I have published my minimalistic Android launcher
After spending too much time on my to-do list, I have finally published my Android launcher on GitHub.
Yet another launcher?
Yes. I like being able to quickly read and understand the source code of the apps I have installed on my phone. In many cases, the main functionality of an app should be simple enough to pack into a couple of hundred lines of code, but you don't see that very often. In the case of Android home apps (launchers), I wasn't able to find anything close to what I was looking for. So I made one — but as you know, you often get 80% done in 20% of the time, and why bother with the rest if you're making it only for your personal needs? But this year, I finally pushed myself to do some basic polishing. I updated and cleaned up the code here and there, added a settings screen, a simple import/export feature, and now it is good to go.
What can it do?
StoicLauncher covers all the basics one needs for daily use and still has only one Activity class and just several hundred lines of code for the whole project. It has well-documented source code too, so it can serve as a learning resource for someone who would like to build something more robust. It includes:
- home screen with app grid
- "all apps" screen available through a bottom swipe-up gesture
- context menu for quick access to common actions like info, uninstall, move, or remove
- ability to change grid rows and columns
- ability to export and import settings and home grid app layout
A couple of usual features are missing because I don't use them — for example, support for widgets, notifications, and wallpapers.
Enjoy!