Overview about Tools to generate/create Android applications

1. App Inventor for Android
and Similar Tools
Friedger Müffke
29 July 2010

2. Tools to Build Apps for Android
App Inventor
Educational
DroidDraw ­ Layout Editor
Droidbreeder
native Browser-based
MobiForms
PhoneGap
Graphical Titanium
XMLVM Professional
J2MEPolish
Eclipse-based
Qt­Designer Cross-platform
BlueJ/Greenfoot
Adobe Flash Professional
Bondi/JIL Development
Terminal console
free Runtime required
29 July 2010

3. App Inventor for Android
http://appinventor.googlelabs.com
● For Teaching, based on
● Open Block Library/Scratch Language and
● Kawa Language Framework
● Designer
● Block Editor
● Connector
29 July 2010

4. App Inventor: Designer
● WYSIWYG editor for layout
● Visual and non-visual components
● Written in Scheme language
Let's open the IDE
29 July 2010

5. App Inventor: Blocks Editor
● Programming part
● Prefedined blocks (logic, procedures, ..)
● Access to screen components
● Puzzle like programming
29 July 2010

6. App Inventor: Limitations
● Do file I/O
● Create a custom object and instances of it
● Copy and paste stuff
● Easily print your program (some people like to)
● Access the phone’s capabilities list
● Use Bluetooth
● Delete stuff without saying “Yes I’m sure”
(from Mark Murphy)
There is a long wishlist by app developers on
appinventor@googlegroups.com
29 July 2010

7. DroidDraw / Layout Editor
Generate XML for Layout
29 July 2010

8. DroidBreeder
● Free, by Axxessio
● Generates full source code
● Extended projects wizzard
● Settings
● GPS
● Maps
● Database
● Connection
● GUI
29 July 2010

9. MobiForms
● Generate full apps
● 99 GBP
● Database centric
● Cross-Platform
Java-VM required
29 July 2010

10. Phone Gap
● Open Source, free
● HTML and Javascript
● Cross-platform
browser-based with interface to device
● Sony Ericsson WebSDK, etc...
29 July 2010

11. Titanium
● Open Source, free SDK, paid services
● Cross-platform
Android and iPhone
● Generates native source code from HTML/JS
29 July 2010

12. XMLVM
● Open Source, free
● Tool chain, no IDE
● Converts
● Source Code to XML
● XML to Java byte code
29 July 2010

13. J2MEPolish
● Open Source, free
● Cross-platform
generates native apps
● Java-based development
29 July 2010

14. Runtime required
Runtime Tool
Qt for Android Qt Designer
Java Applet Runner BlueJ/Greenfoot
Flash/Air Adobe Flash Professional
HTML Widget Runner Jil/BONDI Development
AES Terminal Console
29 July 2010