Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.

Looking to learn something new?

Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.

Start your free trial

Android Build a Simple Android App with Java Getting Started with Android Creating the Fun Facts Project

Posted by Peter Furler
Peter Furler
31,647 Points

Using another IDE besides Android Studio?

I am coming over from the Beginning Java track, where for one of the courses we installed a Java IDE called IntelliJ IDEA.

Here the the teacher states that we can use this IDE for Android App Development. Though I am not too sure if it has it's own Android Emulator.

I intend to install Android Studio for this course, though could we also use IntelliJ IDEA if we wish so?

1 Answer

andren
andren
28,558 Points
andren
andren
28,558 Points

You can use IntelliJ IDEA but it requires more manual work than Android Studio. You can find instructions on setting up IntelliJ IDEA for android work on this page.

It's worth mentioning that Android Studio is actually based on IntelliJ IDEA, it is essentially just a version of IntelliJ IDEA that has Android support turned on by default, and that has tools that automate a lot of the work you have to do manually if you try to setup IntelliJ IDEA for Android work on your own.

Once IntelliJ IDEA is setup correctly if will work almost identically to Android Studio when working on an Android project.

I would personally recommend that you just go with Android Studio rather than trying to configure IntelliJ IDEA since as mentioned above you end up with the same Android development features either way, but you save a lot of manual work by using Android Studio. Android Studio is also the IDE Google officially recommends and maintains for Android development so most Android tutorials and help resources will assume you are using that IDE.

Though it's worth mentioning that really old tutorials will likely reference the IDE called Eclipse, which is another Java IDE which was used as the standard Android IDE before Google decided to partner up with IntelliJ to develop Android Studio.

Peter Furler
Peter Furler
31,647 Points

That clears things up. Thank you for that very thorough response.