What is Android Manifest File

The Android manifest file can be called as central manager of whole Android Application. ADT provides an inbuilt editor which organizes the manifest file.

Editor contains 5 tabs to organize this information :

  1. Manifest tab
  2. Application tab
  3. Permissions tab
  4. Instrumentation
  5. AndroidManifest.xml

Android Menifest File

Manifest—This tab contains settings which are having scope for whole application . It contains package name and versioning information (which can be later on useful for updation to the newer version) for an application.

Application—This tab is to define the name and
icon by which an application would be identified in Menu of any Android Device. It contains the teack of application by listing out all the activities, declaration of broadcast receivers & background services.

Permissions—This tab define the application’s permissions.
For example, if the application needs access to contacts of the phone, then it will have to register a Uses-Permission tag (Name of permission : –android.permission.READ_CONTACTS)

Instrumentation—This tab stores the settings for unit testing, it uses instrumentation classes available in Android SDK.

AndroidManifest.xml—This tab is basically used for modifying your manifest file with your hands on keyboard. It is actually editor of AndroidManifest file with no UI based wizard. All you will have is intellisense provided by Android-SDK to Eclipse & your hands.

Your manifest file will look like below if you open it up in AndroidManifest.xml tab


Stay tuned for more treasure…!!!
Enjoy coding…!!!