Class for Creating Bold Text in Android

This class has saved me TONS of time ...

public class StyleableSpannableStringBuilder extends SpannableStringBuilder {

public StyleableSpannableStringBuilder appendWithStyle(CharacterStyle c, CharSequence text) {

super.append(text);

final int startPos = length() - text.length();

setSpan(c, startPos, length(), 0);

return this;

}

public StyleableSpannableStringBuilder appendBold(CharSequence text) {

return appendWithStyle(new StyleSpan(Typeface.BOLD), text);

}

public StyleableSpannableStringBuilder appendItalic(CharSequence text) {

return appendWithStyle(new StyleSpan(Typeface.ITALIC), text);

}

}

Building Blocks for Saved Game Export

You can export a game with these links:

• http://www.tutorials-android.com/learn/How_to_encrypt_and_decrypt_strings.rhtml
• http://www.androidsnippets.com/encryptdecrypt-strings
• http://www.xinotes.org/notes/note/1269/

Use ExternalFile Storage ...

http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/data/data-storage.html

There is a permission you'll need here:

http://developer.android.com/reference/android/Manifest.permission.html#WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE

Dealing with the "gen" folder in Android -- Clean, Error, Clean, Build, Etc

From StackOverflow:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3820517/clean-in-eclipse-temporarily-destroys-android-project-with-error-message-missing

So valuable I needed to repost it

We have finally tracked the last problem regarding this bug.

The "clean" action used to always delete the "gen" folder which was wrong. This was fixed in ADT 8 or 9, I can't remember.

However, if the "gen" folder is marked as derived it still gets deleted which leads to the error.

When the "New Project Wizard" is run, the gen folder is created normally, without the "derived" flag, so this is fine.

The following scenario however is broken:

• delete manually gen, or

• check in the source code in a repository (git/svn/...) and don't put the "gen" folder in there, then do a check out on another computer.

• This leads to ADT recreating automatically the "gen" folder during build, this time enabling the "derived" flag, which will trigger the wrong behavior on "clean".

The temporary solution is to:

• right click "gen"
• choose "Properties"
• uncheck "Derived"

as long as the "gen" folder doesn't get deleted you'll be able to clean your project without side effect.

I just checked in a fix to: - never mark the folder as "derived" - during clean, first remove the "derived" flag from "gen" so that it doesn't get deleted in the case of older projects. Patch is visible at:https://review.source.android.com/#change,22410

Bookmarks and Reading for 5/13

Artificial Intelligence

Anyone who is trying to build compelling single player games will be faced with the need to create a compelling second player -- the AI.

http://christophermpark.blogspot.com/2009/06/designing-emergent-ai-part-1.html

IDE vs. Command Line

For those of us who are building in Eclipse for our Android projects, there is another way if you are willing to work at it.

http://realmike.org/blog/2010/10/31/android-development-without-eclipse/

Why the HTML5 vs. Flash Debate Is Already Over

This is a battle of one vs. many.

Adobe vs. Google/Apple/Microsoft/Opera

JavaScript and HTML5 cannot help but win because they have numbers.

Maybe not browser numbers yet -- but Adobe doesn't even make a browser.

Much Needed In Eclipse: Keyboard Shortcut Master

If you are using Eclipse fast then you are a keyboard shortcut master. There is always a new trick to learn tho -- here are some of the basics:

http://rayfd.wordpress.com/2007/05/20/10-eclipse-navigation-shortcuts-every-java-programmer-should-know/

http://www.allapplabs.com/eclipse/eclipse_shortcuts.htm

Trese Brother's Software: Star Traders RPG v3.6.13 Released

Trese Brother's Software: Star Traders RPG v3.6.13 Released: "Another bugfix release of our Android game, Star Traders RPG is available on the Android Market! Just point your browser or Android handset..."