android activity 启动过程分析（source code 4.4）

    boolean startActivitySafely(View v, Intent intent, Object tag) {
        boolean success = false;
        try {
            success = startActivity(v, intent, tag);
        } catch (ActivityNotFoundException e) {
            Toast.makeText(this, R.string.activity_not_found, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
            Log.e(TAG, "Unable to launch. tag=" + tag + " intent=" + intent, e);
        }
        return success;
    }

    @Override
    public void startActivity(Intent intent, Bundle options) {
        if (options != null) {
　　　　　　//第二个参数传入-1表示不需要这个Actvity结束后的返回结果。
            startActivityForResult(intent, -1, options);
        } else {
            // Note we want to go through this call for compatibility with
            // applications that may have overridden the method.
            startActivityForResult(intent, -1);
        }
    }

public void startActivityForResult(Intent intent, int requestCode, Bundle options) {
        if (mParent == null) {
　　　　　　//这里的mParent肯定为null，因为是从launcher启动进来的，肯定没有父activity。
　　　　　　//这里的mInstrumentation是Activity类的成员变量，它的类型是Intrumentation，定义在frameworks/base/core/java/android/app/Instrumentation.java文件中，它用来监控应用程序和系统的交互。
　　　　　　//这里的mMainThread也是Activity类的成员变量，它的类型是ActivityThread，它代表的是应用程序的主线程，这里通过mMainThread.getApplicationThread获得它里面的ApplicationThread成员变量，它是一个Binder对象，后面我们会看到，ActivityManagerService会使用它来和ActivityThread来进行进程间通信。这里我们需注意的是，这里的mMainThread代表的是Launcher应用程序运行的进程。
　　　　　　//这里的mToken也是Activity类的成员变量，它是一个Binder对象的远程接口。

            Instrumentation.ActivityResult ar =
                mInstrumentation.execStartActivity(
                    this, mMainThread.getApplicationThread(), mToken, this,
                    intent, requestCode, options);
            if (ar != null) {
                mMainThread.sendActivityResult(
                    mToken, mEmbeddedID, requestCode, ar.getResultCode(),
                    ar.getResultData());
            }
           .......
}

Instrumentation.java (base\core\java\android\app)
    public ActivityResult execStartActivity(
            Context who, IBinder contextThread, IBinder token, Activity target,
            Intent intent, int requestCode, Bundle options) {
        IApplicationThread whoThread = (IApplicationThread) contextThread;
        if (mActivityMonitors != null) {
            synchronized (mSync) {
                final int N = mActivityMonitors.size();
                for (int i=0; i<N; i++) {
                    final ActivityMonitor am = mActivityMonitors.get(i);
                    if (am.match(who, null, intent)) {
                        am.mHits++;
                        if (am.isBlocking()) {
                            return requestCode >= 0 ? am.getResult() : null;
                        }
                        break;
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        try {
            intent.migrateExtraStreamToClipData();
            intent.prepareToLeaveProcess();
　　　　　　　　//这里的ActivityManagerNative.getDefault返回ActivityManagerService的远程接口，即ActivityManagerProxy接口，跟进去就知道了（IActivityManager）。
　　　　　　　　//intent.resolveTypeIfNeeded返回这个intent的MIME类型，一般没有AndroidManifest.xml设置MainActivity的MIME类型，因此，这里返回null。

            int result = ActivityManagerNative.getDefault()
                .startActivity(whoThread, who.getBasePackageName(), intent,
                        intent.resolveTypeIfNeeded(who.getContentResolver()),
                        token, target != null ? target.mEmbeddedID : null,
                        requestCode, 0, null, null, options);
            checkStartActivityResult(result, intent);
        } catch (RemoteException e) {
        }
        return null;
    }

ActivityManagerNative.java (base\core\java\android\app)
public int startActivity(IApplicationThread caller, String callingPackage, Intent intent,
            String resolvedType, IBinder resultTo, String resultWho, int requestCode,
            int startFlags, String profileFile,
            ParcelFileDescriptor profileFd, Bundle options) throws RemoteException {
//这里已经非常接近核心了，1. 构造parcel data包和reply包，将相关要启动的intent数据打进去，然后通过远程对象mRemote的transact方法(binder IPC)投递到服务端( ActivityManagerService)
        Parcel data = Parcel.obtain();
        Parcel reply = Parcel.obtain();
        data.writeInterfaceToken(IActivityManager.descriptor);
        data.writeStrongBinder(caller != null ? caller.asBinder() : null);
        data.writeString(callingPackage);
        intent.writeToParcel(data, 0);
        data.writeString(resolvedType);
        data.writeStrongBinder(resultTo);
        data.writeString(resultWho);
        data.writeInt(requestCode);
        data.writeInt(startFlags);
        data.writeString(profileFile);
        if (profileFd != null) {
            data.writeInt(1);
            profileFd.writeToParcel(data, Parcelable.PARCELABLE_WRITE_RETURN_VALUE);
        } else {
            data.writeInt(0);
        }
        if (options != null) {
            data.writeInt(1);
            options.writeToParcel(data, 0);
        } else {
            data.writeInt(0);
        }
        mRemote.transact(START_ACTIVITY_TRANSACTION, data, reply, 0);
        reply.readException();
        int result = reply.readInt();
        reply.recycle();
        data.recycle();
        return result;
    }