About This Title

Pages: 706
Published: August 2025
ISBN: 9781965764183
Not Yet Printed (NYP)

Jetpack Compose 1.8 Essentials

by Neil Smyth

Jetpack Compose 1.8 Essentials is a thorough, reference-style book for developing Android applications using Android Studio, Kotlin, and Jetpack Compose 1.8. Tailored for both novice and experienced programmers, this book begins with an introduction to Kotlin programming, before guiding readers through the installation and setup of Android Studio and AVD emulators. From there, it transitions into Android app development using Jetpack Compose, building a solid foundation in modern, declarative UI creation. Whether you are just starting or looking to deepen your expertise, this guide provides a clear, step-by-step approach to mastering Android development with Jetpack Compose.


This work was written and produced entirely by the author. We are proud to be distributing it.

(Not currently available for purchase)


This book is a comprehensive guide to building Android applications using Jetpack Compose 1.8, Android Studio, and Kotlin. It includes detailed tutorials with downloadable source code to help you put theory into practice and online quizzes to reinforce and test your knowledge and understanding.

The book begins with the setup of the Android Studio development environment, followed by an introduction to Kotlin, covering data types, operators, control flow, functions, lambdas, and coroutines.

With this foundation established, the focus shifts to Jetpack Compose, Google’s modern toolkit for creating native user interfaces. An in-depth exploration of Compose components and layout structures is provided, including rows, columns, boxes, flows, pagers, and lists. Additional topics include Android project architecture and the Compose development tools available in Android Studio.

Key concepts such as state management, modifiers, and navigation components are examined in detail. Additional chapters demonstrate how to create reusable layout components, implement biometric authentication for security, and integrate Gemini AI features into your apps.

Further coverage includes screen navigation, graphics rendering, animations, transitions, and gesture handling. Data management strategies involving view models, Room databases, live data, and the Database Inspector are also discussed.

Each topic includes step-by-step tutorials, downloadable source code, and access to over 55 online quizzes designed to reinforce key concepts.

What You Need

  • Windows 10 or 11 64-bit
  • macOS 12 or later running on Intel or Apple silicon
  • Chrome OS device with Intel i5 or higher
  • Linux systems with version 2.31 or later of the GNU C Library (glibc)
  • Minimum of 16 GB of RAM
  • Approximately 8 GB of available disk space
  • 1280 x 800 minimum screen resolution

Source code

errata

Resources

Releases:

Contents & Extracts

1. Start Here
2. Setting up an Android Studio Development Environment
3. A Compose Project Overview
4. An Example Compose Project
5. Creating an Android Virtual Device (AVD) in Android Studio
6. Using and Configuring the Android Studio AVD Emulator
7. A Tour of the Android Studio User Interface
8. Testing Android Studio Apps on a Physical Android Device
9. The Basics of the Android Studio Code Editor
10. An Overview of the Android Architecture
11. An Introduction to Kotlin
12. Kotlin Data Types, Variables and Nullability
13. Kotlin Operators and Expressions
14. Kotlin Control Flow
15. An Overview of Kotlin Functions and Lambdas
16. The Basics of Object-Oriented Programming in Kotlin
17. An Introduction to Kotlin Inheritance and Subclassing
18. Introducing Gemini in Android Studio
19. An Overview of Compose
20. A Guide to Gradle Version Catalogs
21. Composable Functions Overview
22. An Overview of Compose State and Recomposition
23. An Introduction to Composition Local
24. An Overview of Compose Slot APIs
25. A Compose Slot API Tutorial
26. Using Modifiers in Compose
27. Annotated Strings and Brush Styles
28. Composing Layouts with Row and Column
29. Box Layouts in Compose
30. An Introduction to FlowRow and FlowColumn
31. A FlowRow and FlowColumn Tutorial
32. Custom Layout Modifiers
33. Building Custom Layouts
34. A Guide to ConstraintLayout in Compose
35. Working with ConstraintLayout in Compose
36. Working with IntrinsicSize in Compose
37. Coroutines and LaunchedEffects in Jetpack Compose
38. An Overview of Lists and Grids in Compose
39. A Compose Row and Column List Tutorial
40. A Compose Lazy List Tutorial
41. Designing Adaptable List-Detail Layouts
42. Lazy List Sticky Headers and Scroll Detection
43. A Compose Lazy Staggered Grid Tutorial
44. VerticalPager and HorizontalPager in Compose
45. Compose Visibility Animation
46. Compose State-Driven Animation
47. Canvas Graphics Drawing in Compose
48. Working with ViewModels in Compose
49. A Compose ViewModel Tutorial
50. An Overview of Android SQLite Databases
51. Room Databases and Compose
52. A Compose Room Database and Repository Tutorial
53. Navigation 3 and NavDisplay
54. A Navigation 3 NavDisplay Tutorial
55. NavigationSuiteScaffold Bar and Rail Navigation
56. Detecting Gestures in Compose
57. An Introduction to Kotlin Flow
58. A Jetpack Compose SharedFlow Tutorial
59. Integrating Gemini AI into Android Apps
60. Preparing the Gemini Firebase AI Logic Project
61. A Gemini AI Tutorial
62. Using Gemini AI for Video Analysis
63. Gemini AI Image Generation
64. Introducing Glance Widgets
65. A Glance Widget Tutorial
66. An Android Biometric Authentication Tutorial
67. Working with Compose Theming
68. A Material Design 3 Theming Tutorial
Index

Author

Neil Smyth has more than 25 years of experience in the IT industry, including software development, project management, and marketing. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology and holds several certifications, including A+, Security+, Network+, Project+, Java Associate, and Microsoft Certified Professional. Neil is also a CIW Database Design Specialist.

Neil is the co-founder and CEO of Payload Media, Inc., a technical content publishing company. He is also an author who has written several programming and system administration books under the “Essentials” range. Notable titles include Android Studio Development Essentials, Jetpack Compose Essentials, iOS App Development Essentials, C# Programming Essentials, and Ubuntu Essentials.

(Not currently available for purchase)

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About This Title

Pages: 706
Published: August 2025
ISBN: 9781965764183
Edition: 1
Not Yet Printed (NYP)