Android FAQ + Tips + Resource Guide (PART 2)

Continued from PART 1

This post can be read before, during and after getting started with Android Development. It is written as a ready reference. 

General Tips

• Check only for Beta or Stable builds of Android Studio in the updates window. 
• Do not start with Fragments until you have built a few small apps yourself. (Not by Copy-paste coding)
• Forget sqlite databases in the beginning. The fact that you need to have 3 java classes for a single database can be a turnoff. Use alternatives like the Java collections framework till then. 
• As I said before, do not quit whatever happens. It's only normal that you take time to get used to this.

Beginner Guides 

• Vogella - Start with the basic tutorials and development starters. Reading only.
• myBringBack - The videos may seem like a blast from the past, but that's just how quickly Android evolves.
• slidenerd - Indian YouTuber. One of the best approaches to Android I have found. He stays up to date with all the latest Android developments and is currently bringing out a comprehensive series on Material Design.
• Udacity - If you have enough time at hand (4-6 hours every week for 10 weeks). Taught by instructors at Google. But keep in mind that this one has a very steep learning curve and not the best suited for beginners.
• Once you get a little comfortable, get into the habit of reading the documentation on developer.android.com . Soon this should become your bible. 

Random FAQ

Q)  Why doesn't my button do anything !!?

A)  You probably didn't program the button to do anything. This needs to be done in your activity.java file after defining in activity.xml. (Extremely silly but happens to first timers)

Q)  How do I avoid common Gradle build problems !!?

A)  Assuming your Gradle installations were done properly, Just restart Android Studio. If it doesn't go, update Android Studio. If there is no update available, You are stuck till you get the update. 

Q)  Why is my activity not starting !!? [Most important]
A)   You probably did not add the activity to the Android manifest. This step is very important.

As you saw most of the questions turned out to be silly. But these are exactly the kind of problems people face. All of these have been answered on StackOverflow . So I will not continue this further.

A more comprehensive guide for troubleshooting IDE related Problems can also be found here.

Intermediate Level Resources

• Android Developers Official - Quick videos produced by Google engineers.
• Andrew Ruffolo - Videos on random but useful Android related topics. eg. Floating Action Button, adding 3rd party libraries and the likes. 
• Android Asset Studio - Automatic Asset generator.
• Ryan Harter - Tons of posts dealing with various topics like using intents and gestures.

p.s. I just realized that I emulated something called as "Externalizing resources" that is used in development. I'm sure you'll hear it when you start Android Development.

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