Get Started

Welcome! This page gets the Blueprint sample project running on your computer. Every other page in this wiki builds on it. 👋

What you need

• Android Studio, the latest stable version. Older versions may not be able to open the project.
• An Android phone or emulator to test your app. Android Studio can create an emulator for you: see Create and manage virtual devices.
• A Google Play developer account, but only when you’re ready to publish.

Tip

New to Android Studio?

The user guide explains the basics of the IDE.

Step 1: Download the sample

Download the sample project and extract it somewhere safe, like your Documents folder.

You’ll get a folder called Blueprint-sample. Feel free to rename it to your app’s name.

Step 2: Open it in Android Studio

1. Open Android Studio and click Open (or File → Open if a project is already open).
2. Select the folder you extracted, the one that contains settings.gradle.kts, and click OK.
3. If Android Studio asks whether you trust the project, click Trust Project.

The first time, Android Studio downloads everything the project needs. This can take several minutes. You can follow the progress in the status bar at the bottom of the window.

Important

If Android Studio suggests upgrading the Android Gradle Plugin or other versions, dismiss it. The Update Blueprint page tells you when and how to update them.

Step 3: Run the sample

Before changing anything, press the green Run button and install the sample on your phone or emulator.

If it opens, your setup works. If it doesn’t, fix that first: problems you run into later are much easier to solve when you know the untouched sample builds fine.

Before you continue

Most of the setup means editing XML files. If you’ve never edited one, read Edit XML Files first. It explains the format and the mistakes that break the build.

Next step

Set your own package name: Set Package Name. Do it before anything else, because the other pages assume it’s done.