Hello there,
I am an experienced programmer. I can do C/C++/Rust/assembly/Ruby/Perl/Python/ etc… The language itself is not a barrier.
The barrier to me is that I have never coded a single web or android application. I guess it must be surprising but I am more of a low-level programmer in my job (I develop a compiler backend) and I never really had the opportunity or idea to work on an app.
What would be a good starting point for making an android application?
A quick search got me this: https://google-developer-training.github.io/android-developer-fundamentals-course-concepts-v2/unit-1-get-started/lesson-1-build-your-first-app/1-1-c-your-first-android-app/1-1-c-your-first-android-app.html
Would it be a good starting point?
Side note: my app will not have to interact with any service. If I were to code it as a command-line program, it would not take me more than a day or two. The actual app would involve (for now) no more than a text field, a button, some logic attached to it - the hard part for me being to choose a framework to build it, “upload it” to my phone and use it.
You can build it in Godot and export it to your android. Alternatively, you could build a webpage and access it via your phone browser.
Godot is how I’d do it. I’ve done something similar before.
I’m old ahem experienced too and I went from no app development to having a basic native app on my Android phone in a few days with Flutter/dart. The language is easy to pick up, there’s plenty of documentation and it’s pretty polyvalent since it can build for mobile, desktop or web.
Not sure if it would meet your requirements, but if specific enough to your phones current control capabilities; would a shortcut or automation app meet your needs. I seem to remember them being able to prompt for input. It might be a more COTS approach for you depending on your needs.
That doesn’t seem like a bad start to me, but I haven’t read it thoroughly. I also recommend checking out the official Android Studio beginner’s guide: https://developer.android.com/get-started/overview
Alternatively, you can use wrappers like Flutter, React Native, or the Ionic framework if you think you might want cross-platform or web capability later, though that adds a lot of overhead that isn’t always the best choice.
If it’s just for personal use, why not just use Tasker? Judging by what you’ve written, it could be easily done without needing any Android coding experience.
