Google has released three new sample apps that show how certain features of Android 6.0 Marshmallow will work. However, the apps are not designed for general consumers. Instead, they are meant to demonstrate how the system works to help Android developers refine their applications to make the most out of the upcoming operating system.
In a blog post written by Android Developer Advocate Rich Hyndman, he says the three apps have gone live on the Google Samples repository on GitHub, where a host of other sample apps are also available. They can also be obtained from the Android Studio samples browser.
The three apps are Android Direct Share, Android MidiSynth and Android MidiScope.
Android Direct Share is a dummy messaging app that demonstrates a Marshmallow API that allows users to share content to a specific user. Currently, Android has sharing intents for sending content to other apps. However, Direct Share also allows users to share to specific targets, and demonstrates this by adding contacts directly in the chooser dialog.
"When a user shares some text from another app, this sample app will be listed as an option," Hyndman says. "Using the Direct Share feature, this app also shows some of the contacts directly in the chooser dialog."
"To enable Direct Share, apps need to implement a Service extending ChooserTargetService. Override the method onGetChooserTargets() and return a list of Direct Share options," he adds. "In your AndroidManifest.xml, add a meta-data tag in your Activity that receives the Intent. Specify android:name as android.service.chooser.chooser_target_service, and point the android:value to the Service."
Android MidiSynth and Android MidiScope, as one can tell from their names, are MIDI-focused apps that allow Marshmallow to work better with MIDI devices. MidiSynth demonstrates the MIDI API that is used for receiving and playing MIDI messages sent from an input device, such as a MIDI keyboard. On the other hand, MidiScope demonstrates the API for receiving signals from these devices, but will show the received signals in a screen log instead of playing the messages.
Both MidiSynth and MidiScope can also show developers how MIDI signals are received and processed, send them notifications if it detects that a MIDI device has been connected or disconnected, and identify the MIDI devices, as well as the name, vendor, and capabilities, that are available.
