Learning MIT App Inventor

Book excerpt: With MIT’s App Inventor 2, anyone can build complete, working Android apps—without writing code! This complete tutorial will help you do just that, even if you have absolutely no programming experience. Unlike books focused on the obsolete Google version, Learning MIT App Inventor is written from the ground up for MIT’s dramatically updated Version 2. The authors guide you step-by-step through every task and feature, showing you how to create apps by dragging, dropping, and connecting puzzle pieces—not writing code. As you learn, you’ll also master expert design and development techniques you can build on if you ever do want to write code. Through hands-on projects, you’ll master features ranging from GPS to animation, build high-quality user interfaces, make everything work, and test it all with App Inventor’s emulator. (You won’t even need an Android device!) All examples for this book are available at theapplanet.com/appinventor Coverage includes: Understanding mobile devices and how mobile apps run on them Planning your app's behavior and appearance with the Designer Using the Blocks Editor to tell your app what to do and how to do it Creating variables and learning how to use them effectively Using procedures to group and reuse pieces of code in larger, more complicated apps Storing data in lists and databases Using App Inventor's gaming, animation, and media features Creating more sophisticated apps by using multiple screens Integrating sensors to make your app location-aware Debugging apps and fixing problems Combining creativity and logical thinking to envision more complex apps