Bringing Legacy Codebases to Android

Explore the challenges and solutions of porting legacy Java codebases to Android in this 40-minute Devoxx conference talk. Learn about the expected and unexpected pitfalls encountered when bringing a Java SDK to the Android platform, including issues with banned APIs, early API levels, and testing strategies. Discover practical solutions, workarounds, and potential dead ends to guide your own legacy code migration efforts. Gain insights into specific challenges faced with iText 5 and iText 7, and understand the considerations for using tools like SpongyCastle, Kotlin conversion, and Xamarin for Android support. Benefit from the speaker's experience in open-source advocacy and Java development to make informed decisions when modernizing your own legacy Java projects for mobile platforms.

Intro
¡Text Software, leader in PDF Technology
Today's Objective
What is a legacy code base?
The list of banned APIs
AWT was on the list
iText 5 and Bouncy Castle
SpongyCastle to the Rescue
Why is iText 7 different from iText 5?
More importantly!
Android issues with iText 7
What's wrong with early API Levels?
iText 5 Automation
The markers
iText 7 automation
Scripting! v2
Markers! v2
Testing the build
How we test
Test Extraction
Building the build
Additional Tooling
Convert iText to Kotlin?
Use Xamarin to support Android?
Conclusions