Writing standalone Qt & Python

applications for Android

Martin Kolman
Red Hat
http://www.modrana.org/pyconpl2013
martin.kolman@gmail.com
@M4rtinK

1
 Overview

● Android applications
● Writing Android
applications with
Python and Qt
● How it works
● The pydroid project
● Examples
● Acknowledgment

2
 What is Android ?

● Android is a very cut-down mobile Linux

distribution developed by Google Inc & co
● it uses a patched Linux kernel
● most of the usual GNU userspace is replaced by
custom tools
● custom incompatible libc called Bionic
● very basic package management
● running on some ~500 million devices globally

3
 Android applications

● there are two basic ways types of Android applications

Java based and NDK based
● Java based applications run on the Androids custom
Dalvik Java VM and use Android specific Java classes
– they are not very portable
● NDK based applications are written in C/C++ with a slim
Java wrapper for the UI
– many Android games are NDK based due to better
performance
– Android uses a cut-down C library called Bionic, so porting
libraries from other platforms might not be straightforward
4
 Android applications

● applications are distributed in the APK (Android

PacKage) format
– which is just a zip package based on the JAR file format
– no support for cross package dependencies
● the main Android application repository is called Google
Play
– but there are many third party ones, such as Fdroid, Samsung
apps and others
● Android tries to maintain binary compatibility so that
packaged applications should work across different
Android devices and versions
5
 Writing Android applications with
Python and Qt
● Python has been running on Android for ages
● the Qt graphics library has been available for
Android since early 2011
● there have been some proof of concepts of
Qt‑Python bindings working on Android
● and even some proof of concepts of distributing
Python-Qt based applications

6
 Lets put it all together !

So that:
● applications can be written entirely in Python
● Qt/QML can be used for the GUI
● the applications can be easily debugged
● all binary components can be recompiled at will
● the end result is a standalone Google Play
compatible APK package
● deployment is as easy as possible
7
 How it works

the Necessitas project

● Qt4 for Android
● provides Qt libraries compiled for Android 2.2+
● most of Qt functionality is supported, including
OpenGL acceleration and Qt Quick 1.1
● handles automatic library downloads &
updates through the Ministro service

8
 Python for Android

● provides a Python interpreter for the Python

code to run in and the Python‑Qt bindings are
compiled against it
● there are multiple projects providing Python for
Android, for this initiative, Python from the Kivy
project was used
– https://github.com/kivy/python-for-android

9
 PySide Python‑Qt bindings

● wraps all public Qt classes for use from Python

● compiled using the Android NDK against the
Necessitas Qt libraries and Python for Android
● build scripts:
https://github.com/M4rtinK/android-pyside-build-scripts

10
 Optional : Qt Components

● based on MeeGo Qt Components

● provide high level UI components for use in QML
● modified to work with Android screen rotation
● compiled with the Android NDK
● source code available from Gitorious:
https://qt.gitorious.org/~martink/qt-components/martinks-
ineans-qt-components/commits/android

11
 What needs to be in the package

● the Python application code & any QML code

● Python & PySide compiled for Android
● Necessitas Java boilerplate & C++ wrapper
– gets libs from Ministro and creates application window
– starts the embedded Python interpreter
● optionally – Qt Components
● as a result, the package has about 15 MB :)
● ...but there are multiple ways to trim it down

12
 How to create the package

● with the Necessitas Qt creator

– just press the run button
– you can get an example project from here:
https://github.com/M4rtinK/android-pyside-example-project
● packages can be also created from the
command line using qmake and ant

13
 How everything gets in place on first start

● there are two zip files in the APK

– one is for the application, the second for libraries
● the boilerplate acquires Qt libraries from
Ministro and then unpacks both zip files to the
application folder
● then the application is started
● all subsequent starts are as fast as for normal
Android applications

14
How it looks like

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Not only Android applications

16
 The previous image shows

● the Mieru manga and comic book reader

– Python + PySide + QML + Qt Components
https://github.com/M4rtinK/mieru
● running on:
– Android
– BlackBerry 10
– Nokia N900 & N9
– PC with Ubuntu 12.10

17
 PySide for Android guide

a detailed guide for building PySide and it to build

Python application APKs
● available on the Qt Project Wiki
http://qt-project.org/wiki/PySide_for_Android_guide
– short URL:
http://bit.ly/Zw6zHf

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 The pydroid project

is a really nice project developed by Aaron Richiger

● based on my PySide for Android work but even
more user/developer friendly
● and MUCH MORE POWERFUL :)
● official website (well, a github repo :) :
https://github.com/raaron/pydroid
● short URL:
http://bit.ly/16CI3Kj

19
 pydroid - features

● effortless setup.py based installation

● automatic project template generation
– QWidget, QML, QtC, MWC, no-MWC, Pyjnius, etc.
● supports both QtCreator based and CLI only
package generation and deployment
● automatically creates the app & lip zip bundles
● progress bar during first start/installation
● supports pip for adding Python modules to the
project
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 pydroid - features

● support for logging from python directly to the android log

facility
– which is piped directly to the QtCreator console :)
● fast deployment to an Android device
– 5 seconds from pressing the fast deploy button to application
finishing startup on device
● bash autocomplete support
● pydroid & project diagnostics
– just run pydroid status
● simple example applications is already available in Google Play
– just search for pydroid
21
 Installing pydroid

clone from Git

git clone https://github.com/raaron/pydroid.git

install
● sudo python setup.py install

and restart your shell, or else autocomplete will not

work
● if you want to use command line deployment, don't
forget to fill in the paths ~/.pydroid/deploy.conf

23
 Generate an example application

to generate the Qt Components example:

pydroid create example qt_components

● there are also other examples

– QML only, Qwidget, MWC, Pyjnius, etc.

24
 Deploying with Qt Creator

● open the .pro file in the Necessitas Qt Creator

● set architecture of your device
● hit “Run” (or ctrl + r)
● that's it :)

25
 Future plans -> Qt5 !

● has much improved Android support

– sensors, positioning, JNI interface, QtCreator support
● built-in QtComponents -> QQuick Controls
● canvas based vector drawing
● generally much better performance
● more modular
● more built-in stuff + moduarization = smaller APK

26
 Qt5 Python bindings

● PySide
● PyOtherSide
● PyQt

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 PySide

● Qt4 only, Qt5 is not supported at the moment

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 Qt5 - PyOtherSide

● minimal asynchronous Qt5 bindings

– developed by Thomas Perl (THP)
– provide an interface between Python code and QtQuick
2.0
● implemented as a Python extension & Qt plugin
● very fast startup
– Qt starts first, then starts the embedded Python
interpreter
– does not need to resolve all function symbols at startup
like normal Qt bindings
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 Qt5 - PyOtherSide

● very small – compiled binary has ~100 kB

– PySide has about 5 MB
● everything can be asynchronous
– Python does it's stuff and calls callback to notify Qt
● image provider support
– images can be loaded from Python data
● project repository:
https://github.com/thp/pyotherside

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 Qt5 - PyQt

● PyQt5 added Qt5 support

● provides bindings to all Qt5 classes
– with all the related advantages and downsides
– access to all Qt classes VS slow startup and big size
● compiling PyQt5 for Android might be
complicated
– PyQt authors mentioned having Android support on
their roadmap

31
 Acknowledgements & sources
● Aaron Richiger for the wonderful pydroid project
● THPs PySide for Android – showing that this is possible
● Adrià Cereto-Massagué – integrated & improved THPs patches for Shiboken and
PySide
● the Android-Python2.7 project – solved the APK bundling issue
● the Kivy project - provides Android-buildable Python 2.7
● the BlackBerry-Py Building PySide guide – I’ve used this as a base when making the
Android build scripts
● the Necessitas project – made Qt on Android possible
– also provides the Necessitas Qt Creator used for by the example project for building standalone
APKs
● Qt-Project – provides the GUI toolkit :)
● PySide – provides the Python-Qt bindings Ineans Qt Components – with small
modifications used in the example application & project

32
 Thanks !

● Questions ?

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