Actually the Workshop is more to "Basic", but most of the participant Finished their Apps and already Install it with QR scan on MIT apps inventor project.
So, BONUS round is how to upload apps to Google Play. This post input is copied from the apps inventor guide at http://ai2.appinventor.mit.edu/reference/other/appstoplay.html
Here are the note:
Uploading Your Apps to Google Play
Applications built with App Inventor can be published on Google Play. You’ll need to register as a Google Developer and pay a one-time $25 fee.
Version Your App
Every app you publish must have a VersionCode and a VersionName. You can set these in the designer under the properties panel for the Screen1 component.
VersionCode is an integer value that will not be visible to Google Play Store users. It is used by other apps to check if your app has been upgraded or downgraded. It defaults to 1 and should be increased by 1 with every successive change whether it is a major change or a minor change.
VersionName is a String that can be anything you would like. It is defaulted to 1.0. A common convention for version names is to use a decimal number that is increased by 1 for every major change and 0.1 for every minor change. For example, an initial VersionName could be 1.0 which can be updated to 1.1 after a small change and 2.0 after a larger change.
You will need to increment the VersionCode and change the VersionName of your application when you upload a new version to the Play Store.
Download .apk
Start by building your app to create an apk file and save it to your computer:
- Load the project you want to publish:
- Click the dropdown labeled Build, and save the apk to your computer
This will prompt you to save the application. Once you have the .apk downloaded, you are ready to begin the publishing process.
Publish Your App
You can now go to Google Play Publishing Home and follow the steps to publish your app to Google Play. There are several steps, including providing descriptions and screenshots of your app.
For more details, you may want to start with Introduction to Publishing on Google Play and Google Support on Uploading to Google Play.
Backups
Once you publish your application in the Google Play Store, other people will now be depending upon you to fix bugs and otherwise maintain your application. It is therefore very important that you backup your application's source code. Go to “My Projects,” check the box next to the name of your project. Then click to open the Project menu and select “Export Selected project (.aia) to my computer.” This will download a that which contains your project’s source code. Store it in a safe place!
MIT and Google, which operates the App Engine service on which MIT App Inventor relies, make best efforts to ensure that MIT App Inventor does not lose projects. HOWEVER WE CAN OFFER NO GUARANTEE THAT DATA (LIKE YOUR PROJECTS) WILL NEVER BE LOST. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU MAKE YOUR OWN BACKUPS!
Keystores
During the .apk building process, your application is signed with a digital private key that is associated with your account. Whenever you build a new version of your app, this same key is used to sign the new version. When an Android device has an application installed on it, it remembers the key that was used to sign the application. In order to install an updated version of an application, the new application must be signed by the same key. It is therefore important that you not lose this key! (Google Play also refers to the key as a certificate.)
Your private digital key is stored in a keystore file. Normally the MIT App Inventor server will create this file when needed and store it for you, so you do not need to worry about it. Although we do not anticipate losing your keystore file, we recommend that you back it up. From the designer under the “Projects” menu, there is a choice labeled “Download Keystore.” Select this option to download your keystore file to your local computer. Save the keystore file in a safe place. It should not be publicly readable: your private digital key is a secret that should not be shared, or else other people will be able to overwrite your apps in the Play Store.
If you move your project to another App Inventor server, you will want to upload your keystore to that server. There is a “Upload Keystore” option under the “Projects” menu). You need to do this only if you are publishing .apk files to Google Play or if you intend to share your application with other people.
IF YOUR KEYFILE IS LOST OR DELETED IT CANNOT BE RECOVERED. If you were to then lose your project's source code, you would need to recreate the project from scratch. NEITHER YOU NOR MIT CAN RECOVER A LOST KEYFILE. NO AMOUNT OF EFFORT WILL RECOVER IT, SO BE SURE TO BACK IT UP!!!
Hope this info, benefit you!
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