Python for android is a project to create your own Python distribution including the modules you want, and create an apk including python, libs, and your application.

• Website: http://python-for-android.rtfd.org/
• Forum: https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=fr#!forum/python-android
• Mailing list: python-android@googlegroups.com

1. Download Android NDK, SDK

• NDK: http://dl.google.com/android/ndk/android-ndk-r8c-linux-x86.tar.bz2
• More details at: http://developer.android.com/tools/sdk/ndk/index.html
• SDK: http://dl.google.com/android/android-sdk_r21.0.1-linux.tgz
• More details at:http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html

1. Launch "android", and download latest Android platform, here API 14, which would be Android 4.0

2. Export some environment variables:

   export ANDROIDSDK="/path/to/android/android-sdk-linux_86"
   export ANDROIDNDK="/path/to/android/android-ndk-r8c"
   export ANDROIDNDKVER=r8c
   export ANDROIDAPI=14
   

(Of course correct the paths mentioned in ANDROIDSDK and ANDROIDNDK)

1. Clone python-for-android:

   git clone git://github.com/kivy/python-for-android
   

2. Build a distribution with OpenSSL module, PIL and Kivy:

   cd python-for-android
   ./distribute.sh -m "openssl pil kivy"
   

3. Go to your fresh distribution, build the APK of your application:

   cd dist/default
   ./build.py --package org.test.touchtracer --name touchtracer \
   --version 1.0 --dir ~/code/kivy/examples/demo/touchtracer debug
   

4. Install the debug apk to your device:

   adb install bin/touchtracer-1.0-debug.apk
   

5. Enjoy.

You may end up with a very long build.py command-line invocation so to make things easier you can store the arguments in a configuration file like so:

package=net.mechanicalcat.match3
name=Match 3
version=1.3.3
numeric-version=133
dir=~/src/projects/games/match3
orientation=portrait
icon=~/src/projects/games/match3/art/android-icon.png
presplash=~/src/projects/games/match3/art/android-presplash.jpg
blacklist=blacklist.txt
sdk=14

and then use the configuration file as your only build argument:

python build.py -c match3_build.ini release

The parameters in the configuration file match the names in the command-line arguments. List parameters (permission, ignore_path) may have multiple items on new lines:

permission=VIBRATE

INTERNET

if you get the following message:

Android NDK: Host 'awk' tool is outdated. Please define HOST_AWK to point to Gawk or Nawk !

a solution is to remove the "awk" binary in the android ndk distribution

rm $ANDROIDNDK/prebuilt/linux-x86/bin/awk