shawn, you do not have to define your layout in XML. you are free to build it up your android layout view programmatically, if you so wish. as a side note, if you are doing any sort of development, on any platform, you will be hard pressed to avoid XML. that's just a fact so don't kill the messenger.
what XML is good at is providing an easily parsable machine communication mechanism. a lot of what you say is true, but only because XML is being misused. the ADT plugin provides GUI wrappers around most (all?) of the XML you need to write, but of course the plugin is lacking so you quickly get to a point where you need to get into the XML. good luck. On 11/9/09 1:36 PM, Indicator Veritatis wrote: > If you really want to learn to code using the Android SDK, then you > WILL use the XML. Otherwise, you simply are not using Android after > all. In that case, you should give up your membership in the Google > Beginner's group, since you will get nothing out of it. > > On Nov 7, 1:20 pm, sfitzjava<sfitzj...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Wow.... thought I said I "Please no .. benefits of XML (BECAUSE YOU >> ARE WRONG. [PERIOD])". >> So thanks for wasting my time reading your diatribe and you are wrong >> still. Sadly you would jump over a cliff if some >> script kiddie told you it was the new thing to do. >> >> So to quickly cut through all of your BS. >> XML in android is processed down to Java at compile time. >> XML does not make your system any more flexible than writing it in >> standard java (unless you don't know how to program) >> XML is error prone >> XML is not a programming language >> XML is BLOATED! >> XML is a data description syntax for communication between >> heterogeneous system. >> XML is a data description syntax which supports data versioning. >> XML can not be debugged >> XML has to be gen'ed into the R.class >> XML tag has to match what is typed in the java code, and there is no >> validation since the R.class is not constantly regen'ed. >> XML is not validated, nor has any javadocs, nor has any code >> completion support. >> XML can not be visualized without building and running the app. >> >> Now if Google wants to make a decent tool such as Apple has with XCode >> InterfaceBuilder (not calling xcode perfect but it does a very nice >> job) then I don't care what they save their files in, and I will >> happily jump back and forth if it saves me time, boilerplate coding, >> code bloat that gets in the way of debugging, and helps with the >> maintainability of the codebase. To date XML in android does none of >> these. >> >> Also don't talk to me like I have no idea about technology, ESPECIALLY >> MOBILE!!! >> It is clear that you use technology and do not understand it. Your >> use of the statement "XML is used everywhere" >> as some type of validation demonstrates that. Millions of people >> believed for hundreds of years that the world was flat, >> that the earth was the center of everything, more recently that >> Quantum physics was a pipe-dream. >> If XML is the greatest then why was JSON developed? >> >> So unless you can answer my question you need not reply. >> Again to be clear the question is, "Any tutorials for android that do >> not require XML". >> >> -Shawn >> >> On Nov 3, 12:33 am, confetti<damcc...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> >>> Shawn, >>> >> >>> I'm not going to tell you that you should use xml because I'll be the >>> first to admit, it's a hard thing to learn. However, saying there are >>> absolutely no benefits to xml is wrong. There are benefits and costs >>> to every computer related technology. Xml can offer a flexible, easy >>> to change GUI. In android, it lets you define several different >>> layouts for a single activity without ever having to change a piece of >>> code. >>> >> >>> On the other hand, I also understand the benefits of hardcoding a UI. >>> It requires less jumping between files, and less resource management >>> (although android makes that very easy indeed). >>> >> >>> I would like to point out that rejecting a widely used technology like >>> xml completely is going to make it very difficult for you to compete >>> in today's tech industry. Xml is a part of everything. If you didn't >>> know, Google Groups, gmail, iGoogle, bing, msn.com, and thousands of >>> other websites use a technology called AJAX, in which xml is an >>> integral part. Without it, we couldn't have the cool behaviors like >>> partial-page refreshes. On the software side, xml is used in thousands >>> of applications across the world as a standard for transferring data >>> between places. Even Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org save all of >>> their documents and files in xml now. >>> >> >>> To answer your question, the only way to "truly" learn to program >>> android applications is to do it. Just like with any language and >>> platform, you can't become good at it without practice. I find the >>> easiest way for me to learn is to come up with a tool that I want or >>> need for my own convenience (music file organizer, flash card program, >>> a find&replace function for files on the hard drive instead of text IN >>> a file, etc...) and then start writing that application. It takes >>> longer to complete the application this way than it would for someone >>> more experienced in the language and platform, but I find that I learn >>> a lot more about the platform a lot faster than just reading a book or >>> watching a video without actually doing anything. >>> >> >>> That being said, the android developer's website has some great >>> tutorials and code examples that teach you how to write programs both >>> with and without xml. The same tutorial should teach both ways. If you >>> start with the ones that teach both, and learn how the platform works, >>> you can start to translate tutorials that only teach xml into a >>> hardcode version as you read. When you see them talking about an xml >>> element you can think to yourself, "how would I do that in code?" and >>> you will know, because you understand how they work. >>> >> >>> I highly recommend, if you haven't already, seriously reading and >>> completinghttp://developer.android.com/guide/tutorials/hello-world.html. >>> Don't just copy and paste, but type the code in yourself by hand. >>> You'll gain a much better understanding of the interactions between >>> various pieces because you'll be forced to look closely at each part. >>> >> >>> On Nov 2, 10:55 pm, sfitzjava<sfitzj...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >> >>>> I want to learn how to write android apps, let me restate that. I >>>> want to learn how to actually program the android using java, and not >>>> just type a bunch of XM(hel)L tags. Actually to be perfectly clear >>>> I NEVER WANT TO WRITE AN XM(HEL)L TAG EVER!!!! >>>> >> >>>> Given this requirement (ABSOLUTELY NO XMhelL) is there any tutorials, >>>> books, videos that truly teach how to write for the android platform. >>>> >> >>>> Please no flames on the benefits of XML (BECAUSE YOU ARE WRONG >>>> [PERIOD]) and I will not listen to you anyway. >>>> >> >>>> Thanks >>>> -Shawn >>>> > -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Beginners" group. To post to this group, send email to android-beginners@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to android-beginners+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-beginners?hl=en
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