Android Programming: Single Activity Architecture & Navigation
A question which has been popping up repeatedly in my Q&A sessions since the Navigation Library from Android Architecture Components was released, is whether or not a Single Activity Architecture is:
- Detrimental (bad)
- Not Important (neutral)
- Useful (good)
- Mandatory (apply everywhere and in all situations)
In this short article, I will attempt to reduce the net sum of confusion which I see from junior and intermediate developers on whether or not this practice is necessary; along with how you might make this value judgement for yourself.
Do Not Just Parrot Authority Figures
Any senior developer ought to know that these sorts of things (frameworks) usually sit somewhere between neutral and good depending on project requirements and personal preference.
They are never mandatory, as that would imply that one cannot build rich and performant applications in absence of any particular framework; which is complete nonsense. If a framework developer can build it, due to the principle of computational universality (Turing Completeness), you can build it yourself.
