The Android Developer site gives you pretty much everything you need to get started.  Particularly the Download the Android SDK page.   Don’t get confused and start installing the links at the top of that page.  There’s some other stuff you should get first, so either follow my list below or follow the instructions on the site.

Basically you need to download and install the following…

1. The Java Development Kit (JDK)
2. Eclipse.  The Android site recommends using a Java or RCP version of Eclipse.  3.4 or 3.5 version of Eclipse is required to use the Android Development Tools plugin.  Since I’m not one to argue with the Android Developer documentation, and since I’ll probably choose the wrong Java version of Eclipse, I’m going to use the RCP version of Eclipse (there’s only one…I can’t go wrong).  I’d be happy to hear about what version others prefer.  Make sure you decompress these files to somewhere you’ll remember.  For ease, I’m going to give a link and assume instructions from here out as if you got the RCP version.  I figure if you’re like me, you don’t want to have to figure all this stuff out, you just want to get started, right?
3. Android SDK.  This is the link at the top of the page that you should have skipped until now, even though its at the top of the page…make sure you note where you unzip these files, or unzip them to somewhere you’ll remember.
4. Android Development Tool.  This is a plugin for Eclipse, so you don’t just download and install it.  You have to open Eclipse and follow the instructions under the Downloading the ADT plugin.  If you got the RCP version, its like this…
   1. open Eclipse
   2. go to the Help menu
   3. click on Install New Software.
   4. click on the only button that says “Add”.
   5. type in “Android Plugins” for “Name:”
   6. paste in https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse/
   7. click OK.
   8. click the checkbox next to “Developer Tools”.
   9. click Next.
   10. click Next.
   11. (read and) click on “I accept the terms of the license agreement”.
   12. click Finish.
   13. (it’ll now download and Install stuff.  If your experience doesn’t match mine at all, go to the link for this step and follow their instructions).
   14. Restart Eclipse.
5. Add Android SDK Components.  This is also done through Eclipse.  Basically, you’re prepping Eclipse to think like different Android APIs.
   1. In Eclipse, click on the Window menu.
   2. click on Preferences.
   3. Select “Android” from the left menu.
   4. Insert or Browse to the location of where you unzipped the Android SDK from step 3 and click OK.
   5. click on the Window menu again.
   6. click on Android SDK  and AVD Manager.
   7. click on “Available Packages” in the left menu.
   8. Not knowing for sure what I might need later on, I went ahead and installed all options, so just check any boxes in the right pane.
   9. Click OK and agree and stuff and wait a long time for stuff to install.  Go drink some tea.

Once you’re done with all that, come back here, I have some more thoughts on the game.

Categories: Android, Development

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