Learn about the most popular Android library used for designing consistent UI across all the Android Platforms from API 7+ Learn about few of the amazing features of AppCompat Library and new things about AppCompat v23.2.0 like Vector Assets

1. Exploring
AppCompat
library

2. About me
~3 years of Android
Development Experience
Pursing Bachelor Degree in
Computer Engineering
Akshay Chordiya
+AkshayChordiya

3. Portfolio
Automaton Locker - 100K downloads
Active Notify - 64K downloads
Jair Player - 100K downloads
Few other apps too

4. What’s
AppCompat?
It’s now becoming the crux of
every Android app
It’s a support library from Android
Developers Team
It provides consistent UI across
all the Android versions*
Used to support backward
compatibility
It provides really great features
It’s the most used and popular
library in all Android apps
*Upto API 7

5. Pre-requisites for AppCompat
1. Need Android Studio 2.0
2. Download Support Library Repository from SDK manager
3. Switch to new AppCompat library (v23.2.0)

6. Adding AppCompat to app
dependencies {
compile 'com.android.support:appcompat-v7:23.2.0'
}
Gradle Magic!

8. Major Delights of AppCompat
1. Make beautiful apps
2. Support Widgets. (Toolbar, a
lot more custom widgets)
3. Easier theming and tinting
4. Theming the complete app
5. Backward compatibility

9. Theming the app
<!-- Base application theme. -->
<style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.AppCompat.Light.DarkActionBar">
<!-- Customize your theme here. -->
<item name="colorPrimary">@color/colorPrimary</item>
<item name="colorPrimaryDark">@color/colorPrimaryDark</item>
<item name="colorAccent">@color/colorAccent</item>
</style>

10. Theming the Views
<android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar
android:id="@+id/toolbar"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:background="@color/primaryColor"
app:title="@string/app_name"
app:theme="@style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Dark.ActionBar"/>

11. #ProTip
Replace
android.app.AlertDialog
With..
android.support.v7.app.AlertDialog

12. A lot more...

13. AppCompat v23.2.0

14. Day Night theme

15. Day Night Theme
This theme allows apps to easily support both a Light and
Dark theme, effectively switching from a Light theme to a
Dark theme based on whether it is ‘night’
It is handled automatic! That’s awesome!

16. #ProTip for DayNight
● It is critical that you test your app thoroughly when using the
DayNight themes as hardcoded colors can easily make for
unreadable text or icons.
● Use the standard TextAppearance.AppCompat styles for your text or
colors pulled from your theme such as android:textColorPrimary,
you’ll find these automatically update for you.

17. Age of Vectors
Switching to Vector Assets

18. New additions
❖support-vector-drawable
➢ Replace multiple bitmap graphics with single vector graphic XML file
➢ Supports backward compatibility up to API 7
❖animated-vector-drawable
➢ Crisp animations using vectors with few vector graphic XML files
➢ Supports backward compatibility up to API 11

19. Pre-requisites for Vector Assets
1. Switch to new AppCompat library (v23.2.0)
2. Switch to new Android Studio 2.0
3. That’s it!

20. How it works
Step 1
Add in module build.gradle
android {
defaultConfig {
vectorDrawables.u
seSupportLibrary =
true
}
}
Step 2
Add vector icons
Setup all the vector icons
in your app
Step 3
Replace src with srcCompat
<ImageView
android:layout_width="wrap_
content"
android:layout_height="wrap
_content"
app:srcCompat="@drawable/ic
_avatar"/>

21. Further Links
All the logos used are trademarks of respective companies.
Android AppCompat v23.2.0
Android AppCompat v21
Android AppCompat v23.2.0 Video
AppCompat Day Night
Android Studio for Experts
Vector Asset Studio

22. Questions?

23. Thank You!