Android Jetpack Compose — The beginning of a new revolution

History

Android Jetpack Compose is a modern toolkit for building native Android user interfaces. It is designed to be flexible, scalable, and easy to use, making it the perfect solution for developers looking to build high-quality, performant apps.

This new framework has taken the world of Android development by storm, and is quickly becoming the go-to choice for building user interfaces on the platform.

In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at what Android Jetpack Compose is and how powerful it is.

So First lets talk about,

What is Android Jetpack Compose?

Android Jetpack Compose is a new framework for building user interfaces on Android. It was first announced at Google I/O 2019 and has since been in development. Compose is built using Kotlin. The framework uses a reactive programming model that makes it easy to create user interfaces that respond to changes in the underlying data.

Compose offers a new way of creating user interfaces by using composable functions. These functions can be composed together to build complex user interfaces, making it easier and faster to build user interfaces than ever before. In addition, Compose provides a set of built-in UI elements and styles, making it easy to get started and build high-quality apps quickly.

Now, the next question which occurs in our mind is.

WHY?

WHY Jetpack Compose is becoming more famous and common?

Reasons why we need to use may differ from user to user or developer to develop. Here are some:

• Speed and performance: Compose is designed to be fast and efficient. It uses a reactive programming model, which means that user interfaces can be updated in real-time as the underlying data changes. This makes it possible to build high-quality, performant apps that can keep up with the demands of modern users.
• Simplicity: Compose is designed to be simple and easy to use. With its composable functions and built-in UI elements, it’s much easier to build user interfaces with Compose than with traditional Android development frameworks.
• Flexibility: Compose is designed to be flexible and scalable. It can be used to build a wide range of user interfaces, from simple apps to complex, data-driven user interfaces. In addition, it’s easy to extend and customize Compose to meet the needs of specific projects.
• Future-proof: Compose is the future of Android development. With its modern design and cutting-edge features, it’s the ideal choice for developers who want to build high-quality apps that will stand the test of time.

What does Compose provide to a developer who is creating apps on legacy android?

Compose offers some important features that set it apart from other Android development frameworks:

1. Reactive programming: Compose uses a reactive programming model that makes it easy to create user interfaces that respond to changes in the underlying data. When data changes, the UI updates automatically, making it simple to create dynamic user interfaces.
2. Composable functions: Compose uses composable functions to build user interfaces. These functions can be composed together to create complex user interfaces, making it easy to reuse UI components and build user interfaces faster.
3. Built-in UI elements: Compose provides a set of built-in UI elements, including text, images, buttons, and more. These elements can be styled and customized to match the design of your app.
4. Material Design: Compose provides built-in support for Material Design, Google’s design language for Android. This makes it easy to create user interfaces that follow Material Design guidelines and provide a consistent look and feel across Android devices.
5. Kotlin-first: Compose is built using Kotlin, a modern programming language for Android development. This means that you can take advantage of Kotlin’s modern features, such as data classes, coroutines, and more, when building user interfaces with Compose.

Lets get our hands dirty now

Below is a small code snippet for writing our first Compose functions4

This code defines a composable function SampleComposeUI that creates a user interface using the Material Theme. The UI is composed of a Surface component and a Column component that contains a Padding component and a Text component.

The @Composable annotation indicates that this function is a composable function, meaning that it can be used to build user interfaces. The MaterialTheme block sets the current Material Theme for the UI, and the Surface component provides a Material Design surface that the other components can be placed on.

The Column component arranges its children in a vertical column, and the Padding component adds padding around its children. The Text component displays text and can be styled using various typography styles from the Material Theme.

Conclusion

Android Jetpack Compose is a powerful new toolkit for building user interfaces on Android. With its fast performance, simple design, and flexibility, it’s the perfect choice for developers who want to build high-quality, performant apps. Whether you’re an experienced Android developer or just starting out, Android Jetpack Compose is the future of user interface development on the platform. So why not give it a try and see what you can build today?

Will try to post more such blogs on Jetpack compose and other Android Components. Follow the Blog for more such content!!

Thank you. Have a good day!!!