1.3. ADB Installation and ADB commands¶

1.3.1. Introduction¶

ADB installation via linux terminal makes it ease to push or pull files in/out from the android environment or basically the sdcard.
The content of the sdcard can easily be accessed from the terminal, and huge files and foldes can be easily pushed or pulled from sdcard.
ADB installation via linux terminal brings the power to execute the adb commands like adb connect, adb devices, adb install, adb uninstall, adb push and adb pull
The adb commands via linux terminal is useful while communicating with the real time android tablets or phones, and adding varied features to make the android application more innovative.

NOTE: You need to download android sdk from developer.android.com for your system and extract it to suitable location.

In the terminal go to the android-linux-sdk/tools directory annd verify whether adb binary exists in its path

cd /home/<USER>/android-sdk-linux/tools

echo "export PATH=/home/<USER>/android-sdk-linux/tools:$PATH" >> ~/.bashrc

In case we can also export the path of android tools by editing the ~/.bashrc file
Open the ~/.bashrc by vim or by gedit.
At the end of .bashrc script(basically after fi command in .bashrc), enter below line

export PATH=:/home/<USER>/android-sdk-linux/tools:$PATH

Similar operation has to be performed for the platform-tools directory in the android to export its path.
Direct to the platform-tools directory
Export the path of platform-tools to ~/.bashrc

echo "export PATH=/home/<USER>/android-sdk-linux/platform-tools:$PATH">> ~/.bashrc

In case we can also export the path of android platform-tools by editing the bashrc
Open the .bashrc by vim or by gedit
At the end of .bashrc script(basically after fi command in .bashrc), enter below line

export PATH=:/home/<USER>/android-sdk-linux/platform-tools:$PATH

Connect to the real devices by adb connect, in case of the virtual machine(emulator) launch the emulator by the avd manager.
Check for the Devices by the adb devices, shows you the list of the devices your machine is connected to.

adb connect <device-ip-address>

This adb command connects you the devices , to execute the command the ip address of the device is required. The device and the machine must be in the same network. The device an be acccessed through wireless by giving either a static or dynamic ip address.

Example:

adb connect 10.101.201.130

adb devices

This adb command shows the current devices connect to the system or the machine. Example:

adb devices

adb push

This adb command allows the user to push the files, folders, documents to the android filesystem and sdcard. The example shows the pushing of the simple text file into mydir folder in the sdcard.

adb push sample.txt /sdcard/mydir/

adb push sample.txt /sdcard/mydir

adb pull

This adb command allows the user to pull the files, folders, documents from the android filesystem and sdcard. The example shows the pulling of the simple text file from mydir folder of the sdcard.

adb pull /sdcard/mydir/sample.txt /home/<USER>/Documents/

adb install

This adb command allows the user to install the application to real time device (tablet or phone) or from the emulator . Example: to install the ABT.apk to the tablet .

adb install ABT.apk

adb uninstall

This adb command allows the user to uninstall the application from the real time device (tablet or phone) or from the emulator.

Example: to uninstall the ABT.apk to the tablet .

adb uninstall com.aakash.lab

adb kill-server

In case when the connection to the device is not properly established. The user can execute the command the adb kill-server and can restart the connection to communicate with the device.

adb kill-server