[App][Tutorial] Tiny Weather - How to create a weather app step by step

[sylsau]

Hello,

I made this post to present you a free weather application named Tiny Weather and available here on Google Play Store : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ssaurel.tinyweather

Tiny Weather purposes weather for daily and forecasts on 16 next days. UI is simple and elegant with a blue theme.

Some screenshots :

* Current Weather

* Forecasts on 16 next days

* Change city

* Use location action button to detect your city

* Misc

Demo video to see Tiny Weather in action :

A direct link is also provided from my server here : http://www.ssaurel.com/tinyweather/TinyWeather.apk

Tiny Weather is the final result of an Android tutorial that I worked on. Goal is to show how to create a usable application from scratch to publication on Google Play Store. Monetization and Analytics will be also presented during the tutorial.

Tutorial will be available under video live coding format on my Youtube channel here : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXoh49OXVg1UGjgWX1JRvlw
I will write also some details about each steps on that post week after week.

So, the goal is to publish each week a new episode of the creation of Tiny Weather.

The plan is the following for the tutorial :

1. Step 1 : Design
2. Step 2 : Architecture
3. Step 3 : Create Application Project
4. Step 4 : Create ViewPagerAdapter
5. Step 5 : Current Weather Fragment
6. Step 6 : Forecasts Weather Fragment
7. Step 7 : Misc Fragment
8. Step 8 : Add Cache
9. Step 9 : Add Monetization
10. Step 10 : Add Analytics
11. Step 11 : Tablets support
12. Step 11 : Publish on store
13. Step 12 : Marketing
14. Step 13 : Follow app day after day on Google Play Store

Part 1 - Design

In this first part, I show you how to prototype your weather app thanks to free open source tool Pencil. I define also interactions in the application. When you click on action bar menus and when you click on forecasts fragment cards.

Video is here :

Screenshots of UI wireframes are here :

* Current weather tab

* Forecasts weather tab

Part 2 - Architecture

In this video, I show you the choices made for Tiny Weather's Architecture : swipe views with tabs for UI, Weather data API, data format, ...

Part 3 - Current Weather Fragment

Part 3 is up with following content :

• Android application project creation
• Use of ViewPager pattern
• Weather grabber to get meteo from provider
• Cache creation to cache weather data
• How to get GPS position of user with Google Play Services and without
• Curreant weather fragment creation to display weather data on UI
• Main activity creation

I will use that thread to post week after week new videos .

For now, you can try the app and give me your feedbacks.

First video tutorial will be posted quickly !

Sylvain

 

[sylsau]

Someone has tried the application ?

 

[sylsau]

Up

 

[sylsau]

Part 1 is up !

Hello,

Tutorial Part 1 is up ! In this first part, I show you how to prototype the weather app with free open source tool Pencil.

Show the tutorial here :

Next episode will show you architecture of weather app

Don't hesitate to give me your feedbacks.

Sylvain

 

[huco]

Hello,

Tutorial Part 1 is up ! In this first part, I show you how to prototype the weather app with free open source tool Pencil.

Show the tutorial here :

Next episode will show you architecture of weather app

Don't hesitate to give me your feedbacks.

Sylvain

Nice :good:
Waiting for the next part!!

 

[sylsau]

Nice :good:
Waiting for the next part!!

Thanks .

Next part will be about Architecture of Tiny Weather. It will be published during this week.

Sylvain

 

[Sami Kabir]

Thank you!

Thanks a lot for making this mate.

I've just started learning how to use Eclipse and how to make android apps.. And I've always wanted to make a simple Weather app with widget (like Google's GenieWidget - but only with weather).. So I'll give this a try by referring to your tutorial.

 

[sylsau]

Thanks a lot for making this mate.

I've just started learning how to use Eclipse and how to make android apps.. And I've always wanted to make a simple Weather app with widget (like Google's GenieWidget - but only with weather).. So I'll give this a try by referring to your tutorial.

By following Tiny Weather tutorial, you will know how to make a weather app .

Sylvain

 

[sylsau]

Tiny Weather mentionned on XDA Portal

Hello,

Tiny Weather has been mentionned on XDA Portal.

Thanks guys for helping me to give more exposition to Tiny Weather tutorial.

Sylvain

 

[muchomorek]

yeah i like the ads, buuuu

 

[shimply]

Forecasts Weather Fragment

Well, i looked over your app, its really nice, want to know in details how you achieved the functionality of weather forecasts means which are the concepts you have used to achieve this.how you are doing the monitoring in for weather forecasts.

 

[sylsau]

yeah i like the ads, buuuu

Hello,

For you, I have a solution ! You don't like ads ? I understand, so you can try Tiny Weather Pro with no ads : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ssaurel.tinyweather.pro

Sylvain

 

[andrew.mackew]

Cool! And still give us notion about coding.

 

[toologic]

Yes. Very interesting thread. I found it yesterday, but a few weeks ago i search samples and sources for weather widget application in my automobile head unit (thread WD8801) We need decoding current apk, rewrite part of code for request to world famous weather forecast server for (approx) 30 000 cities and rebuild wokring application again. I do it.
But i have idea include in our widget request forecast for current gps coordinates. It will be very interesting for me.

 

[sylsau]

Part 2 is up !

Hello,

Part 2 with Architecture is up !

In this video, I show you the choices made for Tiny Weather's Architecture.

Next week in part 3, live coding will begin .

Sylvain

 

[ÆSP]

Thanks a lot.

 

[at45]

This is great. It took me quite a while to find this app, and it's just what I was after

But unfortunately there is no option to buy on Amazon - only the free version with ads

 

[iBuzman]

not complaining as I appreciate you work immensely, but I hate waiting for next installments hehe.. less time between updates?

 

[sylsau]

Part 3 is up !

Hello,

I published part 3 of Tiny Weather tutorial. In this part, I show you :

• Android application project creation
• Use of ViewPager pattern
• Weather grabber to get meteo from provider
• Cache creation to cache weather data
• How to get GPS position of user with Google Play Services and without
• Curreant weather fragment creation to display weather data on UI
• Main activity creation

Sometimes, I have copy / paste code rather than live coding to avoid video be too long but these part of codes are displayed some time to let you understand. So, if you have questions, don't hesitate to tell me.

And the most important, the link to video on Youtube :

Thanks for your feedbacks.

Sylvain

 

[sylsau]

not complaining as I appreciate you work immensely, but I hate waiting for next installments hehe.. less time between updates?

Hello,

Thanks for your message.

Sorry for the delay. I will try to reduce time for part 4 .

Sylvain