SDK Tools Notes

SDK Tools is a downloadable component for the Android SDK. It includes the complete set of development and debugging tools for the Android SDK.

This document provides version-specific information about SDK Tools releases. To keep up-to-date on new releases, make sure that you view this page at http://developer. android.com/sdk/tools-notes.html.

To install SDK Tools in your SDK environment (and replace the existing tools), use the Android SDK and AVD Manager. For more information, see Adding SDK Components.

SDK Tools, Revision 4

December 2009. SDK Tools r4 provides several new features for developers and includes fixes for several issues, as described below.

Dependencies

SDK Tools r4 is compatible with ADT 0.9.5 and later, but not compatible with earlier versions. If you are developing in Eclipse with ADT, you must update your ADT plugin to version 0.9.5 or higher if you install SDK Tools r4 in your SDK.

General notes

  • Launcher script now forces GDK_NATIVE_WINDOW=true (linux only), to fix a compatibility issue between GTK and SWT.

Android SDK and AVD Manager

  • AVD Launch dialog now shows scale value.
  • Fixes potential NPE in SDK Manager on AVD launch, for older AVD with no skin name specified.
  • Fixes XML validation issue in on older Java versions.
  • No longer forces the use of Java 1.5 on Mac OS X.

Emulator

  • No longer limits the size of the system partition.

Ant build tools

  • .apk packaging now properly ignores vi swap files as well as hidden files.

SDK Tools, Revision 3

October 2009. SDK Tools r3 provides several new features for developers and includes fixes for several tools issues, as described below.

Dependencies

SDK Tools r3 is compatible with ADT 0.9.4 and later, but not compatible with earlier versions. If you are developing in Eclipse with ADT, you must update your ADT plugin to version 0.9.4 or higher if you install SDK Tools r3 in your SDK.

Android tool

  • Adds new android create test-project and android update test-project commands to allow for greater flexibility in the location of the main and test projects.

DDMS

  • Adds a button to dump HPROF file for running appplications (app must be able to write to the sdcard).
  • Button to start/stop profiling of a running application (app must be able to write to the sdcard). Upon stop, Traceview will automatically be launched to display the trace.
  • Fixed DDMS, Traceview, and the AVD Mananger/SDK Updater to run on Mac OS X 10.6.
  • Fixed screenshot support for devices running 32-bit framebuffer.

Android SDK and AVD Manager

  • Provides a new UI that lets you set options for controlling the emulator skin, screen size/density, and scale factor used when launching an AVD.
  • Provides improved AVD creation UI, which lets you customize the hardware properties of your AVDs.
  • Now enforces dependencies between platforms and tools components, and between SDK add-ons and platforms.

Layoutopt, a new tool for optimizing layouts

The SDK Tools r3 package includes layoutopt, a new command-line tool that helps you optimize your layout hierarchies. When run against your layout files, the tool analyzes their hierarchies and notifies you of inefficiencies and other potential issues. The tool also provides simple solutions for the issues it finds. For usage, see layoutopt.

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