One thing that the Eclipse ADT plug-in will provide you is automated workflow.
There's a wizard to create and export a project. Custom editors will help you write some of those Android-specific XML file. Not sure how to declare an Activity in your manifest? Just use the editors, read a few tooltip, see what fields are available, then a few clicks and you're done. Much easier than reading the doc to figure out the name of the XML nodes/attributes. Same thing for debugging. Even the first time, with no prior setup, this is as easy as choosing a menu option to start a "debug launch". It amuses me to hear Faber mention he hasn't needed to use DDMS to debug yet :) DDMS is pivotal to debug on Android. But the Eclipse plug-in embeds DDMS and does all the dirty work for you. Using ADT is using DDMS, you just don't know it. In the end, except for the custom editors found only in ADT, everything you do in Eclipse can be done with command line tools (or at least non IDE tools). - activityCreator to create a project skeleton and its build script - Ant to build - DDMS to help you connect a debugger (unfortunately DDMS is not a command line tool at this point) - Any Java debugger able to do remote debugging. Some tools (traceview, hierarchyviewer, draw9path) are actually not integrated in Eclipse at this point. Even when they become integrated, the standalone versions will still exist. Eclipse is certainly our preferred way (ie this is were we focus our energy to create an all-in-one environment), but it is not our goal to force developers to use Eclipse. Xav On Tue, Dec 9, 2008 at 12:37 PM, Brad Fuller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Thanks Fabor. Seems we are in the same boat, preferring vi and command > line for Java programming. I think my experience in Smalltalk is both > beneficial and detrimental to learning Eclipse. While I know Java, > (and have done Brew and J2ME) Eclipse is only a bit like Smalltalk > class browsers and Java certainly ain't Smalltalk! > > I appreciate your reply! > > brad > > On Mon, Dec 8, 2008 at 6:44 PM, Faber Fedor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> On Mon, Dec 8, 2008 at 3:12 PM, Brad Fuller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> wrote: >>> >>> I'm beginning to investigate the android development env and see that >>> Eclipse is heavily promoted for both editing and debugging. How >>> integrated, or how important, is the use of Eclipse for android >>> development? >> >> Unless you are well-versed in Java, XML, ANT and how this platform >> integrates the above with resources and how tightly integrated all these >> parts are, I'd say you would be a fool not to use Eclipse. >> >> If you're familiar with Java ME or BREW, it might not be as painful for you. >> >>> Will I be losing out by using another editor (I use vi)? >> >> I'm a vi(m) guy and I m loving Eclipse. I do screw up switching back and >> forth between them (some things are just better in vi(m)) but I've gotten >> used to it. >> >> There are vi bindings for Eclipse, but I've not installed it yet. >> >>> >>> And what about debugging? >> >> It's awesome. While the Perl debugger is very capable, I never realized how >> much I missed a GUI debugger. There's also a scary looking hardware >> debugger thingie call DDMS (IIRC) that looks pretty powerful but I've not >> needed to use it yet. >> >> And the Google App Engine plugin makes debugging GAE apps a breeze (no more >> print statements scattered through your web app). >> >>> >>> Those using Eclipse, how well did you adapt to Eclipse >>> and the android plugin? >> >> I am a hard-core command line guy. I have come to love Eclipse. I would >> have never been able to tackle and Android app without it; the plugin takes >> care of much of the drudgery work so you can get to learning the framework >> (which is a major chore in and of itself). >> >> Use the Eclipse and the Android plugin. you can always go back to vi later >> if it suits you, but I don't think it will. >> >> -- >> >> Faber Fedor >> Cloud Computing New Jersey >> http://cloudcomputingnj.com >> >> >> > >> > > > > -- > Brad Fuller > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Beginners" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-beginners?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
