xref: /frameworks/base/docs/html/guide/topics/manifest/application-element.jd

page.title=<application>
@jd:body

<dl class="xml">
<dt>syntax:</dt>
<dd><pre class="stx">&lt;application android:<a href="#reparent">allowTaskReparenting</a>=["true" | "false"]
             android:<a href="#agent">backupAgent</a>="<i>string</i>"
             android:<a href="#debug">debuggable</a>=["true" | "false"]
             android:<a href="#desc">description</a>="<i>string resource</i>"
             android:<a href="#enabled">enabled</a>=["true" | "false"]
             android:<a href="#code">hasCode</a>=["true" | "false"]
             android:<a href="#icon">icon</a>="<i>drawable resource</i>"
             android:<a href="#killrst">killAfterRestore</a>=["true" | "false"]
             android:<a href="#label">label</a>="<i>string resource</i>"
             android:<a href="#logo">logo</a>="<i>drawable resource</i>"
             android:<a href="#space">manageSpaceActivity</a>="<i>string</i>"
             android:<a href="#nm">name</a>="<i>string</i>"
             android:<a href="#prmsn">permission</a>="<i>string</i>"
             android:<a href="#persistent">persistent</a>=["true" | "false"]
             android:<a href="#proc">process</a>="<i>string</i>"
             android:<a href="#restoreany">restoreAnyVersion</a>=["true" | "false"]
             android:<a href="#aff">taskAffinity</a>="<i>string</i>"
             android:<a href="#theme">theme</a>="<i>resource or theme</i>" &gt;
    . . .
&lt;/application&gt;</pre></dd>

<dt>contained in:</dt>
<dd><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/manifest-element.html">&lt;manifest&gt;</a></code></dd>

<dt>can contain:</dt>
<dd><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-element.html">&lt;activity&gt;</a></code>
<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-alias-element.html">&lt;activity-alias&gt;</a></code>
<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/service-element.html">&lt;service&gt;</a></code>
<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/receiver-element.html">&lt;receiver&gt;</a></code>
<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/provider-element.html">&lt;provider&gt;</a></code>
<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-library-element.html">&lt;uses-library&gt;</a></code></dd>

<dt>description:</dt>
<dd>The declaration of the application.  This element contains subelements 
that declare each of the application's components and has attributes 
that can affect all the components.  Many of these attributes (such as 
{@code icon}, {@code label}, {@code permission}, {@code process}, 
{@code taskAffinity}, and {@code allowTaskReparenting}) set default values 
for corresponding attributes of the component elements.  Others (such as
{@code debuggable}, {@code enabled}, {@code description}, and 
{@code allowClearUserData})  set values for the application as a whole and 
cannot be overridden by the components.</dd>

<dt>attributes</dt>
<dd><dl class="attr">

<dt><a name="reparent"></a>{@code android:allowTaskReparenting}</dt>
<dd>Whether or not activities that the application defines can move from 
the task that started them to the task they have an affinity for when that task 
is next brought to the front &mdash; "{@code true}" if they can move, and 
"{@code false}" if they must remain with the task where they started.  
The default value is "{@code false}".

<p>
The 
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-element.html">&lt;activity&gt;</a></code> 
element has its own 
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-element.html#reparent">allowTaskReparenting</a></code>
attribute that can override the value set here.  See that attribute for more 
information.
</p></dd>

<dt><a name="agent"></a>{@code android:backupAgent}</dt>
<dd>The name of the class that implement's the application's backup agent,
a subclass of {@link android.app.backup.BackupAgent}.  The attribute value should be
a fully qualified  class name (such as, "{@code com.example.project.MyBackupAgent}").  
However, as a shorthand, if the first character of the name is a period 
(for example, "{@code .MyBackupAgent}"), it is appended to the 
package name specified in the 
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/manifest-element.html">&lt;manifest&gt;</a></code> 
element.

<p>
There is no default.  The name must be specified.
</p></dd>

<dt><a name="debug"></a>{@code android:debuggable}</dt>
<dd>Whether or not the application can be debugged, even when running 
on a device in user mode &mdash; "{@code true}" if it can be, and "{@code false}"
if not.  The default value is "{@code false}".</dd> 

<dt><a name="desc"></a>{@code android:description}</dt>
<dd>User-readable text about the application, longer and more descriptive than the application label.  The value must be set as a reference to a string resource.  Unlike the label, it cannot be a raw string.  There is no default value.</dd>

<dt><a name="enabled"></a>{@code android:enabled}</dt>
<dd>Whether or not the Android system can instantiate components of 
the application &mdash; "{@code true}" if it can, and "{@code false}" 
if not.  If the value is "{@code true}", each component's 
{@code enabled} attribute determines whether that component is enabled 
or not.  If the value is "{@code false}", it overrides the 
component-specific values; all components are disabled.

<p>
The default value is "{@code true}".
</p></dd>  

<dt><a name="code"></a>{@code android:hasCode}</dt>
<dd>Whether or not the application contains any code &mdash; "{@code true}" 
if it does, and "{@code false}" if not.  When the value is "{@code false}", 
the system does not try to load any application code when launching components.  
The default value is "{@code true}".

<p>
An application would not have any code of its own only if it's using nothing
but built-in component classes, such as an activity that uses the {@link 
android.app.AliasActivity} class, a rare occurrence.

<dt><a name="icon"></a>{@code android:icon}</dt>
<dd>An icon for the application as whole, and the default icon for 
each of the application's components.  See the individual 
{@code icon} attributes for 
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-element.html">&lt;activity&gt;</a></code>, 
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-alias-element.html">&lt;activity-alias&gt;</a></code>,
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/service-element.html">&lt;service&gt;</a></code>, 
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/receiver-element.html">&lt;receiver&gt;</a></code>, and
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/provider-element.html">&lt;provider&gt;</a></code> elements.

<p>
This attribute must be set as a reference to a drawable resource containing
the image (for example {@code "@drawable/icon"}).   There is no default icon.
</p></dd>

<dt><a name="killrst"></a>{@code android:killAfterRestore}</dt>
<dd>Whether the application in question should be terminated after its
settings have been restored during a full-system restore operation.
Single-package restore operations will never cause the application to
be shut down.  Full-system restore operations typically only occur once,
when the phone is first set up.  Third-party applications will not normally
need to use this attribute.

<p>The default is {@code true}, which means that after the application
has finished processing its data during a full-system restore, it will be
terminated.
</p></dd>

<dt><a name="label"></a>{@code android:label}</dt>
<dd>A user-readable label for the application as a whole, and a default 
label for each of the application's components.  See the individual 
{@code label} attributes for 
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-element.html">&lt;activity&gt;</a></code>, 
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-alias-element.html">&lt;activity-alias&gt;</a></code>,
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/service-element.html">&lt;service&gt;</a></code>, 
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/receiver-element.html">&lt;receiver&gt;</a></code>, and
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/provider-element.html">&lt;provider&gt;</a></code> elements.

<p>
The label should be set as a reference to a string resource, so that
it can be localized like other strings in the user interface.  
However, as a convenience while you're developing the application, 
it can also be set as a raw string.
</p></dd>

<dt><a name="logo"></a>{@code android:logo}</dt>
<dd>A logo for the application as whole, and the default logo for activities.
<p>This attribute must be set as a reference to a drawable resource containing
the image (for example {@code "@drawable/logo"}).  There is no default logo.</p></dd>

<dt><a name="space"></a>{@code android:manageSpaceActivity}</dt>
<dd>The fully qualified name of an Activity subclass that the system 
can launch to let users manage the memory occupied by the application 
on the device.  The activity should also be declared with an 
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-element.html">&lt;activity&gt;</a></code> element.
</dd>

<dt><a name="nm"></a>{@code android:name}</dt>
<dd>The fully qualified name of an {@link android.app.Application} 
subclass implemented for the application.  When the application process 
is started, this class is instantiated before any of the application's 
components.  

<p>
The subclass is optional; most applications won't need one.
In the absence of a subclass, Android uses an instance of the base 
Application class.
</p></dd>

<dt><a name="prmsn"></a>{@code android:permission}</dt>
<dd>The name of a permission that clients must have in order to interact 
with the application.  This attribute is a convenient way to set a 
permission that applies to all of the application's components.  It can 
be overwritten by setting the {@code permission} attributes of individual 
components.

<p>
For more information on permissions, see the 
<a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/manifest-intro.html#sectperm">Permissions</a> 
section in the introduction and another document, 
<a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/security/security.html">Security and
Permissions</a>.
</p></dd>

<dt><a name="persistent"></a>{@code android:persistent}</dt>
<dd>Whether or not the application should remain running at all times &mdash; 
"{@code true}" if it should, and "{@code false}" if not.  The default value 
is "{@code false}".  Applications should not normally set this flag; 
persistence mode is intended only for certain system applications.</dd>

<dt><a name="proc"></a>{@code android:process}</dt>
<dd>The name of a process where all components of the application should run.
Each component can override this default by setting its own {@code process}
attribute.

<p>
By default, Android creates a process for an application when the first
of its components needs to run.  All components then run in that process.
The name of the default process matches the package name set by the
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/manifest-element.html">&lt;manifest&gt;</a></code> element.
</p>

<p>By setting this attribute to a process name that's shared with another
application, you can arrange for components of both applications to run in
the same process &mdash; but only if the two applications also share a
user ID and be signed with the same certificate.
</p>

<p>
If the name assigned to this attribute begins with a colon (':'), a new 
process, private to the application, is created when it's needed.
If the process name begins with a lowercase character, a global process 
of that name is created.  A global process can be shared with other
applications, reducing resource usage.
</p></dd>

<dt><a href name="restoreany"></a>{@code android:restoreAnyVersion}</dt>
<dd>Indicate that the application is prepared to attempt a restore of any
backed-up data set, even if the backup was stored by a newer version
of the application than is currently installed on the device.  Setting
this attribute to {@code true} will permit the Backup Manager to
attempt restore even when a version mismatch suggests that the data are
incompatible.  <em>Use with caution!</em>

<p>The default value of this attribute is {@code false}.
</p></dd>

<dt><a href name="aff"></a>{@code android:taskAffinity}</dt>
<dd>An affinity name that applies to all activities within the application,
except for those that set a different affinity with their own
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-element.html#aff">taskAffinity</a></code> 
attributes.  See that attribute for more information.

<p>
By default, all activities within an application share the same 
affinity.  The name of that affinity is the same as the package name 
set by the 
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/manifest-element.html">&lt;manifest&gt;</a></code> element.
</p></dd>

<dt><a name="theme"></a>{@code android:theme}</dt>
<dd>A reference to a style resource defining a default theme for all
activities in the application.  Individual activities can override
the default by setting their own <code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-element.html#theme">theme</a></code> 
attributes; see that attribute for more information.</dd>

</dl></dd>

<!-- ##api level indication## -->
<dt>introduced in:</dt>
<dd>API Level 1</dd>

<dt>see also:</dt>
<dd><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/activity-element.html">&lt;activity&gt;</a></code>
<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/service-element.html">&lt;service&gt;</a></code>
<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/receiver-element.html">&lt;receiver&gt;</a></code>
<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/provider-element.html">&lt;provider&gt;</a></code></dd>

</dl>