INTRODUCTION In this book you will learn how to create your own amazing apps using App Inventor You will find out how to connect your computer to an Android phone or emulator Then you’ll discover how to build simple tools games and even how to code apps that use a camera Keep on reading and you’ll be on your way to becoming an expert app builder To create apps you will need A computer to use the App Inventor website This can be a Mac or a PC A Google account to log in and save your apps storage emulated 0 537624 png Snap Save storage emulated 0 537624 png Save Snap You will need one of the following to test your apps An Android device this can be a phone or a tablet and a special Android app called the Al Companion Android Emulator storage emulated 0 537624 png Snap Save Software called an Android emulator This will create a virtual Android Device on your computer that you can use to test your apps The first few pages of this book will introduce you to App Inventor and explain how to add the basic components and code to an app As you progress through the book you will be using these techniques to build more powerful apps Make sure you experiment try out your own ideas and have fun CODE CAREFULLY AND AVOID THE BUGS Bugs are errors or mistakes in your code that stop your app from working properly Looking for these errors is called debugging Make sure you enter your code carefully If things aren’t working properly see the tips on page 31 to help you Note Words in italics appear in the glossary on page 30 3
ask permission from an adult before entering the information to create an account GETTING STARTED On this page we will look at how to get your computer or device ready to create apps Let’s start with how to set up your computer STEP 1 CREATE A GOOGLE ACCOUNT You need to create a Google account to log in to App Inventor and save apps a Search for create google account create google account Search STEP 2 SIGN IN a Sign in to your Google account STEP 3 VISIT THE APP INVENTOR WEBSITE a Type appinventor mit edu into your browser a Click Create apps appinventor mit edu Create apps Sign in IF YOU HAVE AN ANDROID DEVICE FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO CONNECT IT TO APP INVENTOR STEP 1 DOWNLOAD THE COMPANION APP https accounts google com signup hl en a Search for app inventor companion app on your Android device a Tap Install and follow the instructions MIT AI2 Companion INSTALL app inventor companion app Search STEP 2 CONNECT APP INVENTOR a Go back to your computer and make sure you are on the App Inventor site Click Create apps 4 Connect AI Companion Emulator a Click the Connect menu then choose AI Companion a A QR code like this will appear on your computer Scan QR code a Tap the Scan QR code button on your device and hold your device’s camera up to the QR code on the computer screen
STEPS IF YOU DON’T HAVE AN ANDROID DEVICE STEP 1 DOWNLOAD THE EMULATOR a Search in Google for download app inventor emulator a Choose Mac or PC then follow the instructions to download the emulator STEP 2 INSTALL THE EMULATOR a Some web browsers will then ask you to run the installation program Choose Run a If this does not happen don’t panic The installer file should have been downloaded to your computer Look in your Downloads folder for it Double-click it to start installing the emulator You should get a big gray box giving you instructions on what to do next Follow these instructions to complete the installation a If you are on a Mac when you try to install the emulator you may get a security message To install the app you will need to click System Preferences click Security and change your settings to allow apps to run from Anywhere Search for install from unknown developer Mac for more help STEP 3 PC ONLY If you are using a Mac you don’t need to do this part a On a PC App Inventor needs a special program called the AI Starter to help it start the emulator After you have installed the emulator it should run the AI Starter The next time you use it go to the Windows Start menu It will be in the MIT App Inventor group or in the Recently Added section STEP 4 CONNECT APP INVENTOR TO THE EMULATOR Recently Added AI Starter MIT App Inventor Tools AI Starter appinventor mit edu Android Emulator a To connect the App Inventor to the emulator go back to the App Inventor website Arrange your screen so the browser fills only part of the screen Click Create apps Connect AI Companion Emulator a Click the Connect menu then choose Emulator Connecting Companion starting Cancel a You should see a message telling you to wait while the emulator starts Be patient this may take a minute or two App Inventor may ask you to select a project at this point If so move on to page 6 and start a project a When the emulator has finished setting up the app you are about to build will be shown onscreen If App Inventor doesn’t connect up to your device after following the steps on page 4 try closing the web browser on your computer On your device tap the recent apps button then find the MIT AI2 Companion App icon and flick it upward to close it Restart the Companion App and restart the computer browser Follow step 2 Connect App Inventor on page 4 to reconnect If App Inventor doesn’t connect up to your emulator try closing the emulator closing the web browser and starting again from step 3 above If you still have problems connecting go to the App Inventor site click Resources then Troubleshooting 5
