Networking 1

Question 1

Define a URI…

Answer 1

A Uniform Resource Indicator is a sequence of characters that represent the location of a resource on a network or file.

Question 2

Define a URL…

Answer 2

A URL is a type of URI specifically for locating resources on a network. It consists of a protocol and domain.

Question 3

To enable networking in Android, which permissions need to be added? And where to?

Answer 3

To the AndroidManifest.xml
android.permission.INTERNET
android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_DRIVE

Question 4

Which HTTP class does Android provide?

Answer 4

HttpURLConnection

Question 5

Which protocol does HttpURLConnection support?

Answer 5

TLS (Transport Layer Security)

Question 6

Why do we offload networking to a designated thread? What might happen if we don’t?

Answer 6

To remove overhead from the UI thread. Otherwise a Activity Not Responding error may occur.

Question 7

What is a handler?

Answer 7

Handler is an object that is responsible for handling network operations that have been handed off onto a new thread.

Question 8

What is a hand-off? What data is sent to the handler during the hand-off?

Answer 8

Hand-off is the process of the UI thread handing off the networking operations to a designated or anonymous thread.
The data that is sent is:
Runnable -> An implementation of the runnable interface.
Message -> Objects, data and values needed for the networking operations.

Question 9

In the sense of maintaining state, why is it important to offload networking operations?

Answer 9

If a config change occurs via rotation or similar, the networking processes will persist if they are not on the UI thread. Hence, handing-off prevents network operation interruptions.