Basic4Android (currently known as B4A) is a

rapid application development Rapid application development (RAD), also called rapid application building (RAB), is both a general term for adaptive software development approaches, and the name for James Martin's method of rapid development. In general, RAD approaches to ...

tool for native Android applications, developed and marketed by Anywhere Software Ltd. B4A is an alternative to programming with

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. The language itself is similar to

Visual Basic Visual Basic is a name for a family of programming languages from Microsoft. It may refer to: * Visual Basic .NET (now simply referred to as "Visual Basic"), the current version of Visual Basic launched in 2002 which runs on .NET * Visual Basic ( ...

and

Visual Basic .Net Visual Basic, originally called Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET), is a multi-paradigm, object-oriented programming language, implemented on .NET, Mono, and the .NET Framework. Microsoft launched VB.NET in 2002 as the successor to its original Visua ...

though it is adapted to the native Android environment. B4A is an object-based and event-driven language. B4A includes a visual designer that simplifies the process of building user interfaces that target phones and tablets with different screen sizes. Compiled programs can be tested in AVD Manager emulators or on real Android devices using Android Debug Bridge and B4A Bridge. B4A generates standard signed Android applications which can be uploaded to app stores like

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, Samsung Apps and Amazon Appstore. There are no special dependencies or runtime frameworks required. Since February 2020, the full version is 100% free (

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Applications

B4A supports all types of applications such as games, databases, connectivity, sensors and hardware.

Libraries

B4A interacts with the native API through Java libraries. B4A libraries consist of two files: the Java jar file and a XML file that is produced by a tool provided with B4A.

Community

In 2013, there were about 100,000 registered developers in the online community.

Documentation

A Basic4Android book was written by Wyken Seagrave and published by Penny Press Ltd in October 2013.

References

External links