Introduction to Jetpack Compose

Overview

• Jetpack Compose: New way of designing native Android apps using Kotlin in 2021.
• No XML: All UI design in Kotlin, eliminating the confusion around XML, drawable, and themes files.

Why Kotlin?

• Kotlin is now the preferred language for Android development.
• Recommendation to quickly switch from Java to Kotlin if serious about Android development.

Android Studio Canary

• Need Canary Build: Jetpack Compose is currently available only in the Android Studio Canary build (as of April 2021).
• Steps to Download: Link provided in the video's description.
• Unpack the zip file and launch studio64 file (for 64-bit systems).

Creating a New Project

• Create a new project with an Empty Compose Activity.
• Project setup: Name, package, and language selection (Kotlin).
• Build time: Gradle build can take a few hours.

Main Activity Setup

• No XML Layouts: Resource folder does not have a layout folder anymore.
• Composable Functions: Use functions in Kotlin annotated with @Composable to define the UI.
• Example: greeting function to display a text, annotated with @Composable.

How to Use Composables

• Set Content: Use setContent function to assign composable functions to the activity.
• Reusability: Composables allow reusable UI components, similar to components in web development or Flutter.

Example Walkthrough

• Remove unnecessary themes block and call the greeting composable directly.
• Pass a name parameter to dynamically change the text displayed inside the Text composable.
• Live Preview: Use the default preview function in Android Studio to see changes without launching the app.

Final Notes

• Future videos will cover more complex examples and layouts using Jetpack Compose.
• Premium Courses: Check the first link in the video description for advanced Android courses.

Conclusion

• Jetpack Compose simplifies UI design in Android with Kotlin.
• Stay tuned for more tutorials that dive deeper into the functionalities of Jetpack Compose.