The world is experiencing some very rough times as a result of the Pandemic. However, the drive of Application Developers and Tech-Masters like Google to Innovate and Improvise remains undeterred. May 2020 saw the launch of the stable release of Android Studio 4.0. Such upgraded releases are a silver lining for Android App Developers amidst the gloomy situations. This Version was slated just months after the unveiling of Android 3.6. We previously discussed the new developments in Android 3.6. Now, we have a new updated version to enlighten you about- Android Studio 4.0. The release looks highly promising for all App Development fanatics with some much-needed bug-fixing and enhanced features.
Learn more about the various hot updates with us. Here are the significant improvement highlights of the new Version. 4.0
Design Aspect
- A Brand new Motion Editor
- Layout Validation for superior Layout Comparisons
- Advanced “Live” Layout Inspector
Develop and Profile Aspect
- Improved Smart Editor to enable code shrinking rules
- Latest IntelliJ IDEA 2019.3 platform update
- Simplified Thread Activity Analysis with Better CPU Profiler
- An Impressive Live Template Update
Build Aspect
- Java 8 Support
- An enhanced build features DSL
- Build Analyzer
- Requisite Support for Kotlin DSL Build Script files
Let us now undertake an in-depth analysis of each of the different revises and features.
- A Brand new Motion Editor
To help Android app developers handle the tricky widget and motion animation while developing Apps, the MotionLayoutAPI provides excellent assistance. With a renewed Motion Editor in the latest Android Studio version, there is an availability of a robust interface for Motion Layout Animations where one can effortlessly create, edit, and preview different animations. The Motion Editor auto-generates complex XML files without the need to manually create and modify them for the Android Developers. One can smoothly create transitions, make editing constraint sets, view attributes, and find support for keyframes as a result of the Motion Editor. - Layout Validation for superior UI Comparisons
UI Design is one of the critical facets of Application Development. The App Designers and Developers need to be mindful that the changes made to the UI are compatible with different screen sizes, resolutions, and form-factors. With the Layout Validation, an efficient UI Comparison can be made across multiple displays. One can see previews of layouts to confirm that the app’s final look is perfect. - Advanced “Live” Layout Inspector
Another contemporary tool in Android Studio 4.0 is the Layout Inspector. It allows Developers to see and inspect the User Interface of the App in a Live Mode. Using this tool, one can get real-time updates with a complete view tree hierarchy and attributes along with the respective values. You can easily browse through a live 3D model of the running app on a real device. You can then debug the Application’s User Interface to get the perfect app. - Improved Smart Editor to enable code shrinker rules
The high-tech Smart Editor feature will prove of significant assistance while writing the rules for the default R8 compiler. When you want to make your app as concise as possible, you need to use shrinking to remove unused codes. In the new Android Gradle Plugin 3.4.0, there is an R8 compiler that handles different compile-time tasks like Resource Shrinking, Code Shrinking, Code Optimization, and Code Obfuscation. The Android Studio 4 has such smart editor features for error checking and syntax highlighting. - Latest IntelliJ IDEA 2019.3 platform update
The IntelliJ IDEA 2019.3 and 2019.3.3 versions are the updated core Android Studio IDE available with the 4.0 release. The Platform update has led to various performance and quality enhancements resulting in a better development experience for Android Developers. - Simplified Thread Activity Analysis with Better CPU Profiler
Android Studio 4.0 features a Thread Activity Timeline, which allows a developer to conduct a quick simultaneous analysis of all the thread activity carried out. There are navigation shortcuts available to enable detailed panning and zooming. The System Trace UI has been redesigned to focus on data for selected threads. There have been fewer issues because of the improved CPU Profiler in the new Android Studio. - An Impressive Live Template Update
Android Developers can now make use of the Android-related live templates for Kotlin. The Live Template feature available with IntelliJ makes it possible to use simple keywords to insert common constructs in the code. - Java 8 Support
In the advanced Android Studio 4.0, irrespective of an App’s minSDK Version, there has been an extension of the Desugaring Process Engine to support Java Language APIs. Standard Language APIs can be conveniently used. - An Enhanced build features DSL
Every App Project does not demand the different libraries and features provided as a result of the Built-in new library support with Gradle Plugin. Optimizing build performance is important, especially for large-scale Apps, there is now an option to enable or disable the build Features as and when required. This is feasible because of the improved Android Gradle Plugin. - Build Analyzer
With the assistance of a Build Analyzer, the App Developer can understand and resolve bottlenecks in the Application’s Build. The Analyzer highlights plugins and tasks most responsible for the Build time and suggests address regressions. This will help to avoid a longer build time and increase overall productivity. - Requisite Support for Kotlin DSL Build Script files
There are several fixed planned by the Android Studio team for handier and more idiomatic DSL for Kotlin developers. There is now the availability of Built-in support for Kotlin DSL Build Script Files. The Project Structure Dialog supports the Kotlin Build Scripts, and they provide a complete set of Quick Fixes.
Conclusion
Google has undoubtedly managed to keep its reputation for improvisations and innovations intact with two different releases of Android Studio despite the troubling times in 2020. Android Studio 4.0 has captured a substantial interest among the Android Developers. The new release is considered in high regard because of the many modernized features and error fixation carried out in the Version. Enrich your Android App Creation experience with Android Studio 4.0
Sysbunny’s team of Android Developers are always on their toes when matters of latest updates and releases come into the picture. With our dynamicity, we are ready to serve our clients better with Landmark Android Apps.
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