Android Middleware

Bo Pang
Bpang@cc.hut.fi
 Android System Architecture

Source: Google
 overview
Linux Kernel: memory management, process
management, networking, and other
operating system services.
Native Libraries: written in C or C++, including:
Surface Manager, 2D and 3D graphics, Media
codes, SQL database, Browser engine, etc.
only to be called by higher level programs
 overview
Android Runtime: including the Dalvik virtual
machine and the core Java libraries. (not
J2SE/J2ME)
Application Framework: Activity manager,
Content providers, Resource manager,
Notification manager
Applications and Widgets: the real programs
display information and interact with users.
 Media Framework
Android use OpenCore as core component of
Media framework
OpenCore supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, 3GPP,
MPEG-4 and JPEG,
Media Framework
 Media Framework
Example:
MediaPlayer mp = new MediaPlayer();
mp.setDataSource(PATH_TO_FILE);
mp.prepare();
mp.start();
 Media Framework
OpenCore lib has a C/S Architecture.
MediaPlayer invoke JNI to manipulate client.
The client request to the server to control
hardwares.
Media Framework
Media Framework
 Activity Manager
each user interface screen is represented by
an Activity class.
Each activity has its own life cycle.
Activity uses Intent object to jump between
them.
 Life cycle of activity

Source: Hello
Adroid
 Intent and Intent filters
Intent activates activities, services, and
broadcast receivers.
Intent can be used in explicit way or implicit
way.
The implicit way depends on parameters:
Action, Data(url and MIME type) , Category
 Intent and Intent filters
To receive other components' request,
components need to register filters at
activities framework.
When launch a intent object, framework will
match and find the qualified components and
leave them for users to choose which to run.
 Intent and Intent filters
Example
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
<action android:name="android.intent.action.EDIT" />
<action android:name="android.intent.action.PICK" />
<category
android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
<data
android:mimeType="vnd.android.cursor.dir/vnd.google.note" />
</intent-filter>
 Activities and Tasks
A task is a stack which contain several
activities share the same affinity.

Source:
http://blog.akquinet.de/20
10/02/17/android-
activities-the-
predominance-of-the-ui-
thread/
 Activities and Tasks
There are four different launch modes that
can be assigned to an <activity> element's
launchMode attribute:
"standard" (the default mode)
"singleTop"
"singleTask"
"singleInstance"
First two share the same affinity with
application, the others dont.
 Content manager
Manage data
Client+server architecture.
Content Resolver provides API interface for
applications.
Content Providers is the server managing the
DB tables and database content with different
application.
 Content manager
URI identifies the data or the table Source: Google

A: Standard prefix indicating that the data is

controlled by a content provider.
B: The authority part of the URI; it identifies the
content provider.
C: The path that the content provider uses to
determine what kind of data is being requested.
D: The ID of the specific record being requested.
Service Lifecycle
 Security and permissions
security between applications and the system
is enforced at the process level through
standard Linux facilities
Application can't disrupt other applications,
except by explicitly declaring the permissions
it
Each Android package is given its own unique
Linux user ID
 References
http://www.j2medev.com/android/ShowArticl
e.asp?ArticleID=5439
http://docs.huihoo.com/google/io/2009/Mast
ering_the_Android_Media_Framework.pdf
http://developer.android.com/