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== The Welcome Screen ==
The welcome screen (Figure 24-1) is displayed any time that Android Studio is running with no projects currently open (open projects can be closed at any time by selecting the File -> Close Project menu option). If Android Studio was previously exited while a project was still open, the tool will by-pass the welcome screen next time it is launched, automatically opening the previously active project.
[[Image:android_stuido_welcome_screen_one_proj.png|The Android Studio Welcome screen]]
Figure 24-1
== The Main Window ==
When a new project is created, or an existing one opened, the Android Studio main window will appear. When multiple projects are open simultaneously, each will be assigned its own main window. The precise configuration of the window will vary depending on which tools and panels were displayed the last time the project was open, but will typically resemble that of Figure 2 4-2.
[[Image:android_studio_user_interface_tagged.png|The main components of the Android Studio main window]]
Figure 24-2
* '''C – Navigation Bar''' – The navigation bar provides a convenient way to move around the files and folders that make up the project. Clicking on an element in the navigation bar will drop down a menu listing the subfolders and files at that location ready for selection. This provides an alternative to the Project tool window.
* '''D – Editor Window''' – The editor window displays the content of the file on which the developer is currently working. What gets displayed in this location, however, is subject to context. When editing code, for example, the code editor will appear. When working on a user interface layout file, on the other hand, the user interface Designer tool will appear. When multiple files are open, each file is represented by a tab located along the top edge of the editor as shown in Figure 2 4-3.
[[Image:android_studio_editor_tabs.png|Android Studio Editor window tabs]]
Figure 24-3
== The Tool Windows ==
In addition to the project view tool window, Android Studio also includes a number of other windows which, when enabled, are displayed along the bottom and sides of the main window. The tool window quick access menu can be accessed by hovering the mouse pointer over the button located in the far left hand corner of the status bar (Figure 24-4) without clicking the mouse button.
[[Image:android_studio_tools_quick_access.png|Android Studio tool windows quick access menu]]
Figure 24-4
Selecting an item from the quick access menu will cause the corresponding tool window to appear within the main window.
Alternatively, a set of tool window bars can be displayed by clicking on the quick access menu icon in the status bar. These bars appear along the left, right and bottom edges of the main window (as indicated by the arrows in Figure 24-5) and contain buttons for showing and hiding each of the tool windows. When the tool window bars are displayed, a second click on the button in the status bar will hide them.
[[Image:android_studio_tool_window_bars.png|Android Studio tool window bars]]
Figure 24-5
The location of a button in a tool window bar indicates the side of the window against which the window will appear when displayed. These positions can be changed by clicking and dragging the buttons to different locations in other window tool bars.
Each tool window has its own toolbar along the top edge. The buttons within these toolbars vary from one tool to the next, though all tool windows contain a settings option, represented by the cog icon, which allows various aspects of the window to be changed. Figure 2 4-6 shows the settings menu for the project view tool window. Options are available, for example, to undock a window and to allow it to float outside of the boundaries of the Android Studio main window.
[[Image:android_studio_tool_window_settings.png|The Android Studio Tool Window Settings Menu]]
Figure 24-6
== Switcher and Recent Files Navigation ==
Another useful mechanism for navigating within the Android Studio main window involves the use of the Switcher. Accessed via the Ctrl-Tab keyboard shortcut, the switcher appears as a panel listing both the tool windows and currently open files (Figure 24-7).
[[Image:android_studio_switcher.png|The Android Studio Switcher panel]]
Figure 24-7
Once displayed, the switcher will remain visible for as long the Ctrl key remains depressed. Repeatedly tapping the Tab key whilst holding down the Ctrl key will cycle through the various selection options, whilst releasing the Ctrl key causes the currently highlighted item to be selected and displayed within the main window.
In addition to the switcher, navigation to recently opened files is provided by the Recent Files panel (Figure 2 4-8). This can be accessed using the Ctrl-E keyboard shortcut (Cmd-E on Mac OS X). Once displayed, either the mouse pointer can be used to select an option or, alternatively, the keyboard arrow keys can be used to scroll through the file name and tool window options. Pressing the Enter key will select the currently highlighted item.
[[Image:android_studio_recent_files.png|The Android Studio Switcher panel]]
Figure 24-8
== Changing the Android Studio Theme ==
The overall theme of the Android Studio environment may be changed either from the welcome screen using the Configure -> Settings option, or via the File -> Settings… menu option of the main window.
Once the settings dialog is displayed, select the Appearance option in the left hand panel and then change the setting of the Theme menu before clicking on the Apply button. The themes currently available consist of IntelliJ, Windows and Darcula. Figure 24-9 shows an example of the main window with the Darcula theme selected:
[[Image:android_studio_darcula.png|Android Studio running with the Darcula theme]]
Figure 24-9
== Summary ==
