Android Question Android Team Inter-Development with Java and Basic4Android

[Kevin L. Johnson]

SITUATION: Another individual and I wish to work on several Android apps as two co developers sharing our routines, libraries, algorithms etc. in a common code repository. Everything is good except, he likes to write Android code using Eclipse IDE and the Android SDK etc. while I have tried that route before and personally very much prefer the Basic4Android route. Unfortunately, at the moment, there doesn't appear to be any convincing the other developer that Basic4Android is the best way to go.

QUESTION: Is there an effective way to co-develop Android Apps between two or more developers where some developers are using the traditional Android development stack and some developers are using Basic4Android? (For instance, I know that Basic4Android produces Java code using the Basic4Android syntax and IDE)

NOTE: I am hoping that there is a way for some level of language interoperability here because I don't see the non-Basic4Android developer budging until they become a "B4A" fan or sees that it is easily interoperable back and forth or at least perhaps interoperable in at least one direction.

Thanks for such a great product!
Kevin

 

[thedesolatesoul]

The easiest way is that you both write your back-end code as libraries, encapsulating all the functionality. You can do the same in B4A using Compile To Library.
After that you need to decide which IDE to use for the front-end.
Using B4A will be simpler (and maybe the only option) for the front-end as all of your B4A generated libraries will have dependencies on B4AShared Core etc, also B4A makes certain assumptions that might not hold in Eclipse.

I really wonder if this kind of marriage will hold up, as the Eclipse guy will want to change the UI etc using xml (if he knows it, he finds it simpler), he might get annoyed at the way certain things are done in B4A.

 

[Kevin L. Johnson]

Thanks for the quick response ...

I really wonder if this kind of marriage will hold up, as the Eclipse guy will want to change the UI etc using xml (if he knows it, he finds it simpler), he might get annoyed at the way certain things are done in B4A.

Good question ... B4A, I believe, is much better for the UI and I really don't think that he is particularly fond of the XML form of UI from the traditional Eclipse Android route.

I am hoping that others will continue to respond so that we can use this as a resource for this type of inter-operative development (when deemed necessary).

NOTE: Erel's earlier posting regarding using the simple library compiler without eclipse ...
http://www.b4x.com/android/forum/th...uild-libraries-without-eclipse.29918/#content

 

[thedesolatesoul]

Good question ... B4A, I believe, is much better for the UI and I really don't think that he is particularly fond of the XML form of UI from the traditional Eclipse Android route.

It doesnt matter. He will be looking at how things are done in Eclipse/XML etc, he will be talking to similar developers. He will have a way of thinking different from you. Sometimes there are things like RelativeLayouts, Actionbar Layouts or the layouts in adapters. Stuff like the R class etc.
I suggest you do some experiments with this guy, like a simple SqLite + Listview app or something like that.

 

[Erel]

The only reasonable way to combine Java with B4A is by making a library out of the Java code and using it from the B4A project. The other way (using a B4A library from a Java project) will not work properly.