Chapter 1. Using Command-line Tools

In this chapter, we will take a tour of the main command-line tools, specifically related to the creation and packaging of Android applications. We will learn how to install and configure Android NDK on Microsoft Windows, Apple OS X, and Ubuntu/Debian Linux, and how to build and run your first native application on an Android-based device. Usage of command-line tools to build your projects is essential for cross-platform mobile development using C++.

Note

This book is based on the Android SDK revision 24.3.3 and the Android NDK r10e. The source code was tested with Android API Level 23 (Marshmallow).

Our main focus will be the command-line centric and platform-independent development process.

Note

Android Studio is a very nice new portable development IDE, which has recently arrived at version 1.4. However, it still has very limited NDK support and will not be discussed in this book.