The Busy Coder's Guide to Android Development Version 8.0 Released

Subscribers now have access to the latest release of The Busy Coder’s Guide to Android Development, known as Version 8.0, in all formats. Just log into your Warescription page and download away, or set up an account and subscribe!

This update is fairly substantial, as it:

  • Covers Android Studio 2.2, with updated instructions and screenshots

  • Updates the coverage of the classic containers: LinearLayout, RelativeLayout, and TableLayout

  • Adds two chapters on ConstraintLayout, though more material is planned for sometime after ConstraintLayout ships “for realz”

  • Revamps the tutorials, taking Android Studio 2.2 into account, updating the dependencies, etc.

  • Adds new sections on the Layout Inspector, the APK Analyzer, the graphical menu and preference XML resource editors, and the merged manifest viewer, all new to Android Studio 2.2

  • Adds a section on Evernote’s android-job library to the chapter on JobScheduler

  • Updates the drag-and-drop chapter, including material on an Android 7.0 nested-drop-target regression, plus using the local state to try to detect cross-app drag-and-drop

  • Adds sections to the chapter on multi-window to address how third-party apps can force your exported activity into multi-window mode, plus more material on freeform multi-window (in its limited Android 7.0 incarnation) and information about the “transient HOME” state and its impact on activity lifecycle methods

  • Updates the chapter on memory leaks to cover LeakCanary 1.4

  • Adds material to the chapter on keyboard/mouse support for dealing with focus modes

  • Revises a chapter on content providers to address the latest edition of FileProvider

  • Adds an example of using LocationManager to the chapter on location tracking

  • Revises the chapter on event buses to deal with Otto’s discontinued status

  • Adds a section in the chapter on advanced notifications on Android 7.0’s setSound() bug

  • Updates the chapter on Internet access to cover Retrofit 2.x

  • Moves the material on vector drawables to a dedicated chapter, just after the chapter on the action bar

Also, the APK edition of the book has new appinars on event buses and Android 7.0’s network security configuration.

There will be another book update before the end of the year, though the exact timing will depend a lot on what the heck is going on with the Android 7.1 that is supposed to be shipping in a couple of weeks. I expect Version 8.1 of the book to come out either mid-November or early December.