Introduction

⚠ Still️ in early development. Bugs may arise.

Android CLI is a powerful tool that simplifies and streamlines the Native Android development process.

It provides a single interface for developers to create, build, and release Android applications without the need for cumbersome IDEs like Android Studio.

Github Project can be found here

Installation

Using cargo

From crates.io

$ cargo install android-cli

From git directly (latest changes, may be unstable)

$ cargo install --git https://github.com/SyedAhkam/android-cli.git

From source

Ensure you have the latest stable version of Rust installed (with Cargo). Then, clone the repository and run the following command from the root of the repository:

$ cargo install --path .

After installation, you should have access to the android binary from your choice of shell.

Create or Link Project

There are mainly two ways to get started -- either create a new project or link to an existing android project.

Create

You may create or initialize a project using

$ android create

And then answer a few prompts:

Destination path
Project name
Package identifier

The template project that this is based upon lives here. Open for contributions.

After creating the project, you can start editing the source and run the project.

$ cd <dest>
$ android run

Link an existing project

If you already have an android project bootstrapped, you will need to link it.

$ android link

You might need to dig into your own source code to figure out the appropriate prompt values. Especially the package identifier and main activity class name.

All this essentially does is create a .android file which is then relied upon by the CLI for future operations.

Build Project

USAGE:
    android build [OPTIONS]

OPTIONS:
    -h, --help       Print help information
    -r, --release    Should build in release mode

What it does

For now, it just execs ./gradlew assemble[Debug|Release].

Examples

Building in Debug mode

$ android build

Building in Release mode

$ android build --release

Install App

USAGE:
    android install [OPTIONS]

OPTIONS:
    -h, --help       Print help information
    -r, --release    Should install release APK

What it does

Executes adb install under the hood and simply returns the output.

Examples

Install in Debug mode

$ android install

Install in Release mode

$ android install --release

Launch App

USAGE:
    android launch

OPTIONS:
    -h, --help    Print help information

What it does

It requests ADB to launch the configured main activity of the installed app onto the connected device or emulator, effectively running our app.

Example

$ android launch

Run App

USAGE:
    android run [OPTIONS]

OPTIONS:
    -h, --help       Print help information
    -r, --release    Should build in release mode

What it does

It is a combination of three commands, android build, android install and android launch giving you an illusion of a single operation being executed.

Examples

Running in Debug mode

$ android run

Running in Release mode

$ android run --release

List Devices

USAGE:
    android devices

OPTIONS:
    -h, --help    Print help information

What it does

Executes adb devices and returns the output.

Example

$ android devices

android shell

USAGE:
    android shell

OPTIONS:
    -h, --help    Print help information

What it does

It simply asks adb to attach a shell to your connected android device / emulator by executing adb shell.

Example

$ android shell

android emulator

Not implemented yet.

Dot Android

It refers to the .android file in your project root directory.

It is used to store certain configuration settings for the Android CLI. It is created when you either initialize a new project or run android link.

// DO NOT MODIFY; Generated by Android CLI for internal usage.
(
    project_name: "testing",
    package_id: "com.example.testing",
    gen_at_version: "0.1.0",
    main_activity_name: "MainActivity", 
)

File format

The file is a RON file (Rusty Object Notation). It is kinda like JSON, but with a heavy rusty influence. You can read more about it here.

Fields

Project name

The name of the project. This is the name you gave when you initialized the project. Usually, it is the name of the directory that contains your project.

This is the package identifier or package name of your app. The convention comes from Java apps. It is used to uniquely identify your app on the device and on the Play Store. It is usually in the form of com.example.appname.

Gen at version

This is the version of the Android CLI that generated this file. It is used to determine if the file is compatible with the current version of the CLI. This is used to prevent breaking changes from breaking your project.

Main activity name

This is the name of the main activity of your app. This is the activity that is launched when your app is opened. It is usually left untouched as MainActivity.

Usage

It is not recommended to modify this file manually. It is generated and updated by the CLI. In the future, the CLI will be able to perform migrations on your project and update this file for you automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Isn't there already an `android` tool that ships with the android SDK?

Yes, there is an android bash script that comes with the Android SDK. However, it has been deprecated, and its functionalities have been absorbed into Android Studio, making it the only supported option for Android development. This decision has frustrated developers who prefer to use a CLI to manage their projects.

2. But wait.. Don't I have to install Android Studio to get the SDK?

Not necessarily. If you go to Android Studio download page and scroll down enough you'll see a section named 'Command line tools only'. Just grab that and there's no need for Android Studio.

3. Is a simple wrapper even enough?

Well yes and no, I eventually intend to build an interface on top of the existing commands in the near future to make actions more controllable and user-friendly as a whole. For example: imagine a prompt which lets you choose which device to run your project on, and even offer launching an emulator right there. there's so many possibilities.

Legal

The tool itself is forever free. Distributed under the MIT License.

However, the Android SDK is not free. You must accept the Android SDK License Agreement before using the SDK.

Additionally, the Android CLI is not affiliated with Google or the Android Open Source Project. Android is a trademark of Google Inc.