Xamarin Mobile Application Development for Android

Book excerpt: Develop, test, and deliver fully-featured Android applications using Xamarin About This Book Build and test multi-view Android applications using Xamarin.Android Work with device capabilities such as location sensors and the camera A progressive, hands-on guide to develop stunning Android applications using Xamarin Who This Book Is For If you are a C# developer who wants to develop Android apps and enhance your existing skill set, then this book is ideal for you. Good working knowledge of C#, .NET, and object-oriented software development is assumed. What You Will Learn Build a multi-view, orientation-aware Android application with navigation Lay out content using the LinearLayout, RelativeLayout, and TableLayout layout managers Use a ListView (AdapterView) and Adapter to build a view that is populated from server data Consume REST web service to perform GET, UPDATE, DELETE operation Use Android SQLite for data persistence and caching Capture the current location of a device, determine the street address, and integrate with the map app Test, debug, and deploy an Android app In Detail Technology trends come and go, but few have generated the excitement, momentum, or long-term impact that mobile computing has. Mobile computing impacts people's lives at work and at home on a daily basis. Many companies and individual developers are looking to become a part of the movement but are unsure how to best utilize their existing skills and assets. The Xamarin suite of products provides new opportunities to those who already have a significant investment in C# development skills and .NET code bases, and would like to enter into this new, exciting world. This example-oriented guide provides a practical approach to quickly learn the fundamentals of Android app development using C# and Xamarin.Android. It will lead you through building an Android app step-by-step with steadily increasing complexity. Beginning with an overview of the Android and Xamarin platforms to provide you with a solid understanding of the underlying platform, we gradually walk through building and testing a Points of Interest Android app using C# and the Xamarin.Android product. You will learn to create ListView and add detail view to your Android application. You will handle application behaviors on orientation changes, before learning the different techniques to manage resources and layouts to support multiple screen sizes. You will then access a SQLite database in a cross-platform way and add location features to your application. Finally, you will add camera integration to your application and deploy your app to the various Android app stores. Style and approach An example-oriented, comprehensive guide to gain an understanding of both the Android and Xamarin platforms.