Android Development: Configuring Android emulator in Eclipse

In this post I will walk you through adding an emulator to the Eclipse IDE.


Step 1: Download and install Android SDK from here.

Step 2: Once installed, open Eclipse and Click on "Window" from the top toolbar and click on "Customize Perspective..". This pops out the customization window.

Step 2: From the Perspective screen, navigate to "Command Groups Availability" tab and check all the boxes that says Android and hit "OK"

Step 3: After the previous step when you click on "Window" from the top toolbar, you should be able to see the "Android SDK Manager" and "Android Virtual Device Manager". Now Click on "Android Virtual Device Manager". This pops out the "AVD Manager" window.

Step 4: From this screen click on "Create". This brings up another window where you can configure the virtual device for your need. Once you configured your device hit "OK" at the bottom.

Step 5: Next step is to configure the settings to pick our new virtual device. Click on "Run" from the top toolbar and then click on "Run Configurations".

Step 6: From the Configuration window select your application from the left pane and navigate to "Target" tab. Now select "Always prompt to pick device" and click "Apply" and close the window. 

Step 7:  Now!! when you run any application from Eclipse, a dialog pops up to choose a device. If your phone is connected and if the required drivers are installed, you will be able to see your phone under "launch a new Android Virtual Device". Select your device and click "OK". This will install your application on your emulator.