How to build Android application package (.apk) Manually.

he good thing about building manually your apk is that you don’t have to name your resources directory to res, you can name it anything you want.

You can find ant scripts in: \platforms\android-1.5\templates\android-rules.xml

Step 1: Generate Resource java code and packaged Resources
aapt package -f -M ${manifest.file} -F ${packaged.resource.file} -I ${path.to.android-jar.library} -S ${android-resource-directory} [-m -J ${folder.to.output.the.R.java}]

Step 2: Compile java source codes + R.java
use javac

Step 3: Convert classes to Dalvik bytecodes
use dx.bat
dx.bat –dex –output=${output.dex.file} ${compiled.classes.directory} ${jar files..}

Step 4: Create unsigned APK
use apkbuilder

apkbuilder ${output.apk.file} -u -z ${packagedresource.file} -f ${dex.file}

or

apkbuilder ${output.apk.file} -u -z ${packagedresource.file} -f ${dex.file} -rf ${source.dir} -rj ${libraries.dir}

-rf = resources required for compiled source files?
-rj = resources required for jar files

Step 6: Generate a key
use keytool

Step 7: Sign APK
use jarsigner

jarsigner -keystore ${keystore} -storepass ${keystore.password} -keypass ${keypass} -signedjar ${signed.apkfile} ${unsigned.apkfile} ${keyalias}

Step 8: Publish
use adb
adb -d install -r ${signed.apk}

Inspecting your APK file:

aapt list -v latest.apk