Create Android Apps Without Any Coding Skills

If you are an Android phone user, you must have dabbled with quite a number of applications by now. Did you know you too can create an application like the ones you are using presently? Since I have almost zero knowledge of computer languages, I will be telling you here how you can create an application without any coding skills (having coding skills is always a plus since you can go deep inside the generic code and work out wonders).

First have a basic layout of what your application will have. Text, images, videos, RSS feeds, custom HTML, whatever you plan to have in your application, get it ready before you start working on your application. For my test application, I chose recipes. From the web I copied a few recipes, pictures and videos from YouTube.

The platform that I used to create my application is Buzztouch. V 1.4 is the default version that you get to create your application when you sign-up. If you join the early adopter program, they also give you access to v 1.5, but it is only for iPhone apps.

So v1.4 is where you will need to create your android application. Go to “Create New App”.  Give a name to your application and agree to the terms. Next put in the icon for your app, image for your app and a small introduction text that explains what your app intends to do.

Now you come to the most important part – the content of your app. Click on “Manage this apps menus and screens” and you will get an option to add custom text, picture, video from Youtube, streaming video, RSS feeds and many more things. Choose the content on the basis of availability. To see how each form of content looks, I will advise to use as many forms as possible. You can create as many screens as you want.

After you are done, go to your app control panel and click on “Download the source code for this app”. It asks you whether you want the source code for iPhone app or Android app. Choose the latter. Let it download. Copy the zip file to a location of your choice and unzip it in a folder. Delete the zip file.

There is a file called Read Me in this folder. Open it to learn about the next set of instructions.

Now go to http://developer.android.com/sdk/installing.html and follow all the instructions in the exact sequence as mentioned there – first download Eclipse, next Android SDK, next ADT Plugin for Eclipse, finally add platforms and other components. You may find some hiccups and this may take time if you have a slow connection. Keep trying and you will finally get to it.

Once you are done with all the steps, it’s time to come back to Eclipse that we use to compile your application. Rejoice as you are very close to your application.

Click on the “new” just below “file” in the upper navigation. It will open a “Select a Wizard” pop-up. Click on Android and then Android Project and click Next. It opens a small box called New Android Project that wants you to name your project. Give it some name. Next click on “Create project from existing source” and browse the folder where you have your application files that you unzipped in one of the past steps. Now in “Build Target” check on the following combination:  Google APIs-Google Inc – Platform 1.6 – AP 4. Click on it. Next click on Finish as there is nothing more clickable there.

It will appear in the Package Explorer area of Eclipse. Check that it doesn’t show any error in the console area.

Next click on Run Button on the upper navigation and it opens a small box. Click on Android development there and click Next. It opens an Android simulator. Follow the instructions and lo it opens your application. See how each of your screens turns out.

Next you can go ahead to publish your own application. I have yet to do that. Go to http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/index.html and it will tell you how the rest of the tasks have to be done.

So tell me, was any coding involved in creation of the app? Do tell me how helpful you found this article. Also if you are able to publish your app in the market, share it with others and let others get encouraged.

This guest is written by Aditya. He blogs at Ityaadi. If you wish to write for us, kindly check this.