How do you open an Android Studio project in Eclipse?

Question

The new Android Studio allows for better Android development with better tools. I see a bunch of questions on how to transfer an eclipse project to android studio but what about the other way?

If you make an Android app in Android Studio, can you bring it back to Eclipse? If so, how?

This would be needed for specific eclipse plugins, such as the Blackberry Android plugin.

Thank you.

"can you bring it back to Eclipse?" -- I don't think this is possible today if the project is using the new Gradle-based build system, as Eclipse does not support that yet (though it will eventually). — CommonsWare, May 25 '13 at 02:17
Import project then Properties > java build path > source tab....remove path to src....add path to java folder in the source code using add folde rbutton... then build your project as usual — Deniz, Aug 07 '14 at 07:52
A little late to the party, but in regards to the Blackberry plugin I believe there is one for Android Studio. However I had better luck with the BB command line tools, in part because the Eclipse integration was never to my liking and AS kept deleting unknown plug-ins with every update. — ProjectJourneyman, Aug 06 '15 at 19:43

score 69 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 16 '14 at 10:35

69

You cannot import the project directly but it's not to hard to achieve it:

Create a new Android empty project in eclipse
Overwrite the fresh res/ folder and the AndroidManifest.xml file, with the ones from the Android Studio project
Copy the content of the java/ folder from the Android Studio project (it should contain your package name folder structure, like com/example/app/, and the java files of course) in the Eclipse src folder
Link your needed libraries if it's the case

Basically the Android application fundamental elements are the java files, the manifest file and the resources. From there you can build back a project in your favorite IDE

answered Jan 16 '14 at 10:35

Santacrab

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I tried this now with the Google Sample file for basicgesturedetect and It worked for me. Just drag and drop the files from the zip into an empty android project which is a bit of an admin but you end up with a android project that works fine. – Simon May 24 '14 at 18:48
1

Just the right answer. The basic idea is that the two IDEs only differ in the way they package stuff. But the resources and the code is universal: Java code for functionality, XML code for layouts, JARs for dependencies and the Android Manifest. – Bogdan Alexandru May 04 '15 at 08:17

score 41 · Accepted Answer · answered May 25 '13 at 07:25

41

It's not possible. We intend to add support for Gradle-based project in ADT but it's not currently possible.

answered May 25 '13 at 07:25

Xavier Ducrohet

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Can we expect it any time soon?. And if it takes longer. Can i use android studio now, is it stable? – amalBit Sep 17 '13 at 07:18
3

I have installed Graclipse and I am able to compile and run it. – AZ_ Oct 27 '13 at 09:31
But still you loose all the nice features like click on some reference in Androidmanifest.xml and it will take you to respective class...every thing is lost :-( – AZ_ Oct 27 '13 at 09:32
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Has anything changed since May? Will it be on the roadmap before the New Build System hits 1.0? – yincrash Nov 25 '13 at 15:25
I'm interested in knowing this as well. – SolidSnake4444 Jan 02 '14 at 02:02
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We have no ETA to announce at the moment. – Xavier Ducrohet Jan 05 '14 at 00:44
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You cannot import it directly, but it's not hard to make it work in Eclipse. Read my answer. – Santacrab Jan 16 '14 at 10:36
@XavierDucrohet are you guys serious for providing support or just another Lollipop? – Muhammad Babar Feb 02 '15 at 21:18
@XavierDucrohet in search for a way to fully migrate a project from Android Studio to Eclipse, I came upon your answer. What is as of now the easiest way to do this? – Dom May 10 '21 at 09:05

Raghu · Answer 3 · 2015-03-31T05:56:55.630

Step-by-Step process to import Android Studio Project into Eclipse...

Start new Android Project in eclipse using wizard and fill following details from app/build.gradle

ApplicationName and ProjectName : - You can find project name from .iml file in / folder PackageName : MinSDK, TargetSDK and CompileSDK
Click Next in the wizard and make sure that you have "unchecked" 'Create Activity' and "Create Custom Icon". Click Finish.
Open AndroidManifest.xml file in new created project. Copy "application", "uses-permission" etc tags as is from app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
Source Files : Replace all contents in AndroidStudio/app/src/main/java to Eclipse//src folder.
Resource Files : Replace all contents in AndroidStudio/app/src/main/res to Eclipse//res folder.
Library files : Copy all libs from AndroidStudio/app/libs to Eclipse//libs folder.
Dependency Library : Import and Add AppCompact as a dependent library using Properties->Android->Library->Add
Resolve any errors to build. Clean and Build again as a last step.
You may not be able to deploy it directly onto a phone but you can find .apk file generated in bin folder.

score 2 · Answer 4 · edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

UPDATE: see One Android project for Eclipse and Android Studio

Currently if you create Android project in Android Studio you will have hard times opening it in Eclipse. (However opening classic Android with added build.gradle in Android Studio should be easier)

So you can open (as general project) and then convert some modules into Eclipse project, but still it will not be fully functional (but for a quick view inside may suffice)

from How to use Gradle to generate Eclipse and Intellij project files for Android projects

As answered in Issue 57668 by Android team (raised by @arcone)

Project Member #2 x...@android.com

The eclipse plugin is not compatible with the android plugin.

You will not be able to import an Android gradle project into Eclipse using the default Gradle support in Eclipse.

To make it work in Eclipse we will have to change the Gradle plugin for Eclipse, the same way we are modifying the Gradle support in IntelliJ

That is Android team is working on gradle plugin for IntelliJ and gradle plugin for Eclipse needs to be updated too.

What is possible with Eclipse now is

THIS IS OUTDATED, see How to import Android Studio project in Eclipse?

.1. import the project as general project

.project

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<projectDescription>
    <name>OpenSpritz-Android</name>
    <comment></comment>
    <projects>
    </projects>
    <buildSpec>
    </buildSpec>
    <natures>
    </natures>
</projectDescription>

import-android-gradle-as-general-project

.2. Put 2 Eclipse . "dot" files into modules into /OpenSpritz-Android/app/src/main and /OpenSpritz-Android/lib/src/main

add-eclipse-files

.project

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<projectDescription>
    <name>OpenSpritz-Android-app</name>
    <comment></comment>
    <projects>
    </projects>
    <buildSpec>
        <buildCommand>
            <name>com.android.ide.eclipse.adt.ResourceManagerBuilder</name>
            <arguments>
            </arguments>
        </buildCommand>
        <buildCommand>
            <name>com.android.ide.eclipse.adt.PreCompilerBuilder</name>
            <arguments>
            </arguments>
        </buildCommand>
        <buildCommand>
            <name>org.eclipse.jdt.core.javabuilder</name>
            <arguments>
            </arguments>
        </buildCommand>
        <buildCommand>
            <name>com.android.ide.eclipse.adt.ApkBuilder</name>
            <arguments>
            </arguments>
        </buildCommand>
    </buildSpec>
    <natures>
        <nature>com.android.ide.eclipse.adt.AndroidNature</nature>
        <nature>org.eclipse.jdt.core.javanature</nature>
    </natures>
</projectDescription>

.classpath

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<classpath>
    <classpathentry kind="src" path="java"/>
    <classpathentry kind="src" path="gen"/>
    <classpathentry kind="con" path="com.android.ide.eclipse.adt.ANDROID_FRAMEWORK"/>
    <classpathentry exported="true" kind="con" path="com.android.ide.eclipse.adt.LIBRARIES"/>
    <classpathentry exported="true" kind="con" path="com.android.ide.eclipse.adt.DEPENDENCIES"/>
    <classpathentry kind="output" path="bin/classes"/>
</classpath>

.3. Import as Existing Android Code into Workspace

results

you can then browse code in familiar way, but even after that you won't be able to run with Eclipse ADT.

.4.

Now you can run build and tasks with gradle CLI or Nodeclipse/Enide Gradle for Eclipse (marketplace)

start

discuss at https://github.com/Nodeclipse/nodeclipse-1/issues/148

Also answered in Can't run imported gradle android project in Eclipse

score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Aug 07 '14 at 07:55

0

Import project then Properties > java build path > source tab....remove path to src....add path to java folder in the source code using add folde rbutton... then build your project as usual

Configure path to java folder where your source code resides

answered Aug 07 '14 at 07:55

Deniz

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This does not explain what to do with `res` folder – Paul Verest Sep 29 '14 at 04:37

score 0 · Answer 6 · answered Nov 16 '14 at 16:34

0

I think its not possible to import an android studio project to eclipse, without very much hand work.

answered Nov 16 '14 at 16:34

Erich

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Kriz Poon · Answer 7 · 2015-01-08T04:08:44.613

I really miss the automatic build feature in Eclipse but also hate the speed and bugs in Eclipse for Mac. It would be nice to have the best of both worlds. The project layout in Eclipse and Android Studio has a lot in difference and I guess it would be very difficult if not impossible to change the default layout. Therefore, I tried to create an empty Android project in Eclipse. Then I deleted the physical folders and files and created linked resources to reference those in the Android Studio project and voila! It works.

Here is my resource mapping:

AS-Project/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml -> Eclipse-Project/AndroidManifest.xml  
AS-Project/app/src/main/res                 -> Eclipse-Project/res  
AS-Project/app/src/main/assets              -> Eclipse-Project/assets  
AS-Project/app/src/main/java                -> Eclipse-Project/src    
AS-Project/app/libs                         -> Eclipse-Project/libs-as

Linked folder doesn't quite work for the "libs" folder. So I mapped it to a folder called "libs-as" and manually added the JARs to project build path. In the worst case I guess you could maintain two separate libs folders.

Eclipse Project layout

P.S. It would be a good idea to put two projects side by side and use location variables to reference relative paths (e.g. ${PARENT-1-PROJECT_LOC})

ricalo · Answer 8 · 2016-01-08T17:24:41.533

I just published a project that requires to work for Android Studio or Eclipse users. It's basically an Android Studio project, but I provided a gradle build file that developers can use to convert it to Eclipse.

Basically developers would have to run the following command to convert the project to Eclipse:

gradle -b eclipse.gradle eclipse

Here are the contents of eclipse.gradle:

apply plugin: 'java'
apply plugin: 'eclipse'

buildscript {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
    }
    dependencies {
        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:1.0.0'
    }
}

allprojects {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
        mavenCentral()
    }
}

// Add the natures and build commands to the project
eclipse.project {
   natures 'com.android.ide.eclipse.adt.AndroidNature'
 natures 'org.eclipse.jdt.core.javanature'
 buildCommands.clear();
 buildCommand 'com.android.ide.eclipse.adt.ResourceManagerBuilder'
 buildCommand 'com.android.ide.eclipse.adt.PreCompilerBuilder'
 buildCommand 'org.eclipse.jdt.core.javabuilder'
 buildCommand 'com.android.ide.eclipse.adt.ApkBuilder'
}

// The source code is in the java folder
sourceSets.main.java.srcDirs 'java'

dependencies {
    // declare your dependencies here
}

Hope this helps

Adding step-by-step procedure. 1. Install gradle. Note that if you have Android Studio you already have gradle. 2. Create an eclipse.gradle file in the root folder of your Android Studio project and copy the contents of the eclipse.gradle mentioned above. 3. Open a command prompt or terminal and run gradle -b eclipse.gradle 4. Try to open in Eclipse

It did not help. Can you please elaborate with steps to follow, as I am new to gradle. — Dileepa, Jan 06 '16 at 20:09
I can try to explain, @Dileepa. Gradle is a build system that allows you to provide a build file with instructions on how to build the project. **eclipse.gradle** is my build file, to format the project for eclipse you must do the following - Add AndroidNature and javanature natures. - Add ResourceManager, PreCompilerBuilder, javabuilder, ApkBuilder build commands You'll see all the natures and build commands added in the **eclipse.project** task declared in the build file. Now you just have to execute the task, which you do running the following command: `gradle -b eclipse.gradle eclipse` — ricalo, Jan 07 '16 at 02:22

score 0 · Answer 9 · answered Feb 10 '15 at 18:49

The published answer worked for me, but only after some mis-steps due to my inexperience with these IDEs. For any other beginner be careful with these ...

use the same minimum, target and build SDKs
use the exact same project name, and watch the sequence of project directories based on the package name, for the correct location of the .java file[s]
for the /res folder copy over missing directories
edit [i used NotePad] all matching xml files, carefully choosing the correct mix of entries, some from each

After this there may still be some errors to contend with, but with some persistence you should be able to correct them.

score 0 · Answer 10 · edited Feb 11 '16 at 12:48

0

It's quite simple if you know the trick.

Replace the eclipse project Res folder with Android studio project's res folder.
Go inside java folder and copy all folders and paste inside src folder of eclipse project.
Open Android manifest of android studio project, copy all of the content and paste it in eclipse projects manifest.
clean and run the project.

edited Feb 11 '16 at 12:48

Marius

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answered Feb 11 '16 at 12:28

Nikhil bohra

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score 0 · Answer 11 · answered Apr 21 '16 at 06:37

Simple way to move project from android studio to eclipse.

1) Import project in eclipse .There is no file in src folder in these project.

2) Go to the java folder that is available in folder stucture which you imported in eclipse. Copy the folder which is inside java it would be most of the time started from 'com' and paste in source 'src' folder .

Now you can compile your projrct it would work. if your project require third party libs then add the required file also.

How do you open an Android Studio project in Eclipse?

11 Answers11

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