I have created an Android application that includes some unit conversion tools built into it. I am trying to implement some kind of mechanism to update the application so that it can incorporate more unit conversions in the future. This means that each update will be adding some new buttons, text and conversion factors into the code of the already installed application. The update files will be downloaded via a website and the new code added to the app. This means that the user won’t have to update whole of the app via the android market.
Can anyone guide me in implementing this. I was thinking of using xml files for this purpose but I don’t know whether they will work or not.
The Android Market update mechanism is there for a reason. You should only consider doing the sort of dynamic updating you are asking about in very limited circumstances. Downloading a list of conversion factors and descriptive text would be fine, and an XML file on a web server would work for that, but if you get to the point where you are thinking about downloading whole layouts then I would use the Android Market to distribute an updated app instead.