Android Architecture Patterns may assist you in developing mobile applications that have fewer defects, are easier to maintain, and have testable code. Model-View-Controller (MVC), Data Table Fragment (DTF), Single-Page Applications (SPA), and Microscope are just a few examples. They cover a wide range of topics, from organizing an app to how to manage user interactions.
What Is Architecture?
Architecture is referred to as Architecture if it is constructed according to a set of rules, has appropriate functionality, and is implemented using appropriate protocols.
Architecture’s role
For example, if our code is written in a class/activity/fragment that is not structured, we will encounter the following issues:
The complexity of the code will rise as the number of lines of code grows.
As a result, readability suffers, and the number of defects grows. ” As a result, testing is difficult, and the product’s quality suffers.
When it comes to great software, it’s important to give clear data flow that increases resilience and scalability and bug-resistance and readability. As a result, we must implement an effective design that allows us to collaborate as a group.
What’s the point of having a well-structured app?
Everything should be arranged logically. The same goes for your Android project. If not, maybe the following issues are all too familiar: Unit tests do not cover all your code.
- The sheer quantity of functions in a class makes it harder to troubleshoot.
- In such a large class, it’s impossible to stay on top of everything going on.
- Maintaining and adding new features to your work is challenging for another developer.
- You need to think about the architecture to design a high-quality app.
Why Should You Care About Proper Architecture for Your App?
Keep it simple by separating your app’s many components and defining each one’s specific function. Not all classes are multi-tasking, and this one is no exception. If you’re familiar with computers, you’ll be able to figure out what this does and how it works. It promotes the Keep It Simple, Stupid principle (KISS).
Before we can use Unit Tests, we must create code that can be tested.
Maintenance costs are low: Add and delete features are simple. Aside from the fact that it helps us keep track of the most significant logic elements, it is also useful.
When and how will this take place?
Perhaps a few more questions will pop into your thoughts.
What’s the greatest Android app architectural pattern?
It’s also important to know how to implement this pattern best.
You can’t choose one contender to utilize across all Android applications since the design pattern is abstract and relies on particular criteria to be met by the implementation you choose. It’s a good thing that the more we learn about it, the better we can put it to use. Diverse applications may take advantage of different structures. Each module has its distinct structure, even in a large, complicated project. ”
One more thing, though:
So, if I haven’t utilized any architecture in my Android applications yet. So, what am I supposed to do now?
One of those is all you need to do. Learn about it and then put it into practice if you want to see results. After that, you’ll better understand it and have a list of recommended practices.
The following prominent patterns are often brought up in conversation among developers:
- MVC (Model — View — Controller)
- MVVM (Model — View — View Model)
- MVP (Model — View — Presenter)
Android’s Good Architecture Principles
We must adhere to a few fundamental principles to achieve high-quality architecture. The following are their names:-
Separation of duties: Each component should do just those tasks for which it was designed. As shown in the figure.
This is something that the Architecture pattern can help us with.
This problem should be resolved if each component can function with just a little reliance. Outside sources should be responsible for all of a project’s requirements. Using Dependency Injections is a great way to get started.
It is possible to manage the lifespan and data durability using the Architecture Component.
MVC:
It is a Model-View-Controller. The most frequent kind of building design. MVC relies on these three building blocks.
Model – It is the logic of the company and the state of the data. It is necessary to get and manipulate data and interface with the controller and the database.
View– What we can see. HTML, CSS, and XML make up the user interface. There is a lot of interaction between it and the controller. The controller was able to see certain dynamic views.
Controller– It’s an activity/fragment combination. It conveys a perspective and a model to the viewer. View/REST services may be used to provide user input. Take action on a request. The view receives data from the model.
Advantages
- It separates the business logic from the model’s underlying data structures.
- Encourage the use of asynchronous methods.
- The change does not impact the whole model.
- Improved speed of development
Disadvantages
- Inability to handle controller because of large code.
- Unit testing becomes more difficult.
- An Elevated Degree of Complexity
MVP:
It functions as a Model-View-Presenter. It is critical to split the architecture into layers throughout the development phase or during the period of developers. It removes our reliance on what we can see.
Model – It is the logic of the company and the state of the data. Get and manipulate data, connect with the presenter, and interact with the database. In other words, it does not affect the opinion.
User Interface (UI), Activity, and Fragment (Fragment). The presenter can communicate with it.
Presenter– It displays the model’s data. You have complete control over the app’s behavior. The vision is shaped by it. It instructs the audience on what to do next. The presenter is responsible for all interactions between the model and the view. returns the data to the model for storage
Advantages
- It simplifies the view so that you can switch between views.
- The viewer and presenter are reusable resources.
- The code is easier to understand and maintain.
- As the UI and business logic are separated, testing is simple.
Disadvantages
- The connection between the View and the Presenter is tight
- There are a lot of ways for layers to communicate with one other.
- It’s a little overkill in terms of code size.
MVVM:
Basically, it’s a Model-View-View model. It minimizes the number of glue classes and loosens the tight relationship between each component. Works with the idea of observables. Observables are the only things children may use as a reference point instead of their parents.
Model– It includes business logic, a local and remote data source, and a repository. Depending on the View Model’s requirement, the repository may interface with local or distant data sources.
View– Only user interaction, i.e., XML, no business logic. The user’s action is sent straight to the view model, but no response is received. The View Model exposes certain data for the view to use to receive a response.
View Model– The majority of the user interface logic is concentrated here. It serves as a bridge between the business logic and the view. It doesn’t know which perspective to utilize. As there is no direct connection to the vision. Thus, it is excellent for testing and has a low coupling. However, the UI has to be updated to reflect this observables-based interaction. A data change is signaled by an observable.
Advantages
- The view and view model are not tightly coupled.
- There aren’t any interfaces between the model and the view.
- Unit testing is simple as the code is event-based.
Disadvantages
- For each UI component, you must construct an observable.
- It’s a little overkill in terms of code size.
The Distinction between MVC, MVP, and MVVM Design Patterns
- The MVC architecture (Model View Controller)
- One of the first types of computer program design.
- The user interface and data access method (Model) are closely integrated.
- The connection between Controller and View is one-to-many. One controller can pick a different View depending on the task.
- In other words, the controller is completely unknown to the view.
- It’s difficult to replace or adjust the app’s functionality since the code layers are closely linked.
- The controller takes care of the user inputs.
- Only suitable for smaller-scale tasks.
- Unit testing is only partially supported.
- Android APIs are heavily used in this architecture.
- It doesn’t adhere to the idea of modularity and single accountability.
MVP (Model View Presenter)
- It was created as the second iteration of software architecture that advanced from MVC.
- Model and view communicate using presenter, which overcomes the issue of having a dependent View.
- Presenter and view have a one-to-one connection, with each Presenter class managing a single View at a time.
- The presenter is mentioned in the view.
- It’s simple to change the application code since the code layers are loosely connected.
- To go inside an application, you must first enter the view.
- Suitable for both basic and difficult tasks,
- Unit testing is simple, but a close relationship between the view and the presenter might be more complex.
- It is not very reliant on Android’s APIs.
- It adheres to the idea of modularity and single responsibility.
MVVM (Model View View Model)
- An architectural application pattern that is widely accepted in the industry.
- Event-driven in nature, this design style leverages data binding to separate key business logic from the view, making it easier to decouple the two.
- In this way, the one-to-many link between View and View Model may be shown.
- References to the View Model may be found in the view
- Modifications to the application are simple. However, debugging the program will be more difficult if the data binding logic is too complicated.
- The view accepts user input and serves as the application’s entry point.
- Small-scale initiatives may not benefit from this.
- This architecture has the best unit-testability of any of the others.
- Has little or no reliance on Android APIs.
- Utilizes a modular architecture with a single point of accountability.
Conclusion
For Android, MVP and MVVM are better options than MVC in modularity. The downside is that they make your software more difficult to understand and maintain.
Using Android’s MVC framework might be a good option for basic apps that use more than one screen. MVVM with data binding, on the other hand, can help you write less code in more complicated instances where your application may need to grow in the future.
The internal structure of a mobile app may be described using the Android architecture. You may make your project more scalable and manageable by learning about the merits and downsides of various patterns.
There is still a long way to go before the app industry reaches its full potential, but the number of successful mobile applications increases rapidly. Because of this, new approaches to building mobile apps are cropping up at an exponential pace.
So, what kind of architectural pattern are you leaning toward for your mobile app?
