The document outlines the features and benefits of the Motodev App Validator, a static analysis tool designed to improve the quality of enterprise Android applications. It details how the validator operates, including its ability to check for permissions, localized strings, and code issues, as well as its integration options. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of using the tool prior to deployment to catch potential errors early in the development process.

1. Improving Enterprise Application
Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
Eric Cloninger (ericc@motorola.com)
Product Line Manager, Development Tools
#appval
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2012 Motorola Mobility, Inc. All rights reserved. moto.ly/appvalint

2. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
Agenda
• Asset management in an Android project
• The Matrix of Pain
• The MOTODEV App Validator
• Extending the MOTODEV App Validator
• Q&A
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3. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
Asset Management in Android
• An Android app (“APK”, aka “application package”) is a
container for both code and non-code assets
• An app can have multiple copies of the same asset
• Applies to images, menus, strings, layouts, sounds, icons, etc.
• The Android runtime has an algorithm that determines the best
resource to use based on
location, carrier, language, display, screen orientation, dock
status, keyboard availability, etc.
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4. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
Structure of a simple Android App project
AwesomeApp.APK
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5. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
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6. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
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7. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
The Matrix of Pain
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8. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
Statistics
http://bit.ly/fxFY7P Platform Codename API Level Distribution
Android 1.5 Cupcake 3 0.6%
Android 1.6 Donut 4 1.1%
Android 2.1 Eclair 7 8.5%
Android 2.2 Froyo 8 30.4%
Android 2.3 - Gingerbread 9 0.6%
Android 2.3.2
Android 2.3.3 - 10 54.9%
Android 2.3.7
Android 3.0 Honeycomb 11 0.1%
Android 3.1 12 1.5%
Android 3.2 13 1.7%
Android 4.0 - Ice Cream 14 0.3%
Data collected during a 14-day period Android 4.0.2 Sandwich 15 0.3%
ending on January 3, 2012 Android 4.0.3
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9. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
Statistics, cont’d
http://bit.ly/AfeZHn
ldpi mdpi hdpi xhdpi
small 1.3% 2.9%
normal 1.0% 17.5% 71%
large 0.1% 3.1%
xlarge 3.1%
Data collected during a 14-day period
ending on January 3, 2012
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10. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
Sparse Matrix. Less pain, more risk.
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11. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
Static Analysis
• Solves a different problem set than runtime tests
• Finds “Matrix of Pain” issues that runtime tests don‟t
• Catches errors early in the development cycle
• Automatable / scriptable systems
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12. MOTODEV App Validator

13. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
MOTODEV App Validator
• Free static analysis tool that runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux
• Available as Eclipse plugins, a stand-alone command line tool,
and as a drag-and-drop web app
• Operates on .APK files as well as contents of Eclipse projects
• Highly customizable for your needs
• Generates output as text, CSV, or XML for easy integration into
existing development processes
• Download at http://moto.ly/mdsdl
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14. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
MOTODEV App Validator – What it does
• Determines if an app requests too few or too many permissions
• Reports missing localized or default strings and missing
drawable resources
• Discovers duplicate IDs in layouts
• Code problems (e.g. open database cursors that aren‟t closed)
• 35 unique conditions tested, described at the MOTODEV site
– http://moto.ly/appvaldocs
– More checkers and conditions added with each release
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15. Demo
App Validator &
MOTODEV Studio

16. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
MOTODEV App Validator – How it works
• Decomposes an Android application into its “file system”
• Examines the app manifest for improper values
• Decompiles Java code in the APK and examines code patterns
• Compares values of Android APIs parameters against the
contents of resource directories
• Compares an app against device specifications to find issues
that might occur on certain devices
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17. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
App Validator vs. lint
• App Validator is a pre-flighting tool, meant to be your “last set of
eyes” before you deploy your app
• lint is an improvement on the existing SDK tool called
„layoutopt‟, which is intended for iterative improvement of your
user interface
• Use lint during layout, design and coding
• Use App Validator while coding and before deploying to users or
the Android Market
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18. Demo
App Validator on
the command line

19. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
Command Line
Usage:
APPVALIDATOR [OPTION[PRM]]...
APPVALIDATOR [OPTION[PRM]]... -input [FILE] [OPTION[PRM]]...
Options:
-sdk SDKPATH Specify an Android SDK to be used during validation instead of the default one
-c CHK [PRM] Specify a checker to be run by supplying its ID (CHK) and specific checker parameters (PRM).
-dc CHK[.CND] Specify a checker or condition that should not run by supplying its ID. The other checkers will run normally.
-d [DEV] Specify a device that will be checked against your application for incompatibilities. Use 'none' to skip.
-wx [CHK[.CND]] Increases the warning level for all or for a particular set of checkers or conditions specified by CHK and CND IDs
-xw [CHK[.CND]] Decreases warning level for all or for the particular set of checkers or conditions specified by CHK and CND IDs
-output [TYPE] Format output to the specified type. TYPE can be [text (default) | csv | xml].
-limit [COUNT] Limit the number of output entries.
-list-checkers List available checkers
-list-devices List available devices
-describe-device [DEV] Show information about a specific device
-help [CHK] See information about general usage or about a checker by specifying its ID (CHK)
-vN Specify verbosity level, where N is one of: 0 (default, most succinct), 1, 2 (most verbose)
-wN Specify warning level, where N is one of: 0 (most severe warnings only), 1, 2 (default), 3, 4 (all warnings)
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20. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
CSV output
appvalidator -input demo.apk -w4 output csv > foo.csv
type checker_id condition description file suggestion
WARNING codeChecker openedCurso The cursor c at comdemoapp Make sure that all cursors are closed to
rs "com.demoapp.MainActivity.onCreate" does MainActivity.jav avoid problems during app execution.
not seem to be closed. 1 instance(s) using this a
variable were not closed."
WARNING layout missingId The following ID was not defined in your layout reslayout- Add the missing ID to the layout file.
file: myText"." xlargemain.xml
WARNING missingDrawable missingDraw Folder drawable-xhdpi" does not exist." res Create the drawable-xhdpi" folder inside
Resources ableFolders the "res" folder and add the appropriate
drawables to it."
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21. Demo
App Validator @ MOTODEV
moto.ly/webvalidator

22. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
MOTODEV Testing Programs
• Online App Validator
– http://moto.ly/webvalidator
• MOTOREADY App Testing for Motorola XOOM™
• http://developer.motorola.com/testing/motoready/
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23. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
MOTODEV App Validator SDK
• Extend the App Validator to add checkers and conditons that
meet your own criteria
• Download the SDK at http://moto.ly/mdsdl
• Install guide at http://moto.ly/appvalsdkinstall
• Installs into MOTODEV Studio or Eclipse (requires PDE)
• Supported on the MOTODEV discussion boards
– http://moto.ly/studiodb
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24. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
MOTODEV App Validator SDK
• Context-aware API reference while editing and offline HTML
Javadoc documentation
• Requires Eclipse and Java experience
• Implement one method to get started
• Operates on APKs and Eclipse projects
• Two samples for developers to begin their own work
• findviewbyid – Search for calls to findViewById() that are within loops
• androidlabel – Ensures that android:label in AndroidManifest.xml has a
specific value or pattern
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25. Improving Enterprise Application Quality with MOTODEV App Validator
Thank you
• Slides available at slideshare.net/motodev later today
• “Office hours” with the MOTODEV Tools team and developer
support members, February 15, 1:00 PM PT (21:00 UTC)
• Follow-up email, including a link to the recording, to registered
attendees
• Q&A
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