The Weather App in Jetpack Compose using Kotlin | Part 1: Prerequisites | Android Knowledge

Summary

In this tutorial series, the creator guides viewers through building a weather app using Jetpack Compose. They start by setting up prerequisites like adding dependencies for Retrofit and MVVM, defining colors, and obtaining an API key from OpenWeatherMap. The UI is kept simple, focusing on logic over design. The app will fetch and display weather data for a user-specified city, including temperature, humidity, and a description, using the OpenWeatherMap API. The series is divided into three parts: prerequisites, Retrofit setup, and UI design with Jetpack Compose.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The video is about creating a weather app using Jetpack Compose.
• 📱 The previous series focused on creating a contacts app with Room Database and MVVM.
• 📈 The new series will teach about Retrofit and API integration.
• 🎨 The UI is kept minimal, emphasizing logic over design.
• 🌡 The demo shows a weather app displaying city name, temperature, humidity, and description.
• 🔍 The app retrieves data from the OpenWeatherMap API.
• 🛠️ The tutorial is divided into three parts: prerequisites, Retrofit setup, and UI design with Jetpack Compose.
• 🧩 The first video covers the prerequisites for the project.
• 🎨 The second video will focus on setting up Retrofit.
• 📱 The third video will cover designing the UI using Jetpack Compose.
• 🔑 An API key from OpenWeatherMap is required for accessing the weather data.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the new series on the channel?

The main focus of the new series is to create a weather app using Jetpack Compose.

What was the app created in the previous series?

In the previous series, a contacts app was created where they learned about Room Database and MVVM.

What new concepts will be covered in the weather app series?

The series will cover Retrofit and API usage within the context of Jetpack Compose.

What does the UI of the weather app look like?

The UI is minimal, focusing on displaying the city name, temperature, humidity, and a description in cards.

How many attributes does the weather app display for each city?

The weather app displays four attributes: city name, temperature, humidity, and a description.

Which API will be used to retrieve weather data?

The Open Weather Map API will be used to retrieve weather data for the app.

What are the steps to get started with the weather app project?

The steps include opening Android Studio, creating a new project, naming it 'The Weather App', and setting up the prerequisites.

What are the prerequisites for the weather app project?

The prerequisites include adding Retrofit and MVVM dependencies, defining colors, adding a background image, requesting internet permissions in the Android manifest, and obtaining an API key from Open Weather Map.

Why is an API key necessary for the weather app?

An API key is necessary for exclusive access to the Open Weather Map API to retrieve current weather data.

How long does it take for the API key to activate after registration?

The API key might take up to an hour to activate after registration.

What is the structure of the video series for creating the weather app?

The video series is divided into three parts: the first covers prerequisites, the second covers Retrofit, and the third covers designing the UI in Jetpack Compose.

Outlines

00:00

🌤️ Welcome to the Weather App Series

The video introduces a new series where the focus will be on creating a weather app using Jetpack Compose. The presenter recaps the previous series on building a contacts app, which included learning about Room Database and MVVM architecture. This new series will cover using Retrofit and API calls. A demo of the app shows how the user can input a city name (e.g., Mumbai), check the weather, and receive information like temperature, humidity, and description fetched from an API. The presenter explains the use of OpenWeatherMap API and Retrofit, mentioning the minimal UI design focus for the project.

🔧 Project Setup and Prerequisites

The video continues by explaining the setup process in Android Studio. It suggests creating a new project, naming it 'Weather App', and details the division of the project into three videos. The first video covers prerequisites, the second focuses on using Retrofit, and the third covers UI design with Jetpack Compose. The prerequisites include adding dependencies for Retrofit and MVVM, configuring colors for the app, and adding a background image. The video also covers adding internet permissions in the Android manifest to access the API.

🔑 API Key Setup for OpenWeatherMap

The video explains the process of obtaining an API key from OpenWeatherMap to access weather data. It mentions that different types of APIs are available, such as current weather data and forecasts, with only the current weather data being free. The presenter walks through subscribing to the free package, creating an account, confirming email, and obtaining the API key. They emphasize that the key might take an hour to activate and stress the importance of keeping the key safe for use in the upcoming videos.

Keywords

💡Jetpack Compose

Jetpack Compose is a modern toolkit for building native Android UI, simplifying the development of user interfaces. It allows developers to use Kotlin code to create a declarative UI, which is more maintainable and easier to read. In the video, the creator is starting a new series focused on building a weather app using Jetpack Compose, indicating that the app's UI will be developed with this toolkit.

💡MVVM

MVVM stands for Model-View-ViewModel, an architectural pattern used in software development to separate the development of the graphical user interface from the business and data logic. In the script, the creator mentions having previously worked with MVVM in a contacts app series, suggesting that the pattern will also be applied in the weather app for clean and organized code.

💡Retrofit

Retrofit is a type-safe HTTP client for Android and Java applications. It allows for REST API communication in a more readable and efficient manner. The video script refers to Retrofit as a technology that will be used to make network requests to the OpenWeatherMap API, demonstrating its use in fetching weather data.

💡API

API stands for Application Programming Interface, which is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. In the context of the video, the creator will use the OpenWeatherMap API to retrieve weather data, showing how APIs are integral to modern app development for accessing web services.

💡OpenWeatherMap API

OpenWeatherMap API is a service that provides weather data, including current weather, forecasts, and historical data. The video script mentions using this API to get weather information for the app, highlighting its role in providing real-time data for the weather app's functionality.

💡UI Design

UI Design refers to the process of making a user interface in software or computerized devices with focus on look, layout, and usability. The script mentions that the UI is kept minimal, emphasizing the creator's focus on logic over aesthetics, yet still aiming to make the app look 'fancy' with a background image.

💡Android Studio

Android Studio is the official integrated development environment (IDE) for Android app development. The script describes creating a new project in Android Studio, which is the starting point for developing the weather app, indicating its importance as a development tool.

💡Dependency

In the context of Android development, a dependency refers to external libraries that a project needs to build and run. The script mentions adding required dependencies for using Retrofit and MVVM, showing how dependencies are crucial for incorporating specific functionalities into an app.

💡Internet Permission

Internet Permission is a setting in Android that allows an app to access the internet. The script specifies adding internet permission in the Android manifest file, which is necessary for the app to communicate with the OpenWeatherMap API and fetch weather data.

💡API Key

An API Key is a code passed in by computer programs calling an API to identify the calling program, its developer, or its user. The script describes the process of obtaining an API key from OpenWeatherMap, which is essential for accessing their services and securing exclusive access to the data.

💡Room Database

Room Database is an SQLite object mapping library provided by Android Jetpack. It provides an abstraction layer over SQLite. Although not directly mentioned in the script, the creator refers to having covered Room Database in a previous series, which is likely to be a part of the data persistence layer in the app.

Highlights

Introduction to a new series on creating a weather app using Jetpack Compose.

Previous series focused on creating a contacts app and learning about Room Database and MVVM.

The new series will cover Retrofit and API integration.

A demo of the weather app is provided, showcasing a minimalist UI design.

The app allows users to input a city name and check the weather.

Four attributes are displayed: city name, temperature, humidity, and weather description.

Data for these attributes is retrieved from an API.

The OpenWeatherMap API will be used for fetching weather data.

A brief overview of how Retrofit works in the context of Jetpack Compose.

The project is divided into three parts: prerequisites, Retrofit integration, and UI design.

Instructions on adding required dependencies for Retrofit and MVVM in the build.gradle file.

Adding colors to the app for visual enhancement.

Adding a background image to the app for aesthetic appeal.

Instructions on adding internet permission in the AndroidManifest.xml file.

Explanation of the need for an API key to access the OpenWeatherMap API.

A guide on how to obtain a free API key from OpenWeatherMap.

Note on the API key activation time and the importance of keeping it safe.

Encouragement for viewers to subscribe to the channel for upcoming videos.

Transcripts

hey everyone welcome back to my channel

we will start with a new series where

we'll create a weather app in Jetpack

compose in the previous series of

Jetpack compos we created a contacts app

where we learned about room database and

mvvm and now in this series we will

learn about retrofit and API so let me

quickly give you a

demo this is how it look I have kept the

UI minimal because UI designing is not

my thing I only focus on logic and you

should do here we are supposed to write

in city name so I will write

Mumbai then click on the check weather

button and look we have four attributes

the city's name is Mumbai the

temperature is 27° C the humidity is 83%

and lastly a description as dzel

we will retrieve these four things from

the API and display them in cards simple

but which API so I'll be using open

weather map API see we have already seen

how retrofit works but this time we will

see how it works in jeted compos okay

now let's create it open Android Studio

create a new project choose an empty

activity name the project the weather

app

and click on

finish now the project is quite big so

obviously I have divided the videos into

three parts this is our first video

where we will cover prerequisite then

the second video we will cover Red Roof

it which is very important then the

third and the final video will cover

designing the UI in jetre compose got it

so let's start with the

prerequisite go to grle build as we will

be using retrofit and MVM so add the

required

dependency then click on syn

now and add then go to

Colors here we will add two colors blue

and dark blue so let me quickly add them

and then then to make the app look more

fancy I'll simply add a background image

in the

drawable and then next go to Android

manifest here as we are retrieving the

data from API so obviously we will

require the internet for that right and

I will give the internet

permission and then now the last thing

in prerequisite is to get an API key to

use an API we need an API key for

exclusive access so go to open weather

map API I'll mention the website link in

the description box here we have

different types of API such as current

weather data early forecast daily

forecast climate forecast and many more

most of them have price except for the

current weather data it's free to use so

we are going to use that one and click

on subscribe here you will see a pricing

chart I will go with a free package so

click on get API

key then register Yourself by creating a

new

account and then click on create account

then write your company name and purpose

confirm your email ID click on API

keys there is the default API key that

you can use in your project also the API

key might take an hour to activate now

keep your API key safe because in the

next video we will be using it so stay

tuned for that for now that is it for

the video if you're new to this channel

then please consider subscribing to my

channel Channel and I'll see you in the

next video

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