[DevoxxBE2013] Riddle Me This, Android Puzzlers
Stephan Linzner and Richard Hyndman, Google Android Developer Advocates, unravel enigmatic Android behaviors through interactive puzzles. Stephan, an automation aficionado and runner, teams with Richard, a 12-year mobile veteran from startups to operators, to probe component lifecycles, UI quirks, and KitKat novelties. Their session, blending polls and demos, spotlights content providers’ primacy, ViewStub pitfalls, and screen recording tools, arming developers with debugging savvy.
Android’s intricacies, they reveal, demand vigilance: from process spawning to WebView debugging. Live polls engage the audience, transforming head-scratchers into teachable moments.
Component Creation Order and Lifecycle
Stephan kicks off with a poll: which component initializes first post-process spawn? Hands favor activities, but content providers lead—crucial for data bootstrapping.
Richard demos service lifecycles, warning against onCreate leaks; broadcasts’ unregistered crashes underscore registration discipline.
UI Rendering Quirks and Optimizations
ViewStub inflation puzzles Stephan: pre-inflate for speed, but beware null children post-inflation. Richard explores ListView recycling, ensuring adapters populate recycled views correctly to avoid visual glitches.
These gotchas, they stress, demand profiler scrutiny for fluid UIs.
KitKat Innovations and Debugging Aids
KitKat’s screen recording, Richard unveils, captures high-res videos sans root—ideal for demos or Play Store assets. Stephan spotlights WebView debugging: Chrome DevTools inspect remote views, editing CSS live.
Monkey tool’s seeded crashes aid reproducible testing, simulating user chaos.
Interactive Polls and Community Insights
Polls gauge familiarity with overscan modes and transition animations, fostering engagement. The duo fields queries on SurfaceView security and WebView copies, clarifying limitations.
This collaborative format, they conclude, equips developers to conquer Android’s riddles.