Transitioning from Android to Spruce

Android development typically involves Java or Kotlin, while Spruce is a TypeScript-based platform.

While Android focuses on front-end and does support directly implementing some backend type functionality, most times an Android app is communicating with a remote API to do it’s work. Spruce, on the other hand, is a “full-stack platform” that allows for both beautiful UI’s and robust back-ends.

This guide will help you connect your knowledge of Android development to Spruce’s architecture, showing you how to adapt your existing skills to the Spruce environment.

Key Differences between Android and Spruce Development

	Android	Spruce
Programming Language	Java/Kotlin	TypeScript
IDE	Android Studio	Visual Studio Code
App Lifecycle	Application Class, Activities, Services, etc.	No Equivalent
UI Design	Activities, Fragments	Heartwood, ViewControllers
Event Handling	Broadcast Receivers, LocalBroadcastManager	Mercury
Data Persistence	Core Data, UserDefaults	Data Stores
Error Handling	NSError, Error Protocol, Try-Catch Blocks	Try-Catch Blocks, SpruceErrors
Testing	XCTest	TDD by the 3 laws
User Authentication	Apple’s Frameworks, Custom Server-Side Solutions	Mercury, Authenticator
User Permissions	Apple’s Frameworks, Custom Server-Side Solutions	Mercury, Authorizor

Programming Language

Android

Coming soon...

Spruce

import {
 AbstractSkillViewController,
 CardViewController,
 ViewControllerOptions,
 buildSkillViewLayout,
 SkillView
} from '@sprucelabs/heartwood-view-controllers'

export default class RootSkillViewController extends AbstractSkillViewController {
 public static id = 'root'
 protected cardVc: CardViewController

 public constructor(options: ViewControllerOptions) {
  super(options)
  this.cardVc = this.Controller('card', {
   header: {
    title: 'Hello, World!',
   }
  })
 }

 public render(): SkillView {
  return buildSkillViewLayout('grid', {
   cards: [this.cardVc.render()]
  })
 }
}