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page.title=Android API Levels
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@jd:body
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<div id="qv-wrapper">
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<div id="qv">
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<h2>In this document</h2>
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<ol>
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<li><a href="#intro">What is API Level?</a></li>
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<li><a href="#uses">Uses of API Level in Android</a></li>
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<li><a href="#considerations">Development Considerations</a>
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<ol>
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<li><a href="#fc">Application forward compatibility</a></li>
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<li><a href="#bc">Application backward compatibility</a></li>
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<li><a href="#platform">Selecting a platform version and API Level</a></li>
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<li><a href="#apilevel">Declaring a minimum API Level</a></li>
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<li><a href="#testing">Testing against higher API Levels</a></li>
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</ol>
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</li>
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<li><a href="#provisional">Using a Provisional API Level</a></li>
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<li><a href="#filtering">Filtering the Documentation</a></li>
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</ol>
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<h2>See also</h2>
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<ol>
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<li><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html"><uses-sdk></a> manifest element</li>
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</ol>
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</div>
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</div>
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<p>As you develop your application on Android, it's useful to understand the
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platform's general approach to API change management. It's also important to
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understand the API Level identifier and the role it plays in ensuring your
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application's compatibility with devices on which it may be installed. </p>
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<p>The sections below provide information about API Level and how it affects
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your applications. </p>
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<p>For information about how to use the "Filter by API Level" control
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available in the API reference documentation, see
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<a href="#filtering">Filtering the documentation</a> at the
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end of this document. </p>
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<h2 id="intro">What is API Level?</h2>
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<p>API Level is an integer value that uniquely identifies the framework API
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revision offered by a version of the Android platform.</p>
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<p>The Android platform provides a framework API that applications can use to
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interact with the underlying Android system. The framework API consists of:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>A core set of packages and classes</li>
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<li>A set of XML elements and attributes for declaring a manifest file</li>
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<li>A set of XML elements and attributes for declaring and accessing resources</li>
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<li>A set of Intents</li>
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<li>A set of permissions that applications can request, as well as permission
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enforcements included in the system</li>
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</ul>
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<p>Each successive version of the Android platform can include updates to the
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Android application framework API that it delivers. </p>
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<p>Updates to the framework API are designed so that the new API remains
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compatible with earlier versions of the API. That is, most changes in the API
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are additive and introduce new or replacement functionality. As parts of the API
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are upgraded, the older replaced parts are deprecated but are not removed, so
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that existing applications can still use them. In a very small number of cases,
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parts of the API may be modified or removed, although typically such changes are
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only needed to ensure API robustness and application or system security. All
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other API parts from earlier revisions are carried forward without
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modification.</p>
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<p>The framework API that an Android platform delivers is specified using an
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integer identifier called "API Level". Each Android platform version supports
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exactly one API Level, although support is implicit for all earlier API Levels
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(down to API Level 1). The initial release of the Android platform provided
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API Level 1 and subsequent releases have incremented the API Level.</p>
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<p>The following table specifies the API Level supported by each version of the
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Android platform.</p>
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<table>
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<tr><th>Platform Version</th><th>API Level</th><th>VERSION_CODE</th><th>Notes</th></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-4.0.3.html">Android 4.0.3</a></td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/15/changes.html" title="Diff Report">15</a></td>
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<td>{@link android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES#ICE_CREAM_SANDWICH_MR1}</td>
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<td rowspan="2"><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-4.0-highlights.html">Platform
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Highlights</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-4.0.html">Android 4.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.2</a></td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/14/changes.html" title="Diff Report">14</a></td>
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<td>{@link android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES#ICE_CREAM_SANDWICH}</td>
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</tr>
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<tr><td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-3.2.html">Android 3.2</a></td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/13/changes.html" title="Diff Report">13</a></td>
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<td>{@link android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES#HONEYCOMB_MR2}</td>
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<td><!-- <a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-3.2-highlights.html">Platform Highlights</a>--></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-3.1.html">Android 3.1.x</a></td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/12/changes.html" title="Diff Report">12</a></td>
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<td>{@link android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES#HONEYCOMB_MR1}</td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-3.1-highlights.html">Platform Highlights</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-3.0.html">Android 3.0.x</td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/11/changes.html" title="Diff Report">11</a></td>
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<td>{@link android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES#HONEYCOMB}</td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-3.0-highlights.html">Platform Highlights</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-2.3.3.html">Android 2.3.4<br>Android 2.3.3</td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/10/changes.html" title="Diff Report">10</a></td>
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<td>{@link android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES#GINGERBREAD_MR1}</td>
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<td rowspan="2"><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-2.3-highlights.html">Platform Highlights</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-2.3.html">Android 2.3.2<br>Android 2.3.1<br>Android 2.3</td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/9/changes.html" title="Diff Report">9</a></td>
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<td>{@link android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES#GINGERBREAD}</td>
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</tr>
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<tr><td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-2.2.html">Android 2.2.x</td>
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<td ><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/8/changes.html" title="Diff Report">8</a></td>
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<td>{@link android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES#FROYO}</td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-2.2-highlights.html">Platform Highlights</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-2.1.html">Android 2.1.x</td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/7/changes.html" title="Diff Report">7</a></td>
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<td>{@link android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES#ECLAIR_MR1}</td>
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<td rowspan="3" ><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-2.0-highlights.html">Platform Highlights</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-2.0.1.html">Android 2.0.1</td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/6/changes.html" title="Diff Report">6</a></td>
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<td>{@link android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES#ECLAIR_0_1}</td>
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</tr>
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<tr><td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-2.0.html">Android 2.0</td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/5/changes.html" title="Diff Report">5</a></td>
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<td>{@link android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES#ECLAIR}</td>
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</tr>
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<tr><td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-1.6.html">Android 1.6</td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/4/changes.html" title="Diff Report">4</a></td>
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<td>{@link android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES#DONUT}</td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-1.6-highlights.html">Platform Highlights</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-1.5.html">Android 1.5</td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/3/changes.html" title="Diff Report">3</a></td>
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<td>{@link android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES#CUPCAKE}</td>
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<td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-1.5-highlights.html">Platform Highlights</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="{@docRoot}about/versions/android-1.1.html">Android 1.1</td>
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<td>2</td>
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<td>{@link android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES#BASE_1_1}</td><td></td></tr>
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<tr><td>Android 1.0</td>
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<td>1</td>
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<td>{@link android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES#BASE}</td>
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<td></td></tr>
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</table>
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<h2 id="uses">Uses of API Level in Android</h2>
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<p>The API Level identifier serves a key role in ensuring the best possible
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experience for users and application developers:
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<ul>
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<li>It lets the Android platform describe the maximum framework API revision
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that it supports</li>
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<li>It lets applications describe the framework API revision that they
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require</li>
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<li>It lets the system negotiate the installation of applications on the user's
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device, such that version-incompatible applications are not installed.</li>
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</ul>
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<p>Each Android platform version stores its API Level identifier internally, in
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the Android system itself. </p>
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<p>Applications can use a manifest element provided by the framework API —
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<code><uses-sdk></code> — to describe the minimum and maximum API
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Levels under which they are able to run, as well as the preferred API Level that
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they are designed to support. The element offers three key attributes:</p>
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<ul>
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<li><code>android:minSdkVersion</code> — Specifies the minimum API Level
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on which the application is able to run. The default value is "1".</li>
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<li><code>android:targetSdkVersion</code> — Specifies the API Level
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on which the application is designed to run. In some cases, this allows the
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application to use manifest elements or behaviors defined in the target
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API Level, rather than being restricted to using only those defined
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for the minimum API Level.</li>
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<li><code>android:maxSdkVersion</code> — Specifies the maximum API Level
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on which the application is able to run. <strong>Important:</strong> Please read the <a
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href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html"><code><uses-sdk></code></a>
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documentation before using this attribute. </li>
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</ul>
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<p>For example, to specify the minimum system API Level that an application
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requires in order to run, the application would include in its manifest a
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<code><uses-sdk></code> element with a <code>android:minSdkVersion</code>
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attribute. The value of <code>android:minSdkVersion</code> would be the integer
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corresponding to the API Level of the earliest version of the Android platform
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under which the application can run. </p>
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<p>When the user attempts to install an application, or when revalidating an
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appplication after a system update, the Android system first checks the
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<code><uses-sdk></code> attributes in the application's manifest and
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compares the values against its own internal API Level. The system allows the
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installation to begin only if these conditions are met:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>If a <code>android:minSdkVersion</code> attribute is declared, its value
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must be less than or equal to the system's API Level integer. If not declared,
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the system assumes that the application requires API Level 1. </li>
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<li>If a <code>android:maxSdkVersion</code> attribute is declared, its value
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must be equal to or greater than the system's API Level integer.
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If not declared, the system assumes that the application
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has no maximum API Level. Please read the <a
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href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html"><code><uses-sdk></code></a>
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documentation for more information about how the system handles this attribute.</li>
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</ul>
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<p>When declared in an application's manifest, a <code><uses-sdk></code>
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element might look like this: </p>
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<pre><manifest>
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<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="5" />
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...
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</manifest></pre>
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<p>The principal reason that an application would declare an API Level in
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<code>android:minSdkVersion</code> is to tell the Android system that it is
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using APIs that were <em>introduced</em> in the API Level specified. If the
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application were to be somehow installed on a platform with a lower API Level,
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then it would crash at run-time when it tried to access APIs that don't exist.
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The system prevents such an outcome by not allowing the application to be
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installed if the lowest API Level it requires is higher than that of the
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platform version on the target device.</p>
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<p>For example, the {@link android.appwidget} package was introduced with API
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Level 3. If an application uses that API, it must declare a
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<code>android:minSdkVersion</code> attribute with a value of "3". The
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application will then be installable on platforms such as Android 1.5 (API Level
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3) and Android 1.6 (API Level 4), but not on the Android 1.1 (API Level 2) and
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Android 1.0 platforms (API Level 1).</p>
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<p>For more information about how to specify an application's API Level
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requirements, see the <a
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href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element.html"><code><uses-sdk></code></a>
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section of the manifest file documentation.</p>
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<h2 id="considerations">Development Considerations</h2>
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<p>The sections below provide information related to API level that you should
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consider when developing your application.</p>
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<h3 id="fc">Application forward compatibility</h3>
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<p>Android applications are generally forward-compatible with new versions of
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the Android platform.</p>
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<p>Because almost all changes to the framework API are additive, an Android
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application developed using any given version of the API (as specified by its
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API Level) is forward-compatible with later versions of the Android platform and
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higher API levels. The application should be able to run on all later versions
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of the Android platform, except in isolated cases where the application uses a
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part of the API that is later removed for some reason. </p>
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<p>Forward compatibility is important because many Android-powered devices
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receive over-the-air (OTA) system updates. The user may install your
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application and use it successfully, then later receive an OTA update to a new
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version of the Android platform. Once the update is installed, your application
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will run in a new run-time version of the environment, but one that has the API
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and system capabilities that your application depends on. </p>
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<p>In some cases, changes <em>below</em> the API, such those in the underlying
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system itself, may affect your application when it is run in the new
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environment. For that reason it's important for you, as the application
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developer, to understand how the application will look and behave in each system
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environment. To help you test your application on various versions of the Android
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platform, the Android SDK includes multiple platforms that you can download.
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Each platform includes a compatible system image that you can run in an AVD, to
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test your application. </p>
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<h3 id="bc">Application backward compatibility</h3>
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<p>Android applications are not necessarily backward compatible with versions of
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the Android platform older than the version against which they were compiled.
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</p>
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<p>Each new version of the Android platform can include new framework APIs, such
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as those that give applications access to new platform capabilities or replace
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existing API parts. The new APIs are accessible to applications when running on
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the new platform and, as mentioned above, also when running on later versions of
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the platform, as specified by API Level. Conversely, because earlier versions of
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the platform do not include the new APIs, applications that use the new APIs are
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unable to run on those platforms.</p>
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<p>Although it's unlikely that an Android-powered device would be downgraded to
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a previous version of the platform, it's important to realize that there are
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likely to be many devices in the field that run earlier versions of the
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platform. Even among devices that receive OTA updates, some might lag and
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might not receive an update for a significant amount of time. </p>
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<h3 id="platform">Selecting a platform version and API Level</h3>
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<p>When you are developing your application, you will need to choose
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the platform version against which you will compile the application. In
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general, you should compile your application against the lowest possible
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version of the platform that your application can support.
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<p>You can determine the lowest possible platform version by compiling the
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application against successively lower build targets. After you determine the
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lowest version, you should create an AVD using the corresponding platform
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version (and API Level) and fully test your application. Make sure to declare a
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<code>android:minSdkVersion</code> attribute in the application's manifest and
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set its value to the API Level of the platform version. </p>
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<h3 id="apilevel">Declaring a minimum API Level</h3>
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<p>If you build an application that uses APIs or system features introduced in
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the latest platform version, you should set the
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<code>android:minSdkVersion</code> attribute to the API Level of the latest
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platform version. This ensures that users will only be able to install your
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application if their devices are running a compatible version of the Android
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platform. In turn, this ensures that your application can function properly on
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their devices. </p>
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<p>If your application uses APIs introduced in the latest platform version but
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does <em>not</em> declare a <code>android:minSdkVersion</code> attribute, then
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it will run properly on devices running the latest version of the platform, but
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<em>not</em> on devices running earlier versions of the platform. In the latter
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case, the application will crash at runtime when it tries to use APIs that don't
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exist on the earlier versions.</p>
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<h3 id="testing">Testing against higher API Levels</h3>
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<p>After compiling your application, you should make sure to test it on the
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platform specified in the application's <code>android:minSdkVersion</code>
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attribute. To do so, create an AVD that uses the platform version required by
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your application. Additionally, to ensure forward-compatibility, you should run
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and test the application on all platforms that use a higher API Level than that
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used by your application. </p>
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<p>The Android SDK includes multiple platform versions that you can use,
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including the latest version, and provides an updater tool that you can use to
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download other platform versions as necessary. </p>
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<p>To access the updater, use the <code>android</code> command-line tool,
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located in the <sdk>/tools directory. You can launch the SDK updater by
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executing <code>android sdk</code>. You can
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also simply double-click the android.bat (Windows) or android (OS X/Linux) file.
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In ADT, you can also access the updater by selecting
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|
<strong>Window</strong> > <strong>Android SDK
|
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|
Manager</strong>.</p>
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<p>To run your application against different platform versions in the emulator,
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create an AVD for each platform version that you want to test. For more
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|
|
information about AVDs, see <a
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|
href="{@docRoot}tools/devices/index.html">Creating and Managing Virtual Devices</a>. If
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you are using a physical device for testing, ensure that you know the API Level
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of the Android platform it runs. See the table at the top of this document for
|
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|
|
a list of platform versions and their API Levels. </p>
|
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|
<h2 id="provisional">Using a Provisional API Level</h2>
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|
<p>In some cases, an "Early Look" Android SDK platform may be available. To let
|
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|
|
you begin developing on the platform although the APIs may not be final, the
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|
|
platform's API Level integer will not be specified. You must instead use the
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|
|
platform's <em>provisional API Level</em> in your application manifest, in order
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|
|
to build applications against the platform. A provisional API Level is not an
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|
|
integer, but a string matching the codename of the unreleased platform version.
|
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|
|
The provisional API Level will be specified in the release notes for the Early
|
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|
|
|
Look SDK release notes and is case-sensitive.</p>
|
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|
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|
|
<p>The use of a provisional API Level is designed to protect developers and
|
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|
|
device users from inadvertently publishing or installing applications based on
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|
|
the Early Look framework API, which may not run properly on actual devices
|
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|
|
running the final system image.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
<p>The provisional API Level will only be valid while using the Early Look SDK
|
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|
|
and can only be used to run applications in the emulator. An application using
|
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|
|
the provisional API Level can never be installed on an Android device. At the
|
|
|
|
|
final release of the platform, you must replace any instances of the provisional
|
|
|
|
|
API Level in your application manifest with the final platform's actual API
|
|
|
|
|
Level integer.</p>
|
|
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|
|
<h2 id="filtering">Filtering the Reference Documentation by API Level</h2>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>Reference documentation pages on the Android Developers site offer a "Filter
|
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|
|
|
by API Level" control in the top-right area of each page. You can use the
|
|
|
|
|
control to show documentation only for parts of the API that are actually
|
|
|
|
|
accessible to your application, based on the API Level that it specifies in
|
|
|
|
|
the <code>android:minSdkVersion</code> attribute of its manifest file. </p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>To use filtering, select the checkbox to enable filtering, just below the
|
|
|
|
|
page search box. Then set the "Filter by API Level" control to the same API
|
|
|
|
|
Level as specified by your application. Notice that APIs introduced in a later
|
|
|
|
|
API Level are then grayed out and their content is masked, since they would not
|
|
|
|
|
be accessible to your application. </p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>Filtering by API Level in the documentation does not provide a view
|
|
|
|
|
of what is new or introduced in each API Level — it simply provides a way
|
|
|
|
|
to view the entire API associated with a given API Level, while excluding API
|
|
|
|
|
elements introduced in later API Levels.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>If you decide that you don't want to filter the API documentation, just
|
|
|
|
|
disable the feature using the checkbox. By default, API Level filtering is
|
|
|
|
|
disabled, so that you can view the full framework API, regardless of API Level.
|
|
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>Also note that the reference documentation for individual API elements
|
|
|
|
|
specifies the API Level at which each element was introduced. The API Level
|
|
|
|
|
for packages and classes is specified as "Since <api level>" at the
|
|
|
|
|
top-right corner of the content area on each documentation page. The API Level
|
|
|
|
|
for class members is specified in their detailed description headers,
|
|
|
|
|
at the right margin. </p>
|
Scott Main