I struggled to get the Android development platform setup on Windows 7 x64, so I put together some screen shots that may make it easier for you.
You will need to install:
- Eclipse (Java IDE + plugin system to support other languages)
- Java Platform (JRE + libraries)
- Android SDK
- Android ADT (Eclipse plugin for Android)
1. Eclipse – Download & Install
Choose 32 bit or 64 bit based on your system.
2. Java SE Platform – Download & Install
The Java SE (standard edition) Platform consists of the JRE (Java Runtime Environment), plus the JDK (development kit) which consists of libraries (or “platforms”). Download the 32 bit or 64 bit JDK with Java FX based on the version of Eclipse you installed. You may need to download using a 64 bit version of Internet Explorer.
Note: Java EE (enterprise edition) contains libraries targeted at servers, and Java ME (micro edition) is for smaller platforms (cell phones, etc…but we dont need it for Android).
3. Copy the JRE to Eclipse Folder
This is a wacky step, but you need to copy the JRE that you just installed to the Eclipse folder. So copy the following folder
from:
if you installed 64 bit version: C:\program files (x86)\Java\jre6
if you installed 32 bit version: C:\program files\Java\jre6
to
c:\program files\eclipse\
You must rename the “jre6″ folder to “jre” after copying.
4. Android SDK – Download & Install
I prefer to download the zip file rather than the installer, because it may install to your user profile that could be on a network or secondary drive – and things won’t work. I would recommend unzipping the files somewhere on your c: drive.
5. ADT Plugin – Install
Android Development Tools (ADT) is a plugin for the Eclipse IDE that allows you to build Android Apps (that’s what we’re trying to do after all!). To install the plugin, first Launch Eclipse (find the eclipse exe on your system). Then follow the steps from the Android Developers site:
6. Android Platform & Tools – Install/Update
The Android SDK zip file initially contains only the basic SDK tools, and no Android platform or libraries. So you will need to install Android platform-tools and at least one Android platform.
You need to to have Internet connectivity to download & install the Platform & Tools. It takes a while (around 1-2GB). So start the Android SDK Manager (c:\<location where you extracted the zip file>\SDK Manager.exe). You can also start the SDK Manager from within Eclipse. I installed all of the packages available, but you may choose only the ones you need based on the mobile device you want to target your apps for.
7. Configure the Android Preference within Eclipse
From the Eclipse toolbar choose Window –> Preferences. Then set the location to where you extracted the Android SDK, as in the following image. Hit Apply & Ok. It may take a while.
8. Start Developing!
Eclipse: File —> New –> Other —> Android Project
You can start with a Hello World project available on the Android development site.
