View source for AndroidCompile

This page is an introduction to compilation of '''VLC for Android''' on Linux. 

==Eclipse, SDK and NDK installation==

=== Requirements  ===
* You '''MUST''' be on Linux, and a recent one.
* You '''MUST''' have installed: ''apache-ant'' (or ''ant''), ''autoconf'', ''automake'', ''autopoint'', ''libtool'', ''gawk'' (or ''nawk''), ''gcc'', ''g++'', ''pkg-config'', ''cmake'', ''patch'', ''subversion''. And very up-to-date versions of those tools.
* You '''MUST''' install: ''git''.

===Android SDK===
#Create a working directory ''android''. 
#Go to [http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html Android SDK page] and download the latest SDK for linux. 
#Decompress into ''android'' folder. 
#Run ''tools/android'' (from the command line you can also run: "tools/android update sdk -u -t platform,platform-tool,extra") 
#In the tool, install '''"SDK Platform Android 2.3, API 10"''', and follow the instructions.

You can have [http://developer.android.com/sdk/installing.html more details], if needed. 

===Android NDK===
# Check that the SDK installation is correct. 
# Go to [http://developer.android.com/sdk/ndk/index.html Android NDK page] and download the latest NDK for linux. 
# Decompress into ''android'' folder, next to your android-sdk-linux_x86 folder.

===Eclipse===
As used by your distribution, install Eclipse with your package manager: 

 apt-get install eclipse (debian)
 yum install eclipse (Fedora)
 pacman -S eclipse (Arch)
 emerge -av eclipse-sdk (Gentoo)
 ...

And run it, at least once, and then quit eclipse. 

'''Note:''' On Debian-based distributions it is better to download Eclipse indigo builds from the official website : http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/, otherwise it can lead to an error when importing the ADT plugin (see following).

====ADT====
The '''ADT''' plugin is required to compile on Android. 

#Go to [http://developer.android.com/sdk/eclipse-adt.html#installing ADT page]. 
#Start Eclipse, then select Help &gt; Install New Software.... 
#Add the "ADT Plugin" repository with https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse/ as '''URL''' 
#Validate and select the checkbox next to Developer Tools and click Next, Next, Finish. 
#Restart Eclipse. 
#Go to ''Menu'' &gt; ''Window'' &gt; ''Preferences...'' and then ''Android'' from the left pane. 
#Point the SDK Location in to your downloaded SDK directory. 
#Ok, and quit Eclipse.

See [http://developer.android.com/sdk/eclipse-adt.html#troubleshooting extra information here].

=== Environment setup  ===
Set $ANDROID_SDK to point to your Android SDK directory 

 export ANDROID_SDK=/path/to/android-sdk

Set $ANDROID_NDK to point to your Android NDK directory 

 export ANDROID_NDK=/path/to/android-ndk

If you do not use the NDK v7 (note: the build script will try to detect the SDK version)

 export NO_NDK_V7=1

Add some useful binaries to your $PATH 

 export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_SDK/platform-tools:$ANDROID_SDK/tools

==== Devices ====
If you plan to use the emulator or if you have a phone that does not support NEON, you need a build without [[wikipedia:ARM_architecture#Advanced_SIMD_.28NEON.29|NEON]] 

 export NO_NEON=1

'''Note:''' If you want to get a NEON build, the NO_NEON variable must remain unset (do not use NO_NEON=0).

If you plan to use the build for a tegra2 device:

 export TEGRA2=1

'''Note:''' If you want to get a NEON build, the NO_NEON variable must remain unset (do not use NO_NEON=0).

Those exports must be set at all times, notably for the contribs and the configure.

== Building ==
=== Get VLC Source ===
Use the VLC git repository to get the source! 

In your ''android'' folder, run: 

 git clone git://git.videolan.org/vlc-ports/android.git


==== Compile ====
'''Read''' compile.sh first, as it contains some very useful important information. Then run it:
 sh compile.sh

'''Note:''' At this point, you will get an autogenerated debug apk in the bin/ folder. In order to build a non-debug or custom package, use Eclipse as described below.

==== Package in Eclipse ====
# In Eclipse, create a new Android project from existing source by giving the vlc-android path. 
# Compile your project using Eclipse.

=== Run ===
Run it and enjoy!

== Debugging ==
Here are some helpful links if you wish to debug VLC on Android:
* [http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/debugging/ddms.html DDMS] 
* [http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/tools/logcat.html Logcat]

== Troubleshooting ==
=== Outdated Awk ===
If you receive the error message while building:

 Android NDK: Host 'awk' tool is outdated. Please define HOST_AWK to point to Gawk or Nawk !    

The prebuilt version of Awk that comes with the Android NDK is outdated. Defining HOST_AWK in your environment does nothing as the system still tries to just the one that comes with the Android NDK. To get around this issue, simply rename or delete the Awk binary that comes with the Android NDK. For example to move it:

 mv $ANDROID_NDK/prebuilt/linux-x86/bin/awk $ANDROID_NDK/prebuilt/linux-x86/bin/awk.old

=== Can't find Ant ===
If you're new to Ant, please be aware that some Linux distributions don't install it in the usual spot as with other programs. Try checking to see if the directory /usr/share/java/apache-ant/bin exists and add it to your path.

[[Category:Building]]