docs/html/resources/community-groups.jd

community=true
page.title=Developer Forums
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<div id="qv-wrapper">
<div id="qv">

  <h2>In this document</h2>
  <ol>
  <li><a href="#StackOverflow">Android on Stack Overflow</a></li>
  <li><a href="#MailingLists">Mailing lists</a>
  <ol>
    <li><a href="#BeforeYouPost">Before you post</a></li>
    <li><a href="#UsingEmail">Using email with the mailing lists</a></li>
    <li><a href="#ApplicationDeveloperLists">Application developer mailing lists</a></li>
  </ol></li>
  <li><a href="#MarketHelp">Android Market Help Forum</a></li>
  </ol>

</div>
</div>

<p>Welcome to the Android developers community! We're glad you're here and invite you to participate in discussions with other Android application developers on topics that interest you.</p>

<p>The lists on this page are primarily for discussion about Android application development. If you are seeking discussion about Android source code (not application development), then please refer to the <a href="http://source.android.com/community">Open Source Project Mailing lists</a>.</p>

<h2 id="StackOverflow">Stack Overflow</h2>

<p><a href="http://stackoverflow.com">Stack Overflow</a> is a collaboratively edited question and answer site for programmers. It's a great place to ask technical questions about developing and maintaining Android applications. The site is especially useful for asking questions with definite answers, but can also be used for discussing best practices.</p>

<p>On the site, questions and answers relating to Android use the <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/android">'android' tag</a>. You can look for Android topics by adding '<code>[android]</code>' to your search query, or by visiting the tag page at:</p>

<p style="margin-left: 2em"><a href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/android">http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/android</a></p>

<p>If you want to ask a question on Stack Overflow, you can use <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/ask">this form</a>. Before submitting the form, make sure to add the 'android' tag so that other Android developers will be able to find your question. As always, before submitting a new question, take a look at the existing topics to see whether another developer has already asked or answered the question.</p>

<p>If you are getting started with Android development, Stack Overflow may be a great location to ask questions about general Java programming or setting up the Eclipse development environment. Simply tag your questions with the <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/java">Java</a> or <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/eclipse">Eclipse</a> tags in these cases.</p>


<h2 id="MailingLists">Mailing lists</h2>

<p>There are a number of mailing lists, powered by <a href="http://groups.google.com">Google Groups</a>, available for discussing Android application development.</p>


<h3 id="BeforeYouPost">Before you post</h3>
<p>Before writing a post, please try the following:</p>

<ol>

<li>Look through the support information available in the 'More' section of this tab. You may find the answer to your question in the <a href="{@docRoot}resources/faq/commontasks.html">Common Tasks</a>, <a href="{@docRoot}resources/faq/troubleshooting.html">Troubleshooting Tips</a>, or <a href="{@docRoot}resources/faq/index.html">FAQs</a> sections.</li>
<li>Type in keywords of your questions in the main Android site's search bar (such as the one above). This search encompasses all previous discussions, across all groups, as well as the full contents of the site, documentation, and blogs. Chances are good that somebody has run into the same issue before.</li>
  </li>
</ol>

<p>If you can't find your answer, then we encourage you to address the community.
As you write your post, please do the following:
<ol>
<li><strong>Read
the <a href="http://source.android.com/community/groups-charter.html">mailing list charter</a></strong> that covers the community guidelines.
</li>
<li><strong>Select the most appropriate mailing list for your question</strong>. There are several different lists for
developers, described below.</li>
<li>
    <strong>Be very clear</strong> about your question
in the subject -- it helps everyone, both those trying to answer your
question as well as those who may be looking for information in the
future.</li>
<li><strong>Give plenty of details</strong> in your post to
help others understand your problem. Code or log snippets, as well as
pointers to screenshots, may also be helpful. For a great guide to
phrasing your questions, read <a href="http://www.catb.org/%7Eesr/faqs/smart-questions.html">How To Ask Questions The Smart Way</a>.
  </li>
</ol>


<h3 id="UsingEmail">Using email with the mailing lists</h3>
<p>Instead of using the <a href="http://groups.google.com/">Google Groups</a> site, you can use your email client of choice to participate in the mailing lists.</p>
<p>To subscribe to a group without using the Google Groups site, use the link under "subscribe via email" in the lists above.</p>
<p>To set up how you receive mailing list postings by email:</p>

<ol><li>Sign into the group via the Google Groups site. For example, for the android-framework group you would visit <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/android-framework">http://groups.google.com/group/android-framework</a>.</li>
<li>Click "Edit my membership" on the right side.</li>
<li>Under "How do you want to read this group?" select one of the email options.</li>
</ol>


<h3 id="ApplicationDeveloperLists">Application developer mailing lists</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers">android-developers</a></strong>
(<a href="http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers/subscribe">subscribe</a>)<br>
You're now an experienced Android application developer. You've grasped the basics of Android app development, you're comfortable using the SDK, now you want to move to advanced topics. Get help here with troubleshooting applications, advice on implementation, and strategies for improving your application's performance and user experience. This is the not the right place to discuss user issues (use android-discuss for that) or beginner questions with the Android SDK (use android-beginners for that).
</li>

<li><strong><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/android-discuss">android-discuss</a></strong>
(<a href="http://groups.google.com/group/android-discuss/subscribe">subscribe</a>)<br>
The "water cooler" of Android discussion. You can discuss just about anything Android-related here, ideas for the Android platform, announcements about your applications, discussions about Android devices, community resources... As long as your discussion is related to Android, it's on-topic here. However, if you have a discussion here that could belong on another list, you are probably not reaching all of your target audience here and may want to consider shifting to a more targeted list.
</li>

<li><strong><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/android-ndk">android-ndk</a></strong>
(<a href="http://groups.google.com/group/android-ndk/subscribe">subscribe</a>)<br>
A place for discussing the Android NDK and topics related to using native code in Android applications.
</li>

<li><strong><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/android-security-discuss">android-security-discuss</a></strong>
(<a href="http://groups.google.com/group/android-security-discuss/subscribe">subscribe</a>)<br>
A place for open discussion on secure development, emerging security concerns, and best practices for and by android developers. Please don't disclose vulnerabilities directly on this list, you'd be putting all Android users at risk.
</li>

<li><strong><a href="http://groups.google.com/group/android-security-announce">android-security-announce</a></strong>
(<a href="http://groups.google.com/group/android-security-announce/subscribe">subscribe</a>)<br>
A low-volume group for security-related announcements by the Android Security Team.
</li>
</ul>


<h2 id="MarketHelp">Android Market Help Forum</h2>

<p>The <a href="http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Android+Market">Android Market Help Forum</a> is a web-based discussion forum where you can ask questions or report issues relating to Android Market.</p>

<p style="margin-left: 2em"><a href="http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Android+Market">http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Android+Market</a></p>