Before we start off on our journey, I will assume that you have installed the latest version of Debian – currently at version 8.6.0 and updated it. You have also set it up to give sudo access to the user. If you have decided NOT to give users sudo access because of security reason, then make sure that you execute ‘su -’ command for all commands as described from now on – especially before those that have the sudo commands in them. Note also that, although this article was based upon the Cinnamon desktop, it will be possible to apply the same methods to other Debian-based desktops.
STEP 1: Install Oracle's Java SE (or JDK) 8
You should also be aware that there is no Java installed on a freshly installed Debian 8.6. This can be verified by executing the following in a terminal:
java -version
The output is as follows:
bash: java: command not found
This clearly indicates that Java is not installed by default. We will now install Oracle’s Java.
So why install Oracle’s Java? Why not OpenJDK? Good questions and the answer is that Oracle’s Java is recommended by Google. Should you plan to use Java for Android programming, then Google says it is better to use Oracle’s version – their Android Studio says that there are stability issues with OpenJDK. Whether this is true is a moot point here – if you do plan to do Android programming later, then install Oracle’s Java – else, any Java will do, even OpenJDK.
This article assumes that there is no Java installed on your Debian 8.6 PC. If you had installed other Java previously, then you need to make a decision – keep that Java and install Oracle’s Java or remove that Java and install Oracle’s Java in its place. That decision is entirely up to you but you need to remember that Google’s Android Studio recommends Oracle’s Java.
Point your web browser to the Oracle SE download page here and download the latest version of the 64-bit JDK (not Server JRE or the JRE) – currently at version 8u111 (or 1.8.0_111) as of October 2016.
NOTE: There are currently two versions of Oracle’s Java SE (or JDK) – versions 8u111 and 8u112. Please refer to the release notes of each version to determine which version is suitable for you. In the case of this article, version 8u111 is used as an example – you free free to choose which version to install.
It is also recommended that you download the API documents, demos and samples for the JDK – although this is not required for Android development on Android Studio. Once the packages have been downloaded, execute the following commands:
cd Downloads
tar xzvf jdk-8u111-linux-x64.tar.gz
tar xzvf jdk-8u111-linux-x64-demos.tar.gz
unzip jdk-8u111-docs-all.zip -d jdk1.8.0_111
The last two commands in the above is only applicable if you have downloaded the demos and the documentation. The second command above will create a ‘jdk1.8.0_111’ directory in the Downloads folder while the last two commands above (if applicable) will create the ‘sample’, ‘demo’ and ‘docs’ directories under the ‘jdk1.8.0_111’ directory in the Downloads folder.
Now execute the following commands:
sudo mkdir /usr/lib/jvm/
sudo mv jdk1.8.0_111/ /usr/lib/jvm/
cd ~
The first command will create the ‘/usr/lib/jvm’ directory. The second command will move the whole ‘jdk1.8.0_111’ directory to ‘/usr/lib/jvm’ – where the root of all Java related files resides. The last command will place you back into your home directory.
Note that you are free to decide where to place the ‘jdk1.8.0_111’ directory – even your home directory! However the ‘jdk1.8.0_111’ directory in ‘/usr/lib/jvm’ is highly recommended as this will be in line with other Linux distro’s placement of the Java files. This whole article reflects that recommendation.
Notice that the owner and group of the ‘jdk1.8.0_111’ directory is still in your name and group. You can keep it as it is if you are the only user of the PC or you can set this to root by executing:
sudo chown -R root:root /usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111
The contents of the ‘/usr/lib/jvm’ directory after STEP 1 is completed should be like this:
drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 4096 Jun 24 14:55 .
drwxr-xr-x 183 root root 20480 Jun 24 14:06 ..
drwxr-xr-x 11 root root 4096 Jun 24 14:55 jdk1.8.0_111
Notice that there is only one directory there – the ‘jdk1.8.0_111’ directory.
STEP 2: Set Up Default Java To Oracle's Java JDK 8u111
The next thing to do is to tell Debian 8.6 where Oracle’s Java JDK resides and set up a default Java. For this we use the ‘update-alternatives’ command. Execute the following command from the terminal (note that the command is on a single line):
sudo update-alternatives --install "/usr/bin/java" "java" "/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111/bin/java" 1500 --slave "/usr/share/man/man1/java.1" "java.1" "/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111/man/man1/java.1"
These will install all the necessary links to Oracle’s Java, including a slave link for the ‘man’ pages for Java. After the command has been executed, the default Java was automatically set to Oracle’s Java.
To verify that all have been set correctly, you can use the following commands:
update-alternatives --display java
If the output to the query above contain looks like this:
java - auto mode
link currently points to /usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111/bin/java
/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111/bin/java - priority 1500
slave java.1: /usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111/man/man1/java.1
Current 'best' version is '/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111/bin/java'.
then everything have been set correctly. A quick check on the current version of the Oracle’s Java can be performed by executing the following command in a terminal:
java -version
If the output for the command is:
java version "1.8.0_111"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_111-b14)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.111-b14, mixed mode)
then Oracle JDK 8 has been set up properly.
STEP 3: Set the System's Environment Variables and Paths
Now we have to set the environment variables and paths correctly for the whole Debian 8.6 system. Execute the following command:
sudo nano /etc/bash.bashrc
This will execute the nano text editor and open the ‘/etc/bash.bashrc’ file for editing. Now add (or edit) the following lines at the end of the file.
export STUDIO_JDK=/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111
export JDK_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111
export PATH=$PATH:$JAVA_HOME/bin
Save the file and close it. Note that, upon system startup, these will set the STUDIO_JDK, JDK_HOME and JAVA_HOME and PATH environment variables for the whole system. The STUDIO_JDK, JDK_HOME and JAVA_HOME environment variable points to the JDK root while the PATH environment variable will add the ‘/bin’ directory of the JDK to whatever path that has already been specified. Note that these environment variables will be used for Android Studio, and other programs which uses Java. This also will enable the ‘javac’ (the Java compiler) command to be executed from any directory. Note that the ‘javac’ command is not essential to Android software development, but it could prove useful if you are running Java programs from a terminal. It also would be useful if you are new to Java and wish to test software from the command line during the learning process.
Now log out and then log in again to the system in order to make sure that both the environment variables are set. Check that you have correctly set up Oracle Java by executing the commands in a terminal:
echo $STUDIO_JDK
echo $JDK_HOME
echo $JAVA_HOME
echo $PATH
java -version
javac -version
If you see the string ‘jdk1.8.0_111’ in the output to the above commands, then you have successfully set up Oracle’s Java SE 8u111.
Now whenever Oracle issue an updated version, all you have to do in order to use the new version of Java SE is to follow STEP 1, STEP 2 above and this step (STEP 3). Just make sure that you change the version number to the new version in the commands shown. However, you do not have to re-create the ‘/usr/lib/jvm’ directory as it already exist. Also make sure that you remove the links to the old version of Java by using the ‘sudo update-alternatives --remove-all java’ command before implementing the links to the new version of Java in STEP 2.
STEP 4: Install 32-Bit Libraries
Since you are using the 64-bit version of Debian 8.6, it is important to note that Android Studio requires some 32-bit libraries to run properly. You must install the necessary packages by executing the following:
sudo apt-get install lib32z1 lib32ncurses5 lib32stdc++6 lib32gcc1 lib32tinfo5 libc6-i386
Note that, if you fail to install these packages, you will not be able to use Android Studio without running into errors.
STEP 5: Install Google's Android Studio
Point your browser to here and click on the big green button and then agree to the terms. Click on the download button and wait for the download to finish.
NOTE: As of October 2016, the version of Android Studio stands at version 2.2. This version differs from any of the previous versions; so the user must take this into consideration – especially those users that are used to using the standalone SDK and AVD Managers. It must be pointed out to new users that the Android Studio is based upon the Jetbrains’s Intellij IDE – which is vastly different from the Eclipse IDE on which the previous Android Studio is based. So new users are encouraged to read about the Intellij IDE before using it.
To install Android Studio, first start a terminal and then execute the following command:
unzip Downloads/android-studio-ide-145.3360264-linux.zip
Note that the version number in the file name may differ from the one shown above because Google issues new updates constantly. Always use the latest version although the screen shots in this article applies to the version shown above.
The commands shown above will decompress the contents of the zip file into a new directory called ‘android-studio’ in your home directory. To start Android Studio setup, execute the following commands, one by one:
cd android-studio/bin
./studio.sh
A window similar to the one shown below will appear asking whether you would like to import any settings. If this is the first time you are using Android Studio, it will be likely that you don’t have anything to import. However, if you are moving from an older version of Android Studio, you may want to keep any settings made previously – in this case specify the location of the settings and let the setup wizard do the job.
Click on the ‘OK’ button to proceed. Android Studio will begin loading as shown in the figure below.
After a while, the ‘Setup Wizard’ screen similar to the one shown below, will appear. Click on the ‘Next’ button to continue.
The next screen (‘Install Type’) similar to the one shown below will appear. The Standard type of setup is already selected – this is recommended unless you want to customize the setup. Click on the ‘Next’ button and the the next screen will appear.
The next screen (see below) is the ‘Verify Settings’ window where you will find settings like the setup type, the destination folder, and the SDK components to be downloaded next, plus the total size of the downloads. Click on the ‘Next’ button and the the next screen will appear.
If you have Intel’s Virtualization Technology enabled in your PC BIOS and Linux kernel, then it will be detected as shown on the wizard’s screen. You can read up more on this technology at the URL shown on the screen. Then click on the ‘Finish’ button.
The SDK components mentioned in the ‘Verify Settings’ window will begin downloading as shown below. Wait for the download and installation of the SDK components to finish.
Once downloading and installation is completed, a log window will appear as shown. Note that this log window is where any error messages, if any, will be displayed. Assuming that the log window does not display any error messages, click on the ‘Finish’ button.
The next screen shown is the Android Studio Welcome Screen itself (shown below). You have now successfully installed Android Studio Version 2.2 on your Debian 8.6 PC.
NOTE: The latest version of Android Studio has a new look which differs from the previous version. One of the major difference is the way Android Studio handle updates – if there are any, a small window (or two) will pop up on the top right hand corner and informs you of the fact. To apply the updates (if you wish), just click on the ‘update’ item and follow the on-screen instructions.
You can now pause and admire your handiwork, then close Android Studio by clicking on the ‘x’ on the top right hand corner of the window. Ignore any warnings on the terminal and then close it.
Remember that, at the moment, you have to start a terminal, change to the correct bin directory and then launch ‘studio.sh’ in order to start Android Studio. Surely there must be an easier way and there is! To place a launcher icon on your desktop, follow the steps outlined below:
- Right-click on an empty portion of your desktop and select ‘Create a new launcher here...’
- A window similar to the one shown below, will appear. You an now enter a name for the item – ‘Android Studio’ seems appropriate here. Then for the command, click on the Browse button and select the ‘studio.sh’ file in your Home > android-studio > bin directory. In the comment field, enter any text you like – ‘Google's Programming IDE for Android’ seems appropriate here. Leave the ‘Launch in Terminal?’ field unchecked.
- For the icon, click on the placeholder icon, and navigate to your home directory, double-click on ‘android-studio’ and ‘bin’ directories and then select the ‘studio.png’ file (see figure below). Then click ‘OK’ to dismiss the ‘Launcher Properties’ window. A window may pop up asking you whether you want to create a menu item for Android Studio also (see below). Should you say ‘Yes’, that item will be placed in the ‘Other’ category.
You can test the launcher on your desktop by double-clicking on it – Android Studio should start up. Then close Android Studio again.
If you had created a menu item, you can also place an Android Studio icon in you Debian 8.6 panel. Click on the ‘Menu’ and then locate the Android Studio item under the ‘Other’ category in the menu. Right-click on this item and then select the ‘Add to panel’ item – then press the ‘Esc’ key to dismiss the menu. The Android Studio icon will appear in the panel (see below) – single click on this icon to start Android Studio.
If you want to launch Android Studio from anywhere using ‘studio.sh’ on a command line, it is recommended that the system wide path include the ‘android-studio/bin’. To do this, execute this command in a terminal:
sudo nano /etc/bash.bashrc
In the ‘bash.bashrc’ file make sure to include the ‘android-studio/bin’ in the PATH – for example:
export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/android-studio/bin
If you have already implemented the path to JAVA_HOME (as in STEP 1), then the new line should look like this:
export PATH=$PATH:$JAVA_HOME/bin:$HOME/android-studio/bin
Save the file and close nano. To make sure that this new path takes effect, log out and then log in again. Now you can launch ‘studio.sh’ in a terminal from any directory.
STEP 6: Configure SDK Manager
Launch Android Studio again if you have not already done so. Notice the ‘Configure’ on the last line of the window – click on it and then click on the ‘SDK Manager’ item (see below). The ‘Default Settings’ window similar to the one shown below will appear.
Note that the ‘Android SDK’ item in the left-side pane is already selected by default. Also note the ‘Launch Standalone SDK Manager’ item – users of the old version of Android Studio will be familiar with this item, as this will launch the old standalone SDK Manager. Click on this item and the window shown below will appear – with the lower right button showing that there are updates available. If there are no updates (i.e., the ‘Install packages’ button will be greyed out), it will be safe to close the standalone SDK Manager.
If there are updates and you wish to apply them, click on ‘Install x packages...‘ (where x can be any number) button. On the next window that appears, accept the license (see below), then click on the ‘Install’ button. The packages will then be downloaded and installed – after which the display will look like the one shown below. Then close the standalone SDK Manager (using the ‘x’ at the top right corner of the window) and you will be back to the ‘Default Settings‘ window.
NOTE: From now on, I suggest that you check if there are any updates by using the standalone SDK manager. This should be done every time you start Android Studio.
Now enable the item labeled ‘Show Package Details’ – the display will change as shown below.
Now it's time to check what has been installed so far. On the right side pane of the window, all installed packages are marked ‘Installed’ under the ‘Status’ column. Note that Android SDK Platform 25 package has already been installed for Android 7.1.1 (Nougat) – the latest Android version from Google. Other packages may have already been installed – just check the ‘Status’ column.
Depending on what Android devices that you wish to develop software for, you may wish to install additional packages for that device. For example, the author has an Android Nexus 5X smartphone running Android version 7.0 (Nougat), so the packages marked as shown below, was selected to be installed. Take note that all versions of Android is backward-compatible (at least in theory) so it is safe to include the latest version as shown. Note that you are free to choose the packages to install. The screen shown includes all packages for Android 7.0 and 7.1.1 (Nougat). Then click on the ‘Apply’ button. A ‘Confirm Change’ screen will pop-up next as shown below. Click on the ‘OK’ button. Then click on the accept the license agreement as shown below. Then click on the ‘Next’ button.
The next window will appear as shown below. This will display the progress of the downloads as well as the installation of the packages. Wait until the downloads and installation has been completed – then click on the ‘Finish’ button (see below).
You will be back at the ‘Android SDK’ window where all the installed packages will be shown under the ‘Status’ column (see below).
You can now explore the ‘Android SDK’ window – click on the ‘OK’ button when you are done.
STEP 7: Create a New Project Using Android Studio
Now that you have successfully installed Oracle’s Java SE 8u111 and Google’s Android Studio 2.2, it’s time to use Android Studio to develop software for the Android platform. We start off by using Android Studio to write a short and simple ‘Hello, world’ program, which you can run either on your AVD (Android Virtual Devices), or your actual Android device.
Launch Android Studio if it is closed, then start a new project by clicking on the ‘Start a new Android Studio project’ item from the welcome screen (see below).
The ‘New Project’ screen as shown below will appear – fill in the details for the ‘Application name’ to ‘Hello World’, and ‘Company Domain’ to ‘anycompany.com’ as shown. The directory in which this project reside can be anywhere on your PC. In the example shown, I have placed the project in my home folder’s ‘Projects’ directory but you are free to use any directory you wish. Then click on the ‘Next’ button.
The ‘Target Android Devices’ screen will appear next (see below). Make sure that the ‘Phone and Tablet’ item is selected. The ‘Minimum SDK’ is pre-selected to be ‘API 15: Android 4.0.3 (IceCreamSandwich)’ and the reason why is as stated in the note below this field. If you are unsure on which minimum SDK to select, you can click on the ‘Help me choose’ item. For this tutorial, leave it at the pre-selected minimum SDK. Then click on the ‘Next’ button.
The ‘Add an activity to Mobile’ screen will appear next (see below). Select the ‘Empty Activity’ item if it is not pre-selected. Then click on the ‘Next’ button.
The ‘Customize the Activity’ screen will appear next (see below). Change the ‘Activity Name’ to MyActivity and the rest of the items below will change as shown. Then click on the ‘Finish’ button.
Android Studio (the ‘Gradle’ part anyway) will then start building the project as shown below. Note that your project is a basic ‘Hello world’ app that contains some default lines so you do not have to enter those lines into the project. Later you can view the the Java source code for this ‘Hello world’ project in the Android Studio IDE.
When completed, Android Studio will display it’s main IDE screen (see below). If a ‘Tip of the Day’ window appears (also shown below), you can safely close it by clicking on the ‘Close’ button. Note that if you do not wish to see the ‘Tip of the Day’ window anymore, clear the check mark from the ‘Show Tips on Startup’, and you will not see this window anymore. Also note that, if this is the first time you are using Android Studio, the next screen will take some time to appear while the system will carry out indexing of the IDE – the word ‘Indexing...’ will appear in the bottom of the IDE window (see below).
After the system has finished indexing, a screen similar to the one shown below will appear. Note that it shows the source for the package ‘MyActivity’ Java class. Click on the ‘activity_my.xml’ tab and the screen as shown below will appear. Note that it does contain a graphic of a Nexus 4 device with the ‘Hello World!’ text on it. This, however, is NOT the output of the project.
STEP 8: Create a New Emulated Android Device
Before we run this project in order to test it, we will require an Android device to run the project on. We can either run the project on a emulated Android device or an actual Android device. Running the same project on an actual Android device will be described later. We will now create an emulated Android device based on a Nexus 5X device.
NOTE: There are two ways of creating an emulated Android device. One is via the old standalone SDK manager and the other is using the ‘Tools’ menu on the Android Studio (while a project is open) itself. This article will use the new way instead of the old standalone SDK manager. For those users who prefer using the old standalone SDK manager, I suggest reading my past article here.
Click on the ‘Tools’ menu, followed by ‘Android’ and finally ‘AVD Manager’. The ‘Your Virtual Devices’ screen will appear (shown below). Click on the ‘Create Virtual Device...’ button. The ‘Select Hardware’ screen will appear (see below). Note that a Phone device labeled Nexus 5 is already pre-selected. Since this is NOT what we want, select the one labeled Nexus 5X (see below). Then click on the ‘Next’ button.
The ‘System Image’ screen will appear (shown below). Note that a phone device with Android 7.1.1 (Nougat) API 25 is already pre-selected. You can leave this as it is, or you can select a phone device with Android 7.0 (Nougat) API 24 like the screen shown below. The choice is entirely up to you – since I have a Nexus 5X with Android 7.0, I decided to select an AVD to match. Then click on the ‘Next’ button. A screen similar to the one shown below will appear – just press the ‘Finish’ button.
The AVD will be saved (see below) and the final screen listing your virtual devices will be displayed as shown. You can edit this AVD anytime by first selecting it and clicking on the edit icon (looks like a pencil) at the column marked ‘Actions’. Note that, besides editing this AVD, you can also run it (by clicking on the Run icon) and perform various functions by clicking on the down arrow icon.
To edit this AVD, click on the edit icon and the ‘Verify Configuration’ screen as shown below will appear. You can make necessary changes here. You can make more advanced changes by clicking on the ‘Show Advanced Settings’ button – the screen will change as shown below. You can scroll up to see (and change if necessary) more advanced details. Click on the ‘Finish’ button to save your edits and to close this window. Then close the ‘Your Virtual Devices’ screen by clicking on the ‘x’ on the top left hand corner. You will be back at the main IDE screen.
Before running the project, first click on the downward pointing arrow next to the ‘Nexus 4’ icon then select the ‘Nexus 5X’ item from the drop-down list (remember that we already have created a Nexus 5X AVD). The final screen will look like the one shown below, with the change indicated by the red arrow. Now we are ready to run the project on our emulated Android device.
STEP 9: Running The Project Using An Emulated Android Device
To run this project on the Nexus 5X AVD emulator that you have created, click on the ‘Run’ button – the one in Android Studio’s toolbar that looks like a green-colored right pointing arrow (as indicated by the red arrow below). Another window will pop-up and, after a while, the screen will look like the one shown below.
Note the warning message (on a yellow background) stating that ‘No USB devices or running emulators detected’. You can safely ignore this message – you have not connected an actual Android device and the emulator has not started yet. Also note that the Nexus 5X emulator has been pre-selected by default. Click on the ‘OK’ button.
The Nexus 5X AVD will start and the screen will change to the one shown below. After a while, the AVD will appear displaying the flashing ‘Android’ sign (see below). Then the AVD will display the home screen for a short while, after which the ‘Hello World!’ message will appear on the Nexus 5X AVD's screen (see below). This means that the Nexus 5X AVD is set up correctly and is working perfectly.
Note the small vertical window to the right of the AVD (see below). This contains all the controls for the AVD – which includes the power button, the speaker volume controls, the screen rotation controls, the camera button, the search button and the navigation buttons. At the extreme top are the minimize and exit buttons. At the extreme bottom is a row to three horizontal dots – clicking on this will bring up another window (shown below) where more extended controls are located. You can play with the controls if you wish. Then click on the dot located at the top right of this window to close it. To close the AVD, click on the ‘x’ located on top of the control window. You will be back at the project screen (shown below).
STEP 10: Running The Project Using An Actual Android Device
We have successfully tested the ‘Hello World’ project on the AVD emulator. However, our ultimate goal is that the project should run on an actual Android device (a smartphone, for example). In order to do this, you need to connect that device to our development PC (the PC on which Android Studio is currently running) using a proper USB cable and the proper USB ports.
First you need to enable USB debugging on your device. Usually this can found under ‘Settings’ and ‘Developer options’ but it can vary from device to device. On some Android devices, ‘Developer options’ may need to revealed as they are hidden by default. If unsure, consult your ‘User’s Manual’ or the manufacturer’s web page for the information on how to enable USB debugging. The screenshot shown below is the already revealed ‘Developer options’ for the Nexus 5X.
If you find an item labelled ‘Revoke USB debugging authorizations’ on your Android device, select that and clear all previous authorization by selecting ‘OK’. Note that if this item is not present on your Android device, you can safely assume that your PC is automatically authorized. The screenshot shown below is the ‘Revoke USB debugging authorizations’ for the Nexus 5X.
Next we have to make sure that the proper USB cable is used. The manufacturer of your Android device usually provide you with one – use that cable and none other. Unfortunately, the Nexus 5X smartphone comes only with type C USB connectors at both ends, so it would be impossible to make connections to a PC with type A USB connectors. Should this be the case with your Android smartphone and your PC, it would mean getting another USB cable for the connection between your Android smartphone and your PC.
You also have to make sure that the USB port to be used on your PC is working. Test this port out first by plugging in a thumb drive (or any other USB device) and if the PC recognize this device, you can safely say that the USB port is working.
Now make sure that Android Studio is running the ‘Hello World’ project. Then connect your Android smartphone to your PC using the USB cable. Dismiss any file manager window on your PC if any pops up.
Then click on the ‘Run’ button in Android Studio’s toolbar. As usual, the ‘Select Deployment Target’ window will pop up as shown below. Note that the ‘LGE Nexus 5X Android 7.0, API 24’ item is selected by default. You may need to authorize the USB connection to the smartphone for debugging with the PC’s RSA key by selecting ‘OK’ on your smartphone (see below). Click the ‘OK’ button to run the project on your Android device.
If everything is set up correctly, you should see the ‘Hello World!’ message displayed on your Android device’s screen (see below). If not, see if there are any messages on your Android Studio status screen of your PC. If the message mentions authorization (for example), then, most probably you have forgotten to set USB connection authorization on your device. Do it now and retry running the project again. The important thing to note here (if unsuccessful) is that Android Studio will display some message and this usually gives you a clue on what is wrong. If you still run into problems, then I suggest searching the Internet with your problem.
You can now close the window on your Android device (usually using the ‘Back’ key). If you examine the apps on your device, you will find an app labelled ‘Hello World’ (see below). This is, of course, the ‘Hello World’ app file (usually with a .apk extension) which Android Studio has downloaded for you. You can delete this file if you so wish. By the way, before you put your Android device aside after testing more new apps developed using Android Studio, remember to disconnect the smartphone from the PC first and then switch off USB debugging on the smartphone.
To close the ‘Hello World’ project on your PC, click on ‘File’ and the ‘Close Project’ menu items on Android Studio. You will be back to the welcome screen and the ‘Hello World’ project will be listed on the left hand side pane (see below). To restart (or reload) the same project, make sure that the project is selected and then double-click the item – that project will then be started.
Summary Of Steps:
- STEP 1: Install Oracle’s Java SE (or JDK) 8
- STEP 2: Set Up Default Java To Oracle’s Java JDK 8
- STEP 3: Set the System's Environment Variables and Paths
- STEP 4: Install 32-Bit Libraries
- STEP 5: Install Google's Android Studio
- STEP 6: Configure SDK Manager
- STEP 7: Create a New Project Using Android Studio
- STEP 8: Create a New Emulated Android Device
- STEP 9: Running The Project Using An Emulated Android Device
- STEP 10: Running The Project Using An Actual Android Device
Download and install the following from Oracle's website (via a terminal):
cd Downloads
tar xzvf jdk-8u111-linux-x64.tar.gz
tar xzvf jdk-8u111-linux-x64-demos.tar.gz
unzip jdk-8u111-docs-all.zip -d jdk1.8.0_111
Now execute the following commands:
sudo mkdir /usr/lib/jvm/
sudo mv jdk1.8.0_111/ /usr/lib/jvm/
cd ~
sudo chown -R root:root /usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111
Execute the following in a terminal:
sudo update-alternatives --install "/usr/bin/java" "java" "/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111/bin/java" 1500 --slave "/usr/share/man/man1/java.1" "java.1" "/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111/man/man1/java.1"
To verify:
update-alternatives --display java
java -version
Execute the following in a terminal:
sudo nano /etc/bash.bashrc
Insert the following lines:
export STUDIO_JDK=/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111
export JDK_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/jdk1.8.0_111
export PATH=$PATH:$JAVA_HOME/bin
Log out and then log back in and execute the following in a terminal:
echo $STUDIO_JDK
echo $JDK_HOME
echo $JAVA_HOME
echo $PATH
java -version
javac -version
If you see the string ‘jdk1.8.0_111’ in the output to the above commands, then you have successfully removed OpenJDK 7 JRE and replaced it with Oracle’s SE 8.
Execute the following in a terminal:
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install libc6:i386 libncurses5:i386 libstdc++6:i386 lib32z1
Download and install Android Studio by opening a terminal and executing:
unzip Downloads/android-studio-ide-145.3330264-linux.zip
cd android-studio/bin
./studio.sh
Follow the on-screen instructions to install Android Studio (see figures in the main how-to). If you wish to place a launcher on your desktop and your panel, see the main how-to.
Click on ‘Configure’ followed by a click on the ‘SDK Manager’ item. Click on the ’Launch Standalone SDK Manager’. If there are any updates, click on the updates available button, and then follow the on-screen instructions to apply the updates.
Now enable the item labeled ’Show Package Details’. Depending on what Android devices that you wish to develop software for, you may wish to install additional packages for that device. Then click on the ‘Apply’ button, and follow the on-screen instructions.
Click on the ‘Start a new Android Studio project’ item from the welcome screen of Android Studio. Follow the on-screen instructions and the main how-to to create a new ‘Hello World’ project. When completed, Android Studio will display it’s main IDE screen.
Click on the ‘Tools’ menu of Android Studio main IDE screen, followed by ‘Android’ and finally ‘AVD Manager’. The ‘Your Virtual Devices’ screen will appear. Click on the ‘Create Virtual Device...’ button. The ‘Select Hardware’ screen will appear. Note that a Phone device labeled Nexus 5 is already pre-selected. Select the one you want from the drop down list. Then click on the ‘Next’ button.
The ‘System Image’ screen will appear. Select the one that you want and press the ‘Next’ button. The next screen will appear – just press the ‘Finish’ button.
The AVD will be saved (see below) and the final screen listing your virtual devices will be displayed. You can edit this AVD anytime by first selecting it and clicking on the edit icon (looks like a pencil) at the column marked ‘Actions’.
To run this project on the emulator that you have created, click on the ‘Run’ button – the one in Android Studio’s toolbar that looks like a green-colored right pointing arrow. Another window will pop-up, with emulator pre-selected by default. Click on the ‘OK’ button.
The AVD will start and after a while, the AVD will appear displaying the flashing ‘Android’ sign. Then the AVD will display the home screen for a short while, after which the ‘Hello World!’ message will appear on the AVD's screen. This means that the AVD is set up correctly and is working perfectly.
First you need to enable USB debugging on your Android device. If you find an item labeled ‘Revoke USB debugging authorizations’ on your Android device, select that and clear all previous authorization by selecting ‘OK’. Next we have to make sure that the proper USB cable is used. You also have to make sure that the USB port to be used on your PC is working.
Now make sure that Android Studio is running the ‘Hello World’ project. Then connect your Android smartphone to your PC using the USB cable. Dismiss any file manager window on your PC if any pops up – also ignore any warning messages that may also pop up.
Then click on the ‘Run’ button in Android Studio’s toolbar. The ‘Select Deployment Target’ window will pop up. Select the correct AVD. You may need to authorize the USB connection to the smartphone for debugging with the PC’s RSA key by selecting ‘OK’ on your smartphone. Then click the ‘OK’ button to run the project on your Android device.
If everything is set up correctly, you should see the ‘Hello World!’ message displayed on your Android device’s screen.
You can now close the window on your Android device (usually using the ‘Back’ key). If you examine the apps on your device, you will find an app labeled ‘Hello World’. Before you put your Android device aside remember to disconnect the smartphone from the PC first and then switch off USB debugging on the smartphone.
Final Words:
That's it. You now have a 64-Bit Debian 8.6 Cinnamon PC which can be used to develop Android software. If you are an experienced Intellij, Android Studio, Java and Android programmer, enjoy! For those people who is new to Android Studio or Java programming, here are some links which I recommend you visit in order to learn about Android programming.
To learn about the Intellij IDE (on which the Android Studio is based), visit https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/documentation/ for a tutorial on this.
To learn how to use Android Studio for developing Android software, visit https://developer.android.com/training/index.html for a tutorial on this.
If you are new to Java, then I would recommend searching the web for tutorials and the books ‘Java For Dummies, 7th Edition’ and ‘Head First Java, 3rd Edition’ as a guide.
If you are new to Java Programming for Android, then I would recommend searching the web for tutorials and the book ‘Java Programming For Android For Dummies’ as a guide. There is also another book by the same author but is more ‘advanced’ and is targeted towards Android developers. The title of this book is ‘Java Programming For Android Developers For Dummies’.
Happy computing!
