Intent_(Android)
An Intent in the Android operating system is a software mechanism that allows users to coordinate the functions of different activities to achieve a task. An Intent is a messaging object[1] which provides a facility for performing late runtime binding between the code in different applications in the Android development environment. Its most significant use is in the launching of activities, where it can be thought of as the glue between activities: Intents provide an inter-application messaging system that encourages collaboration and component reuse.[2]
An Intent is basically a passive data structure holding an abstract description of an action to be performed.[3] For Dummies likens an Intent to flicking a switch: "Your intent is to turn on the light, and to do so, you perform the action of flipping the switch to the On position."[4]