HarmonyOS for Android Devs: Environment Setup

Otaku_Q — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 02:27:29 +0000

Intro

HarmonyOS, Huawei's operating system, was first launched in August 2019 at their Developer Conference in Dongguan. Fast forward to mid-2025, and we're now at API version 16 . This guide will kickstart your HarmonyOS development journey, breaking down the basics step by step.
(Note: Parts of this guide adapt official HarmonyOS docs (using the Stage model), with comparisons to Android development to help you connect the dots.)

Setting Up DevEco Studio

Register a Huawei Developer Account
Head to the Huawei Developer Alliance homepage, sign up, and complete your profile in the Personal Centre to unlock full developer perks.

Download & Configure DevEco Studio
Download DevEcoStudio from the download page.

The installation mirrors Android Studio - just follow the prompts. Once installed:

Set up Node.js and Ohpm paths.
Download the SDK via Huawei's mirror (pick a sensible folder).
Keep hitting "Next" until done - easy peasy! ## DevEco Studio Quick Tour Familiar with Android Studio? You'll feel right at home - DevEco Studio runs on IntelliJ under the hood. Creating a Project
DevEco:

Android:

Choose a Template

DevEco:

Android:

Workspace Layout
Split into four areas:

Project Explorer (top-left)
Code Editor (centre)
Live Preview (right)
Bottom Panel (logs, terminal, version control - no surprises here)

Project Directory Breakdown

Project-Level Structure

AppScope: Global resources (strings, layouts in element, media files in media).
entry: Main module for app code/resources.
oh_modules: Dependency packages.
build-profile.json5: Project config (signing, product profiles).
hvigorfile.ts: Build automation scripts (Huawei's task-runner tool).
oh-package.json5: Dependency management.

Module-Level Structure
main:

ets/: ETS code
resources/:Media/layout files
module.json5: Module config (abilities, UI pages like Index.ets)

ohosTest:

Unit tests

build-profile.json5:

Module-specific build settings

Core Configuration Files Explained

Project-Level build-profile.json5

{
  "app": {
    "signingConfigs": [], // Signing configurations for the project, can include multiple entries
    "compileSdkVersion": 9, // SDK version used to compile the HarmonyOS app/service
    "compatibleSdkVersion": 9, // Minimum compatible SDK version for the HarmonyOS app/service
    // Defines product flavors for builds (e.g., default, paid, free tiers)
    "products": [
      {
        "name": "default", // Product name (supports custom multi-product builds)
        "signingConfig": "default", // Signing configuration for this product (must be defined in signingConfigs)
      }
    ]
  },
  "modules": [
    {
      "name": "entry", // Module name
      "srcPath": "./entry", // Relative path of the module root directory to the project root
      "targets": [ // Defines build targets; combined with product definitions to generate final artifacts
        {
          "name": "default", // Target name (defined in module's build-profile.json5)
          "applyToProducts": [
            "default" // Bundles this module's "default" target into the "default" product
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Module-Level build-profile.json5

{
  "apiType": 'stageMode', // API type (FA or Stage model)
  "buildOption": { // Configures filtering rules for .so resource files in HAR dependencies
  },
  "targets": [ // Defined build targets (customizable by developers)
    {
      "name": "default",
      "runtimeOS": "HarmonyOS"
    },
    {
      "name": "ohosTest",
    }
  ]
}

app.json5

{
  "app": {
    "bundleName": "com.example.myapplication", // Identifies the app's unique bundle identifier (mandatory field)
    "vendor": "example", // Specifies the app developer/vendor
    "versionCode": 1000000, // App version code (32-bit non-negative integer)
    "versionName": "1.0.0", // Human-readable version name displayed to users
    "icon": "$media:app_icon", // App icon (references icon resource file)
    "label": "$string:app_name", // App display name (references string resource)
    /*
    Target API release type:
    Canary: Restricted release version
    Beta: Public beta version
    Release: Public stable version
    */
    "apiReleaseType": "Release", 
    "debug": false // Debug mode flag (auto-generated by IDE during build)
  }
}

module.json5

{
  "module": {
    "name": "entry", // Name of the current module
    "type": "entry", // Type of the current module (entry/feature/etc)
    "description": "$string:module_desc", // Module description (references string resource)
    "mainElement": "EntryAbility", // Entry UIAbility/ExtensionAbility name for the module
    // Supported device types for this module
    "deviceTypes": [
      "phone",
      "tablet"
    ],
    "deliveryWithInstall": true, // Installed when user actively initiates installation
    "installationFree": false, // Whether the module supports on-demand loading (installation-free)
    "pages": "$profile:main_pages", // Profile resource defining module pages
    // UIAbility configuration for the module
    "abilities": [
      {
        "name": "EntryAbility", // UIAbility component name
        "srcEntry": "./ets/entryability/EntryAbility.ts", // Source code path for the UIAbility
        "description": "$string:EntryAbility_desc", // UIAbility description
        "icon": "$media:icon", // UIAbility icon (references media resource)
        "label": "$string:EntryAbility_label", // Display name for the UIAbility
        "startWindowIcon": "$media:icon", // Launch screen icon resource
        "startWindowBackground": "$color:start_window_background", // Launch screen background color
        "exported": true, // Whether this ability is exposed to other apps
        // Intent filters defining supported capabilities
        "skills": [
          {
            "entities": [
              "entity.system.home" // System-level capability identifiers
            ],
            "actions": [
              "action.system.home" // Supported intent actions
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Wrapping Up

You're now prepped with the basics: setting up DevEco Studio, navigating its interface, and understanding project structure. Go forth and code!

References