Thriving in Android Development Using Kotlin - by Gema Socorro Rodríguez (Paperback)

About the Book

This book will teach you how to build robust and production-ready apps using Jetpack Compose, Room, DataStore, CameraX, ExoPlayer, and more, as well as help you solve common problems that you'll face while creating real-world apps.

Book Synopsis

Build a range of Android applications including a messaging app, a photo editor, and a video streaming platform while learning how to address common real-world issues such as authentication, connecting to synchronous and asynchronous remote sources, rendering complex UIs with Jetpack Compose, and more

Key Features:

- Understand complex concepts in a coherent way by solving challenging real-world problems and developing three practical projects

- Use the latest features of libraries in Jetpack Compose, Room, CameraX, ExoPlayer, and more

- Leverage best practices for UI creation, app structure, data handling, and lifecycle management

- Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook

Book Description:

With resources on Android and Kotlin abound, it's difficult to find content that focuses on resolving common challenges faced by app developers. This book by Gema Socorro Rodríguez - a Google Developer Expert for Android with over 15 years of experience and a proven track record as an effective instructor - is designed to bridge the gap between theory and real-world application. It equips you with the skills to tackle everyday problems in Android development through hands-on projects.

Under Gema's expert guidance, you'll build three sophisticated Android projects. You'll start your development journey by building a WhatsApp-like application, learning how to process asynchronous messages reactively, render them using Jetpack Compose, and advance to creating and uploading a backup of these messages. Next, you'll channel your creativity into Packtagram, an Instagram-inspired app that offers advanced photo-editing capabilities using the latest CameraX libraries. Your final project will be a Netflix-style app, integrating video playback functionality with ExoPlayer for both foreground and background operations, and implementing device casting features.

By the end of this book, you'll have crafted three fully functional, multi-platform projects and gained the confidence to solve the most common challenges in Android development.

What You Will Learn:

- Create complex UIs with Jetpack Compose

- Structure and modularize apps with a focus on further scaling

- Connect your app to synchronous and asynchronous remote sources

- Store and cache information and manage the lifecycle of this data

- Execute periodic tasks using WorkManager

- Capture and edit photos and videos using CameraX

- Authenticate your users securely

- Play videos in the foreground and background and cast them to other devices

Who this book is for:

If you're a mid-level Android engineer, this book is for you as it will not only teach you how to solve issues that occur in real-world apps but also benefit you in your day-to-day work. This book will also help junior engineers who want to get exposed to complex problems and explore best practices to solve them. A basic understanding of Android and Kotlin concepts such as views, activities, lifecycle, and Kotlin coroutines will be useful to get the most out of this book.

Table of Contents

- Building the UI for Your Messaging App

- Setting Up WhatsPackt's Messaging Abilities

- Backing Up Your WhatsPackt Messages

- Building the Packtagram UI

- Creating a Photo Editor Using CameraX

- Adding Video and Editing Functionality to Packtagram

- Starting a Video Streaming App and Adding Authentication

- Adding Media Playback to Packtflix with ExoPlayer

- Extending Video Playback in Your Packtflix App