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								# Python for Android
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								These instructions are only needed if you're planning to compile Python for
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								Android yourself. Most users should *not* need to do this. If you're looking to
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								use Python on Android, one of the following tools will provide a much more
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								approachable user experience:
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								* [Briefcase](https://briefcase.readthedocs.io), from the BeeWare project
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								* [Buildozer](https://buildozer.readthedocs.io), from the Kivy project
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								* [Chaquopy](https://chaquo.com/chaquopy/)
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								## Prerequisites
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								Export the `ANDROID_HOME` environment variable to point at your Android SDK. If
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								you don't already have the SDK, here's how to install it:
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								* Download the "Command line tools" from <https://developer.android.com/studio>.
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								* Create a directory `android-sdk/cmdline-tools`, and unzip the command line
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								  tools package into it.
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								* Rename `android-sdk/cmdline-tools/cmdline-tools` to
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								  `android-sdk/cmdline-tools/latest`.
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								* `export ANDROID_HOME=/path/to/android-sdk`
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								The `android.py` script also requires the following commands to be on the `PATH`:
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								* `curl`
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								* `java`
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								* `tar`
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								* `unzip`
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								## Building
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								Python can be built for Android on any POSIX platform supported by the Android
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								development tools, which currently means Linux or macOS. This involves doing a
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								cross-build where you use a "build" Python (for your development machine) to
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								help produce a "host" Python for Android.
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								First, make sure you have all the usual tools and libraries needed to build
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								Python for your development machine. The only Android tool you need to install
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								is the command line tools package above: the build script will download the
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								rest.
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								The easiest way to do a build is to use the `android.py` script. You can either
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								have it perform the entire build process from start to finish in one step, or
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								you can do it in discrete steps that mirror running `configure` and `make` for
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								each of the two builds of Python you end up producing.
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								The discrete steps for building via `android.py` are:
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								```sh
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								./android.py configure-build
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								./android.py make-build
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								./android.py configure-host HOST
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								./android.py make-host HOST
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								```
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								`HOST` identifies which architecture to build. To see the possible values, run
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								`./android.py configure-host --help`.
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								To do all steps in a single command, run:
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								```sh
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								./android.py build HOST
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								```
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								In the end you should have a build Python in `cross-build/build`, and an Android
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								build in `cross-build/HOST`.
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								You can use `--` as a separator for any of the `configure`-related commands –
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								including `build` itself – to pass arguments to the underlying `configure`
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								call. For example, if you want a pydebug build that also caches the results from
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								`configure`, you can do:
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								```sh
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								./android.py build HOST -- -C --with-pydebug
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								```
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								## Testing
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								To run the Python test suite on Android:
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								* Install Android Studio, if you don't already have it.
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								* Follow the instructions in the previous section to build all supported
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								  architectures.
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								* Run `./android.py setup-testbed` to download the Gradle wrapper.
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								* Open the `testbed` directory in Android Studio.
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								* In the *Device Manager* dock, connect a device or start an emulator.
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								  Then select it from the drop-down list in the toolbar.
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								* Click the "Run" button in the toolbar.
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								* The testbed app displays nothing on screen while running. To see its output,
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								  open the [Logcat window](https://developer.android.com/studio/debug/logcat).
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								To run specific tests, or pass any other arguments to the test suite, edit the
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								command line in testbed/app/src/main/python/main.py.
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