How to Develop Android 7 Apps Without Gradle: Alternative Build Systems

Developing Android applications without using Gradle presents a unique set of challenges, as Gradle is the official build system for Android and deeply integrated into the development ecosystem. Despite this, there are alternative methods to create Android apps. In this article, we'll explore three ways to sidestep Gradle: using Apache Ant, command-line tools, or the Eclipse ADT plugin. Each method has its own set of steps and considerations. Let's dive in!

1. Using Apache Ant

Apache Ant is a popular build tool that can be used to compile and package Android applications. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to set up and use Apache Ant for Android development on Android 7.

Set Up Apache Ant

Download and install Apache Ant from the official website.

Ensure that the ANT_HOME environment variable is set to your Ant installation directory.

Add the Ant bin directory to your system's PAT.

Create Your Project Structure

You'll need to manually create the necessary directory structure for your Android project, which typically includes:

MyProject/

src/ : Java source files

res/ : Resources, layouts, strings, etc.

AndroidManifest.xml : Manifest file

build.xml : Ant build script

Write the Ant Build Script

Create a build.xml file in your project root. Here's a basic example:

project name"MyProject" default"debug" basedir".">
  property file""/>
  property name"API_LEVEL" value"24"/>
  target name"debug">
    echo message"Building for API level ${API_LEVEL}"/>
    javac srcdir"src" destdir"bin" srccompatiblewith"1.8" targetcompatiblewith"1.8">
      classpath>
        pathelement location"sdk/platforms/android-${API_LEVEL}/android.jar"/>
      /classpath>
    /javac>
    aapt package -f -m -J src -S res -M AndroidManifest.xml -I sdk/platforms/android-${API_LEVEL}/android.jar -F bin/MyProject-debug.apk"
  /target>
/project>

Replace API_LEVEL with the actual API level you are targeting.

Build Your Project

Run the following command in your project directory:

ant debug

This will generate an APK in the bin/ directory.

2. Using Command Line Tools

Alternatively, you can use the Android SDK command-line tools directly to compile and build your application:

Compile Java Files

Use javac to compile your Java files with the Android SDKs android.jar as the classpath.

Package the APK

Use the aapt tool to package your resources and manifest into an APK. For example:

aapt package -f -m -J src -S res -M AndroidManifest.xml -I sdk/platforms/android-24/android.jar -F bin/MyProject-debug.apk

3. Using Eclipse ADT Plugin

Before Android Studio became the standard IDE for Android development, many developers used Eclipse with the Android Development Tools (ADT) plugin. While it is outdated and not recommended, you can still use it if you have it set up.

Conclusion

While it is possible to develop Android apps without Gradle using alternative methods like Apache Ant or command-line tools, these methods can be more cumbersome and require more manual setup. Gradle provides a lot of conveniences and integrations that make the development process easier. Consider whether you truly need to avoid Gradle or if you can adapt to using it. If you're working with legacy projects or specific constraints, the methods mentioned above should help you get started.