How to Develop Android App with Kotlin

Janet Tompson
3 min readSep 15, 2021

What is Kotlin?

Kotlin is a programming language that is very often used to design applications. Google in 2019 recognized Kotlin development to design, develop and deploy applications or even update their applications if further required.

Now speaking in technical jargon, Kotlin can be described as a cross-platform, statically typed, general-purpose programming language. It works with JVM along with ensures compilation with Javascript. When the language was available in Android studio in 2017, it was recognized as an alternative to the standard Java compiler.

How Kotlin Development is Used to Build New Applications:

  1. Android Studio needs to be installed in the respective compatible devices that can act as a platform for application development starting from the very first step. Android Studio is available for Windows, Linus, and even Macs. The studio needs to be downloaded from this website and installed with the pre-selected configuration settings. After this, the setup wizard arises, and other files are downloaded. The studio opens after complete setup.
  2. The first task on the android studio needs to be created. After the platform opens, Basic activity needs to be chosen, and then the name of the app needs to be given; keeping in mind that the language is set to Kotlin, the rest of the default settings are to be kept. Next, if too many windows pop up on the screen, they should be eliminated, retaining the essential activity required. Eliminating the added windows reduces confusion.
  3. Next, the layout of the application needs to be designed that can be accessed from app > res > layout) on the left side in the Project panel. Double click on fragment_first.xml

There are several options available for the layout of the applications on the left side in the Project panel. One can choose several designs and combinations based on these options. For selecting the application’s color, a similar path has to be navigated, which is res > values > colors.xml.

With different syntaxes, different colors can be made to be defined.

  1. Next, the focus is shifted towards adding two more buttons to the application. This has to be done with the help of TextView, which is a part of the fragment_first.xml. This feature needs to be explored to design the buttons accordingly. TextView has a textview_first option with a constraint widget that helps to add constraints on the keys and assign them accordingly. Consequently, one can also make several updates.
  2. Next, to make the app more interactive, a new route is being followed: File> Other Settings > Preferences for New Projects. Then Auto Import needs to be selected. In Kotlin, a display message needs to be created that would pop up every time the application is being opened.

Conclusion

Though building new applications or projects using Kotlin development can seem complex for beginners, the language has several options and offers an easy guide to facilitate an easy operation. You can also partner with a leading Kotlin development company for end-to-end services. Hidden Brains offers custom Kotlin development services to build applications that align with business needs.

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Janet Tompson

Technology consultant in web, mobile and emerging technology.