docs/html/sdk/index.jd

page.title=Android SDK
sdk.redirect=0
sdk.version=2.0.1
sdk.date=December 2009

sdk.win_download=android-sdk_r04-windows.zip
sdk.win_bytes=23069119
sdk.win_checksum=c48b407de852ba483869f17337e90997

sdk.mac_download=android-sdk_r04-mac_86.zip
sdk.mac_bytes=19657927
sdk.mac_checksum=b08512765aa9b0369bb9b8fecdf763e3

sdk.linux_download=android-sdk_r04-linux_86.tgz
sdk.linux_bytes=15984887
sdk.linux_checksum=ef84b08fd9da84f4c4ae77564fe4eaee

@jd:body


<h2 id="quickstart">Quick Start</h2>

<p>The steps below provide an overview of how to get started with the Android
SDK. For detailed instructions, start with the <a
href="{@docRoot}sdk/installing.html">Installing</a> guide. </p>

<p><strong>0. Prepare your development computer</strong></p>

<p>Read the <a href="{@docRoot}sdk/requirements.html">System Requirements</a>
document and make sure that your development computer meets the hardware and
software requirements for the Android SDK. Install any additional software
needed before downloading the Android SDK. In particular, if you plan to develop
Android applications in the Eclipse IDE using the ADT Plugin (see below), make
sure that you have the correct version of Eclipse installed. 

<p><strong>1. Download and install the SDK starter package</strong></p>

<p>Select a starter package from the table at the top of this page and download
it to your development computer. To install the SDK, simply unpack the starter
package to a safe location and then add the location to your PATH. </p>

<p><strong>2. Install the ADT Plugin for Eclipse</strong></p>

<p>If you are developing in Eclipse, set up a remote update site and install the
Android Development Tools (ADT) plugin. For detailed instructions, see <a
href="{@docRoot}sdk/eclipse-adt.html">Installing and Updating ADT</a>.</p>

<p><strong>3. Add Android platforms to your SDK</strong></p>

<p>Use the Android SDK and AVD Manager, included in the SDK starter package, to
add one or more Android platforms (for example, Android 1.6 or Android 2.0) to
your SDK. In most cases, you will want to download multiple platforms, so that
you can build your application on the lowest version you want to support, but
test against higher versions that you intend the application to run on.
Information about each platform is available at left, under "Downloadable SDK
Components."</p>

<p>To launch the Android SDK and AVD Manager on Windows, execute <code>SDK
Setup.exe</code>, at the root of the SDK directory. On Mac OS X or Linux,
execute the <code>android</code> tool in the <code>&lt;sdk&gt;/tools/</code>
folder. For more information about how to add platforms and other components,
see <a href="{@docRoot}sdk/adding-components.html">Adding SDK Components</a>.
</p>

<p><strong>4. Get the latest documentation</strong></p>

<p>If you develop while offline, use the Android SDK and AVD Manager to download
the latest documentation package. The documentation covers all versions of the
API and lets you filter out those versions that your application won't support.
Once installed, the documentation is also available to you directly from the
Eclipse IDE. </p>

<p><strong>5. Download other SDK components</strong></p>

<p>You can use the Android SDK and AVD Manager to download other SDK components,
such as the SDK add-ons. An SDK add-on provides a development environment for an
Android external library or a customized Android system image. For example, the
Google APIs Add-On lets you develop an application that takes advantage of the
Google Maps external library. </p>

<p><strong>6. Get started with an application project</strong></p>

<p>Once you've set up your SDK, the next step is to start a new application
project or move existing applications into the new SDK.</p>

<p>If you are new to Android, you can use the <a
href="{@docRoot}guide/tutorials/hello-world.html">Hello World</a> tutorial to
get started quickly. <a href="{@docRoot}sdk/installing.html#NextSteps">Next
Steps</a> offers other suggestions of how to begin. Welcome!</p>