Android Tutorial GUI SDK Manager for newer versions of Android tools

Edit: If you are using B4A v7.8+ then a newer version of B4A Sdk Manager is preinstalled. Follow these instructions instead: https://www.b4x.com/b4a.html#installation

The GUI interface of Android SDK Manager has been removed in the latest version of Android SDK.
It was replaced with a command line tool named sdkmanager.bat.

Most developers, including new B4A developers, still use a version which does include the GUI interface, as the B4A download page points to an older version.
You can continue to use the currently installed Android tools.

A custom tool named B4A SDK Manager is provided as an alternative for developers who like to upgrade:

Installation instructions:

1. Download the latest sdk tools: https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html#command-tools
2. Create a folder for Android SDK. Don't put it under Program Files as it is a restricted folder. C:\android-sdk is a good option.
3. Unzip the sdk tools and copy the tools library to android sdk folder. It should look similar to:

4. Download B4ASdkManager.jar and double click on it. It requires Java 8u40+ to be installed.
5. Click on the open folder button and select sdkmanager.bat. It will be under <sdk path>\tools\bin
6. Install all recommended items. It can take a few minutes or more.
Licenses agreements will be printed. Read them and approve.
7. Don't forget to update B4A IDE to use the new SDK (Tools - Configure Paths - android.jar).

Next tutorial: AVD Manager / Emulator

The B4J source code is attached. It depends on jShell v1.5+.

Android SDK currently doesn't support Java 9. Make sure that B4A is configured to use Java 8 (Tools - Configure Paths).

 

[Jaames]

Thanks, I'll try later, when I'm home. But it seems to work, I'm on mobile internet here , so I can't download now.

for those , who's B4ASdkManager.jar is located in folder which include space character like mine "E:\B4A\SDK Instalacije"

do like this:

1. Right click on windows icon (win 10 64 bit anniversary update here) and chose "Windows PowerShell(Admin)"
2. In PwerShell type cd "YOUR FOLDER WITH B4ASdkManager.jar" with quotemarks Important ex.: cd "E:\B4A\SDK Instalacije"
3. Then type .\B4ASdkManager.jar

Spoiler: SCREENSHOOT

[EDIT]
Or you can copy attached B4ASdkManager.txt file to the same folder where B4ASdkManager.jar is located and rename it to B4ASdkManager.bat and double click to that file. (It will run the .jar file with Administrative rights)

Version 2.10 fixed this issue, I did not have to delete any files, just run B4ASdkManager.jar.

 

[Erel]

V2.10 is released. It fixes the error discussed above. No need to run it as an administrator.

If you previously failed to install a component then it might still fail. If it happens then search the sdk folder for files named .installData and delete all of them.

 

[Jaames]

V2.10 is released. It fixes the error discussed above.

Confirmed. Thanks!

 

[Alessandro71]

what about this error:

i get it from B4ASdkManager and from sdkmanager.bat --list also

Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NoSuchFieldError: FN_AAPT2
        at com.android.sdklib.BuildToolInfo.<init>(BuildToolInfo.java:352)
        at com.android.sdklib.BuildToolInfo.fromStandardDirectoryLayout(BuildToolInfo.java:224)
        at com.android.sdklib.repository.legacy.local.LocalSdk.scanBuildTools(LocalSdk.java:898)
        at com.android.sdklib.repository.legacy.local.LocalSdk.getPkgsInfos(LocalSdk.java:544)
        at com.android.sdklib.repository.legacy.LegacyLocalRepoLoader.parseLegacyLocalPackage(LegacyLocalRepoLoader.java:100)
        at com.android.repository.impl.manager.LocalRepoLoaderImpl.parsePackages(LocalRepoLoaderImpl.java:167)
        at com.android.repository.impl.manager.LocalRepoLoaderImpl.getPackages(LocalRepoLoaderImpl.java:124)
        at com.android.repository.impl.manager.RepoManagerImpl$LoadTask.run(RepoManagerImpl.java:517)
        at com.android.repository.api.RepoManager$DummyProgressRunner.runSyncWithProgress(RepoManager.java:397)
        at com.android.repository.impl.manager.RepoManagerImpl.load(RepoManagerImpl.java:364)
        at com.android.repository.api.RepoManager.loadSynchronously(RepoManager.java:290)
        at com.android.sdklib.repository.AndroidSdkHandler$RepoConfig.createRepoManager(AndroidSdkHandler.java:718)
        at com.android.sdklib.repository.AndroidSdkHandler.getSdkManager(AndroidSdkHandler.java:295)
        at com.android.sdklib.tool.SdkManagerCli.<init>(SdkManagerCli.java:134)
        at com.android.sdklib.tool.SdkManagerCli.main(SdkManagerCli.java:118)
        at com.android.sdklib.tool.SdkManagerCli.main(SdkManagerCli.java:93)

B4ASdkManager also adds
Info: Parsing legacy package:
C:\Android\android-sdk\add-ons\addon-google_apis-google-15

 

[Alessandro71]

it seems deleting
tools/lib/common.jar
solved the issue

i followed the first post instructions overwriting an existing sdk installation

 

[TTorler]

Hi, I'd like to give my thanks and gratitude to the programmer/team of this SDK Manager tool. It's great!

TTorler

 

[biometrics]

Hi Erel,

I'm using this tool to get notifications working. I notice it's installing SDK Platform 24 whereas I had 25. Not sure it makes much difference. Question is, will you be updating the "recommended" section regularly?

Also I wasn't sure if I needed a clean install or if I should overwrite my current tools directory. I opted for a clean install. Is that the right approach?

 

[Erel]

Question is, will you be updating the "recommended" section regularly?

Yes.

Also I wasn't sure if I needed a clean install or if I should overwrite my current tools directory. I opted for a clean install. Is that the right approach?

Clean install is better.

 

[biometrics]

Yes.

I'm curious why you recommend SDK Platform 24 when there are 25 and 26 available? Is it more stable?

 

[Erel]

Is it more stable?

No.

There is no Intel x86 image for Android 25 so you cannot create an AVD for it.

 

[Patrice CHASSAING]

Hello,

Very good work. I'm testing it and I think it will be great if there is a download progress bar by size and files :
eg:
1153kb on 3780Kb
35/123 files

Thanks again.

PS: It's like someone trashes our old good tools. No pity for old ... computers ?

 

[Erel]

I'm testing it and I think it will be great if there is a download progress bar by size and files :

The packages are downloaded by sdkmanager.bat which is part of Android SDK. It doesn't report any progress so there are no reasonable ways to track the progress (the total size is also unknown).

 

[Patrice CHASSAING]

Hi,
I was thinking that there was that information in the previous sdkmanager GUI ...
Thanks.

 

[Erel]

V2.20 is released. It fixes an issue with missing updates.

 

[William Hunter]

V2.20 is released. It fixes an issue with missing updates.

I have installed the new version. When I run the AVD Manager, I get the Java error shown in Image One. Once I close the error message the AVD Manager loads fine, as shown in Image Two, and I can successfully run an emulator. The error message is confusing.

Regards

 

[Erel]

Can you run the source code from B4J and see where it fails?

 

[jimmyF]

I also encountered the same error:

Error occurred on line: 284 (Main)
java.lang.NullPointerException
at b4j.example.main._isinstalled(main.java:1399)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.shell.Shell.runMethod(Shell.java:613)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.shell.Shell.raiseEventImpl(Shell.java:228)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.shell.Shell.raiseEvent(Shell.java:159)
at sun.reflect.GeneratedMethodAccessor2.invoke(Unknown Source)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.BA.raiseEvent2(BA.java:90)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.ShellBA.raiseEvent2(ShellBA.java:93)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.BA.raiseEvent(BA.java:77)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.shell.DebugResumableSub$RemoteResumableSub.resume(DebugResumableSub.java:19)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.BA.checkAndRunWaitForEvent(BA.java:135)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.BA.raiseEvent2(BA.java:84)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.ShellBA.raiseEvent2(ShellBA.java:93)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.keywords.Common.CallSub4(Common.java:482)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.keywords.Common.access$0(Common.java:462)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.keywords.Common$CallSubDelayedHelper.run(Common.java:536)
at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl.lambda$null$173(PlatformImpl.java:295)
at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl.lambda$runLater$174(PlatformImpl.java:294)
at com.sun.glass.ui.InvokeLaterDispatcher$Future.run(InvokeLaterDispatcher.java:95)
at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication._runLoop(Native Method)
at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication.lambda$null$148(WinApplication.java:191)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:748)

on this line:

If si.Key = s.Key And si.version = s.version Then Return True

 

[Erel]

Can you run it with this code:

Public Sub IsInstalled (si As SdkItem) As Boolean
   For Each s As SdkItem In InstalledItems
     Log("IsInstalled: " & si & ", " & s)
     If si.Key = s.Key And si.version = s.version Then Return True
   Next
   Return False
End Sub

It will fill the logs. Please post the last rows before the error.

 

[jimmyF]

, version=22, AndroidVersion=21, AndroidVersionForSorting=21
]
IsInstalled: [IsInitialized=false, Key=system-images;android-24;default;x86, description=null
, version=null, AndroidVersion=null, AndroidVersionForSorting=null
], [IsInitialized=true, Key=system-images;android-23;google_apis;x86, description=Google APIs Intel x86 Atom System Image
, version=23, AndroidVersion=23, AndroidVersionForSorting=23
]
IsInstalled: [IsInitialized=false, Key=system-images;android-24;default;x86, description=null
, version=null, AndroidVersion=null, AndroidVersionForSorting=null
], [IsInitialized=true, Key=system-images;android-23;google_apis;x86_64, description=Google APIs Intel x86 Atom_64 System Image
, version=23, AndroidVersion=23, AndroidVersionForSorting=23
]
IsInstalled: [IsInitialized=false, Key=system-images;android-24;default;x86, description=null
, version=null, AndroidVersion=null, AndroidVersionForSorting=null
], [IsInitialized=true, Key=system-images;android-24;default;x86, description=Intel x86 Atom System Image
, version=8, AndroidVersion=24, AndroidVersionForSorting=24
]
Error occurred on line: 291 (Main)
java.lang.NullPointerException
at b4j.example.main._isinstalled(main.java:1402)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.shell.Shell.runMethod(Shell.java:613)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.shell.Shell.raiseEventImpl(Shell.java:228)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.shell.Shell.raiseEvent(Shell.java:159)
at sun.reflect.GeneratedMethodAccessor2.invoke(Unknown Source)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.BA.raiseEvent2(BA.java:90)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.ShellBA.raiseEvent2(ShellBA.java:93)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.BA.raiseEvent(BA.java:77)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.shell.DebugResumableSub$RemoteResumableSub.resume(DebugResumableSub.java:19)
at anywheresoftware.b4a.BA.checkAndRunWaitForEvent(BA.java:135)

 

[Erel]

V2.21 is released. Fixed the above issue.