What is AndroidX

Navigating the ever-evolving landscape of Android development can feel like traversing a dense jungle. New tools, libraries, and best practices emerge constantly, making it crucial for developers to stay ahead of the curve. One of the most significant advancements in recent years is AndroidX, a comprehensive library collection that has become essential for modern Android development. But what exactly is AndroidX, and why should you care? This article will delve into the core components of AndroidX, exploring its benefits, key features, and how it streamlines the development process.

What is AndroidX?

AndroidX is the open-source project that the Android team uses to develop, test, package, version, and release libraries within Jetpack. It’s a redesigned and improved version of the Android Support Library, offering backward compatibility across Android devices and addressing many of the inconsistencies and limitations of its predecessor. Think of it as a massive toolbox filled with pre-built components, helping developers avoid reinventing the wheel and focus on creating unique and engaging app experiences. It provides consistent APIs, regardless of the underlying Android version.

AndroidX packages fully replace the Android Support Library, offering feature parity and new libraries. It’s crucial to understand that the Support Library is no longer maintained, and all new development is happening within AndroidX. Migrating to AndroidX isn’t just recommended—it’s essential for leveraging the latest Android features and ensuring your app remains compatible with future OS versions.

Key Benefits of Using AndroidX

Adopting AndroidX provides a multitude of advantages for Android developers. One major benefit is enhanced backward compatibility. AndroidX allows developers to use the latest features while ensuring their apps work seamlessly on older Android versions, minimizing fragmentation issues. This backward compatibility saves significant time and resources that would otherwise be spent on rigorous testing and adaptation for different OS versions.

Furthermore, AndroidX promotes faster development cycles by providing pre-built components and consistent APIs. This reduces boilerplate code and allows developers to focus on implementing unique app features. The modular nature of AndroidX also means developers can incorporate only the specific libraries they need, leading to smaller app sizes and improved performance. Finally, consistent updates and improvements ensure developers always have access to the latest tools and best practices.

Backward Compatibility
Faster Development Cycles

Key Components of AndroidX

AndroidX is composed of several key components that cater to various aspects of Android development. These include architecture components, UI components, and behavior components. Architecture components like ViewModel and LiveData help manage UI-related data and lifecycle events, facilitating a more robust and maintainable codebase. UI components such as RecyclerView and Material Design components provide pre-built UI elements, saving development time and ensuring a consistent user experience.

Behavior components like notifications and permissions management simplify complex tasks, enabling developers to integrate these functionalities with ease. Additionally, AndroidX includes testing utilities and other helper libraries that contribute to a streamlined development process. This modular structure allows developers to pick and choose the components they need, resulting in optimized app sizes.

For instance, using the Room persistence library simplifies database management within an Android application, abstracting away much of the boilerplate code required for database interactions. This allows developers to focus on data manipulation and presentation rather than low-level database operations. This is a prime example of how AndroidX enhances productivity and code quality.

Migrating to AndroidX

Migrating an existing project to AndroidX can seem daunting, but Android Studio provides tools to simplify the process. The ‘Refactor to AndroidX’ option in Android Studio automates much of the conversion, handling package renaming and dependency updates. However, it’s essential to thoroughly test your application after migration to ensure everything works as expected. This includes UI testing, functionality testing, and performance testing.

Back up your project.
Use the ‘Refactor to AndroidX’ option in Android Studio.
Thoroughly test your application.

While the automated refactoring handles most of the changes, manual adjustments might be necessary, especially for complex projects with custom libraries or deeply nested dependencies. It’s important to consult the official AndroidX documentation and resources for detailed guidance on migration best practices and troubleshooting potential issues. Remember to update your build files and dependencies to reflect the AndroidX changes.

Frequently Asked Questions about AndroidX

What is the difference between Android Support Library and AndroidX? AndroidX is the successor to the Android Support Library. It’s a completely redesigned library that offers more consistent APIs, improved versioning, and better support for modern Android development practices.

Do I need to migrate to AndroidX? Yes, migrating to AndroidX is highly recommended, and essentially mandatory for new projects. The Support Library is no longer maintained, and all future development will be focused on AndroidX.

Is AndroidX backward compatible? Yes, AndroidX is designed to be backward compatible, allowing you to use the latest features while ensuring your app works on older Android versions.

AndroidX has become the cornerstone of modern Android development. Its modularity, backward compatibility, and consistent updates make it indispensable for developers aiming to create robust, high-performing, and future-proof applications. Embrace the power of AndroidX and unlock a world of possibilities for your Android projects. Explore its comprehensive libraries, leverage its streamlined development tools, and join the thriving community of developers who are shaping the future of Android. Learn more about Android Jetpack and its components on the official Android developer website: Android Jetpack. This detailed guide will help you understand the broader ecosystem of which AndroidX is a vital part. You can also check out the official documentation for AndroidX here. For a deeper dive into specific components, the Android Developer Guides provide comprehensive tutorials and code examples. Don’t wait; start integrating AndroidX into your workflow today and elevate your Android development journey. Learn more about leveraging AndroidX for modern app development.

Modular Architecture
Consistent Updates

[Infographic depicting the evolution from Android Support Library to AndroidX and its key components]

Question & Answer :
I am reading about a room library of Android. I see they changed package android to androidx. I did not understand that. Can someone explain, please?

implementation "androidx.room:room-runtime:$room_version" annotationProcessor "androidx.room:room-compiler:$room_version"

Even this is available with the android package also.

implementation "android.arch.persistence.room:runtime:$room_version" annotationProcessor "android.arch.persistence.room:compiler:$room_version"

What was in need of packaging new support libraries in androidx instead of android?
Use case and affect factors in existing projects.

AndroidX - Android Extension Library

From AndroidX documentation

We are rolling out a new package structure to make it clearer which packages are bundled with the Android operating system, and which are packaged with your app’s APK. Going forward, the android.* package hierarchy will be reserved for Android packages that ship with the operating system. Other packages will be issued in the new androidx.* package hierarchy as part of the AndroidX library.

Need of AndroidX

AndroidX is a redesigned library to make package names more clear. So from now on android hierarchy will be for only android default classes, which comes with android operating system and other library/dependencies will be part of androidx (makes more sense). So from now on all the new development will be updated in androidx.

com.android.support.** : androidx.
com.android.support:appcompat-v7 : androidx.appcompat:appcompat com.android.support:recyclerview-v7 : androidx.recyclerview:recyclerview com.android.support:design : com.google.android.material:material

Complete Artifact mappings for AndroidX packages

AndroidX uses Semantic-version

Previously, support library used the SDK version but AndroidX uses the Semantic-version. It’s going to re-version from 28.0.0 → 1.0.0.

How to migrate current project

In Android Studio 3.2 (September 2018), there is a direct option to migrate existing project to AndroidX. This refactor all packages automatically.

Before you migrate, it is strongly recommended to backup your project.

Existing project

Android Studio > Refactor Menu > Migrate to AndroidX…
It will analyze and will open Refractor window in bottom. Accept changes to be done.

New project

Put these flags in your gradle.properties

android.enableJetifier=true android.useAndroidX=true

Check @Library mappings for equal AndroidX package.

Check @Official page of Migrate to AndroidX

What is Jetifier?

Bugs of migrating

If you build app, and find some errors after migrating, then you need to fix those minor errors. You will not get stuck there, because that can be easily fixed.
3rd party libraries are not converted to AndroidX in directory, but they get converted at run time by Jetifier, so don’t worry about compile time errors, your app will run perfectly.

Support 28.0.0 is last release?

From Android Support Revision 28.0.0

This will be the last feature release under the android.support packaging, and developers are encouraged to migrate to AndroidX 1.0.0

So go with AndroidX, because Android will update only androidx package from now.

🚀 UllrichLumina