The Application Manifest File | Android - GeeksforGeeks

19 Aug, 2021
Every project in Android includes a manifest file, which is AndroidManifest.xml, stored in the root directory of its project hierarchy. The manifest file is an important part of our app because it defines the structure and metadata of our application, its components, and its requirements. This file includes nodes for each of the Activities, Services, Content Providers, and Broadcast Receiver that make the application and using Intent Filters and Permissions determines how they co-ordinate with each other and other applications.
The manifest file also specifies the application metadata, which includes its icon, version number, themes, etc., and additional top-level nodes can specify any required permissions, unit tests, and define hardware, screen, or platform requirements. The manifest comprises a root manifest tag with a package attribute set to the project’s package. It should also include an xmls:android attribute that will supply several system attributes used within the file. We use the versionCode attribute is used to define the current application version in the form of an integer that increments itself with the iteration of the version due to update. Also, the versionName attribute is used to specify a public version that will be displayed to the users.
We can also specify whether our app should install on an SD card of the internal memory using the installLocation attribute. A typical manifest node looks as:
XML
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"    package="com.paad.myapp"    android:versionCode="1"    android:versionName="0.9 Beta"    android:installLocation="preferExternal">    [....manifest nodes....]</manifest>
A manifest file includes the nodes that define the application components, security settings, test classes, and requirements that make up the application. Some of the manifest sub-node tags that are mainly used are:
It is used to define a minimum and maximum SDK version that must be available on a device so that our application functions properly, and target SDK for which it has been designed using a combination of minSdkVersion, maxSdkVersion, and targetSdkVersion attributes, respectively. 
XML
<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion=”6”        android:targetSdkVersion=”15”/>
The uses-configuration nodes are used to specify the combination of input mechanisms that are supported by our application. It is useful for games that require particular input controls. 
XML
<uses-configuration android:reqTouchScreen=”finger”                android:reqNavigation=”trackball”                android:reqHardKeyboard=”true”                android:reqKeyboardType=”qwerty”/><uses-configuration android:reqTouchScreen=”finger”                android:reqNavigation=”trackball”                android:reqHardKeyboard=”true”            android:reqKeyboardType=”twelvekey”/>
It is used to specify which hardware features your application requirement. This will prevent our application from being installed on a device that does not include a required piece of hardware such as NFC hardware, as follows: 
XML
<uses-feature android:name=”android.hardware.nfc”/>
It is used to describe the screen support for our application: 
XML
<supports-screens  android:smallScreens=”false”  android:normalScreens=”true”  android:largeScreens=”true”  android:xlargeScreens=”true”/>
It is used to create permissions to restrict access to shared application components. We can also use the existing platform permissions for this purpose or define your own permissions in the manifest. 
XML
<permission  android: name=”com.paad.DETONATE_DEVICE”  android:protectionLevel=“dangerous”  android:label=”Self Destruct”  android:description=”@string/detonate_description”></permission>
A manifest can contain only one application node. It uses attributes to specify the metadata for your application (including its title, icon, and theme). During development, we should include a debuggable attribute set to true to enable debugging, then be sure to disable it for your release builds. The application node also acts as a container for the Activity, Service, Content Provider, and Broadcast Receiver nodes that specify the application components. The name of our custom application class can be specified using the android:name attribute. 
XML
<application  android:icon="@drawable/icon"  android:logo-"@drawable/logo"  android:theme="@android:style/Theme.Light"  android:name=".MyApplicationClass"  android:debuggable="true">  [....application nodes.....]</application>
References: https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/manifest/manifest-intro.html
dishenmakwana
Android-Studio
Android
Android
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