under Windows and use the VIRTUAWIN multiple desktop program to reduce clutter; a single keystroke moves to any of 9 desktops.   I use three adjacent desktops for Android development.  One contains docs, another Android Studio, and the last jEdit and a command window.  For the moment I am keeping my .nrx sources outside of AS.  A build cycle is:

   1) Edit in jEdit.
   2) Compile in the command window
      -- use the ugly form of .java output so line numbers remain in sync
      -- output NetRexxC messages to a file which is constantly visible in
         jEdit.
   3) Move the .java to AS with a script
   4) Build.
  
Note that AS and jEdit are not coupled in any way, which I regard as a plus.

My initial impression of Android Studio is very favorable: fit and finish are outstanding and it appears to be the result of some very innovative thinking about the build process.

Ibm-netrexx mailing list
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Online Archive : http://ibm-netrexx.215625.n3.nabble.com/

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[Kermit Kiser]

Since google is forcing developers to give up Eclipse and Ant, I think that we have no choice but to learn gradle and it's "groovy" control language to develop a netrexx build process that will work with the latest android. Android builds are a multi step process that first builds any "library" projects required by the main project, then compiles all resource components (mostly graphical elements defined with xml) into a format that java code can reference, compiles the java modules, then translates classes into a "dex" format that an android vm can run and bundles it all into the downloadable/installable "apk" module. That is over simplified since production apks have to be digitally signed by an approved developer key. Much work is still ahead!
--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail.

On September 11, 2014 9:23:28 AM PDT, George Hovey <[hidden email]> wrote:

Kermit,

Haven't a clue.  I assume it requires knowledge beyond "Hello World".  What do you think?

On Thu, Sep 11, 2014 at 12:14 PM, Kermit <[hidden email]> wrote:

How do you compile the xml graphical components so that the NetRexx code can reference them?
--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail.

On September 11, 2014 7:01:36 AM PDT, George Hovey <[hidden email]> wrote:

Bliss.  Three days of reading Android docs and searching for the answer to a problem produced

   Hello World (from NetRexx)

using Google's Android Studio ("AS", beta 0.8.9).  For the benefit of those wanting to come to grips with Android Studio but fearing the worst (e.g. me), I'll briefly describe my experience.

Android Studio is a custom version of IntelliJ IDEA's Android plugin.  Why not use the original?  I don't know, but I can see Google's version seems to be removing any trace of extraneous elements in order to improve the user experience.  There is a cost.  Like all of Google's Android development efforts this proceeds at a blistering pace and the documentation is always behind.  So you are often forced to read IntelliJ's docs which requires some reading between the lines.

This happened when I attempted to tell AS about NetRexxR.jar.  The d! ocs unhelpfully discus! sed "remote and local binary dependencies" which sounded like jars but seemed to have no precise definitions.   I could see a couple of plausible places to put it, but my naive attempts produced results from the build like "unable to assemble NetRexxR.jar" (huh?).  This turned out to be a popular question at StackOverflow, and produced several complicated and wrong answers (as did AS), and one right one which I'll recite in case the docs haven't caught up by the time you try this:

       -- Copy jar to libs directory in the app
       -- Refresh project so libs show up in the structure
       -- Expand libs and right click on the jar
       -- Select "Add as Library"

As an example of the endless felicitous touches in AS, you can right click on any item in the build tree and produce an Explorer window (under Windows) of its containing directory.  This makes! moving NetRexx's ! .java files to their proper place in AS simple.

In case you have no preconceived notions about work flow I'll describe mine, which is low-tech but starkly simple.  I work under Windows and use the VIRTUAWIN multiple desktop program to reduce clutter; a single keystroke moves to any of 9 desktops.   I use three adjacent desktops for Android development.  One contains docs, another Android Studio, and the last jEdit and a command window.  For the moment I am keeping my .nrx sources outside of AS.  A build cycle is:

   1) Edit in jEdit.
   2) Compile in the command window
      -- use the ugly form of .java output so line numbers remain in sync
      -- output NetRexxC messages to a file which is constantly visible in
         jEdit.
   3) Move the .java to AS with a script
   4) Build.
  
Note that AS and jEdit are not coupled in any way, which I regard as a plus.
!
My initial impression of Android Studio is very favorable: fit and finish are outstanding and it appears to be the result of some very innovative thinking about the build process.

Ibm-netrexx mailing list
[hidden email]
Online Archive : http://ibm-netrexx.215625.n3.nabble.com/

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[ThSITC]

Hey, there, *again* ...

Sorry to be *still alive* (talking about ME, Of Course, only ;-) ;-) ;-))

Could those of You who did *experiment* with NetRexx on The *Rasperry PI* or similiar circuits
please contact me directly at:

[hidden email]

Sorry to say:

BIG BROTHER is WATCHING You all ;-))))
BUT: I am a Good Brother, NO ENEMY, for Sure :-)

Massa ThoMassa
======================================================================

Am 11.09.2014 um 16:48 schrieb Mike Cowlishaw:

 

Bliss.  Three days of reading Android docs and searching for the answer to a problem produced

   Hello World (from NetRexx)

using Google's Android Studio ("AS", beta 0.8.9).  

 

Nice work!  As René suggests, definitely would be good to have in the docs!

 

Mike

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[George Hovey-2]

Hi Kermit,

Re your post of 11 Sept.

I guess I don't understand why it is necessary "to develop a netrexx build process".

Perhaps I have some huge blind spot, but it seems to me that Android need know nothing about NetRexx (other than NetRexxR.jar).  The necessary Android code is just written in NetRexx and compiled to Java outside of Android Studio.  The .java files are placed where Android expects them.   Android doesn't know or care how they were produced.

Is this different, in its effect on the Android build, from coding directly in Java?

On Thu, Sep 11, 2014 at 1:19 PM, Kermit <[hidden email]> wrote:

Since google is forcing developers to give up Eclipse and Ant, I think that we have no choice but to learn gradle and it's "groovy" control language to develop a netrexx build process that will work with the latest android. Android builds are a multi step process that first builds any "library" projects required by the main project, then compiles all resource components (mostly graphical elements defined with xml) into a format that java code can reference, compiles the java modules, then translates classes into a "dex" format that an android vm can run and bundles it all into the downloadable/installable "apk" module. That is over simplified since production apks have to be digitally signed by an approved developer key. Much work is still ahead!
--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail.

On September 11, 2014 9:23:28 AM PDT, George Hovey <[hidden email]> wrote:

Kermit,

Haven't a clue.  I assume it requires knowledge beyond "Hello World".  What do you think?

On Thu, Sep 11, 2014 at 12:14 PM, Kermit <[hidden email]> wrote:

How do you compile the xml graphical components so that the NetRexx code can reference them?
--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail.

On September 11, 2014 7:01:36 AM PDT, George Hovey <[hidden email]> wrote:

Bliss.  Three days of reading Android docs and searching for the answer to a problem produced

   Hello World (from NetRexx)

using Google's Android Studio ("AS", beta 0.8.9).  For the benefit of those wanting to come to grips with Android Studio but fearing the worst (e.g. me), I'll briefly describe my experience.

Android Studio is a custom version of IntelliJ IDEA's Android plugin.  Why not use the original?  I don't know, but I can see Google's version seems to be removing any trace of extraneous elements in order to improve the user experience.  There is a cost.  Like all of Google's Android development efforts this proceeds at a blistering pace and the documentation is always behind.  So you are often forced to read IntelliJ's docs which requires some reading between the lines.

This happened when I attempted to tell AS about NetRexxR.jar.  The d! ocs unhelpfully discus! sed "remote and local binary dependencies" which sounded like jars but seemed to have no precise definitions.   I could see a couple of plausible places to put it, but my naive attempts produced results from the build like "unable to assemble NetRexxR.jar" (huh?).  This turned out to be a popular question at StackOverflow, and produced several complicated and wrong answers (as did AS), and one right one which I'll recite in case the docs haven't caught up by the time you try this:

       -- Copy jar to libs directory in the app
       -- Refresh project so libs show up in the structure
       -- Expand libs and right click on the jar
       -- Select "Add as Library"

As an example of the endless felicitous touches in AS, you can right click on any item in the build tree and produce an Explorer window (under Windows) of its containing directory.  This makes! moving NetRexx's ! .java files to their proper place in AS simple.

In case you have no preconceived notions about work flow I'll describe mine, which is low-tech but starkly simple.  I work under Windows and use the VIRTUAWIN multiple desktop program to reduce clutter; a single keystroke moves to any of 9 desktops.   I use three adjacent desktops for Android development.  One contains docs, another Android Studio, and the last jEdit and a command window.  For the moment I am keeping my .nrx sources outside of AS.  A build cycle is:

   1) Edit in jEdit.
   2) Compile in the command window
      -- use the ugly form of .java output so line numbers remain in sync
      -- output NetRexxC messages to a file which is constantly visible in
         jEdit.
   3) Move the .java to AS with a script
   4) Build.
  
Note that AS and jEdit are not coupled in any way, which I regard as a plus.
!
My initial impression of Android Studio is very favorable: fit and finish are outstanding and it appears to be the result of some very innovative thinking about the build process.

Ibm-netrexx mailing list
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Online Archive : http://ibm-netrexx.215625.n3.nabble.com/

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