Android Client Setup

Build and install the ReadRealm Android client app on a device or emulator using Gradle.

The Android client is a native Kotlin + Jetpack Compose app targeting Android API level 30 (Android 11) and above.

Prerequisites

• Android Studio Koala Feature Drop (2024.1.2) or later
• Android SDK API 30+
• Gradle 8+
• Kotlin 1.9+
• JDK 11+

Android Studio bundles the Android SDK, Gradle wrapper, and a compatible JDK. Installing Android Studio is the easiest way to satisfy all prerequisites.

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Setup

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/aliammari1/readrealm.git
   cd readrealm
   
2. Configure the API URL

   The Android client connects to the ReadRealm backend via Retrofit. The base URL is defined in apps/android/app/src/main/java/tn/esprit/libraryapp/api/RetrofitService.kt:

   apps/android/app/src/main/java/tn/esprit/libraryapp/api/RetrofitService.kt

   object RetrofitService {
       private const val BASE_URL = "https://libraryapp-nest-back.vercel.app/"
       // ...
   }
   

   To connect to a local API server, change BASE_URL to point to your machine’s address:

   private const val BASE_URL = "http://10.0.2.2:3000/"
   

   Android emulators route 10.0.2.2 to the host machine’s localhost. Use this address when running the API locally with task api:dev or docker-compose up. On a physical device, use your machine’s local network IP address instead.

3. Build the debug APK

   Gradle (command line)

   cd apps/android
   ./gradlew assembleDebug
   

   Task

   task android:build
   

   Android Studio

   Open the apps/android directory in Android Studio, then select Build → Make Project (Ctrl+F9 / Cmd+F9).

   The compiled APK is output to apps/android/app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk.

4. Install on a device or emulator

   Connect an Android device via USB (with USB debugging enabled) or launch an emulator, then run:

   Gradle (command line)

   cd apps/android
   ./gradlew installDebug
   

   Task

   task android:install:device
   

   Android Studio

   Click the Run button or press Shift+F10. Select your target device and Android Studio will build, install, and launch the app.

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Additional Gradle commands

Action	Command	Task equivalent
Clean build directory	./gradlew clean	task android:install
Build release APK	./gradlew assembleRelease	task android:build:release
Run unit tests	./gradlew test	task android:test
Run instrumentation tests	./gradlew connectedAndroidTest	—

All Gradle commands must be run from the apps/android directory, or you can use the task equivalents from the project root.