Android : Application Manifest Overview for beginners

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What is AndroidManifest.xml file in Android?

• The manifest file describes essential information about your app to the Android build tools, the Android operating system, and Google Play.
• It is responsible to protect the application to access any protected parts by providing the permissions.

Image source : Google

• This file contains the information regarding your app level packages and different components activities, services, content providers, etc.

sample example of AndroidManifest.xml file

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    package="com.example.myapp"
    android:versionCode="1"
    android:versionName="1.0" >
     <application  
        android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"  
        android:label="@string/app_name"  
        android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >  
        <activity  
            android:name=".MainActivity"  
            android:label="@string/title_activity_main" >  
            <intent-filter> 
 
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />  
  
                <category          android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />  
            </intent-filter>  
        </activity>  
    </application>
</manifest>

• Now let’s go through the element of AndroidManifest.xml :

(a.) <manifest> : manifest is the root element of the AndroidManifest.xml file.It must contain an <application> element and specify xmlns:android and package attributes.

• Attributes : xmlns:android , package , android:sharedUserId , android:targetSandboxVersion , android:sharedUserLabel, android:versionCode , android:versionName , android:installLocation

(b.) <application> : This element contains several subelements that declares the application component such as activity etc.It is declaration of the application.

• Many of these attributes (such as icon, label, permission, process, and allowTaskReparenting) set default values for corresponding attributes of the component elements.

(c.) <activity> : This is the subelement of application and represents an activity that must be defined in the AndroidManifest.xml file. It has many attributes such as label, name, theme, launchMode etc.

• This element can contains : <intent-filter> , <meta-data> , <layout>

(d.) <intent-filter> : intent-filter is the sub-element of activity that describes the type of intent to which activity, service or broadcast receiver can respond to.

• This element can contains : <category> , <data>

(e.) <action> : It adds an action for the intent-filter. The intent-filter must have at least one action element.

• If there are no <action> elements in an intent filter, the filter doesn't accept any Intent objects.
• Attribute : android:name

(f.) <category> : It adds a category name to an intent-filter

Syntax: 
<category android:name="string" />

These are few reference links for understanding attributes deeply :

• https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/manifest/action-element
• https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/manifest/activity-element

Happy Reading :)