BB build

Hi,

Can you give an example how to easily build a mobile app for BlackBerry and deploy it on the simulator? I have downloaded the BB JDE 6.0 and an simulator, I also have the mobile app :slight_smile:
Another question is about the signing: is it needed for running the app on the simulator and/or debugging?
I was expecting that for dev work it shouldn’t be required.

Best Regards,
Plamen, Veselinov

Hi Plamen,

To deploy BlackBerry builds to the simulator, there are two methods:

The first is to use the stand-alone BB simulators downloaded as part of the BB JDE packages. From +Multi-Build, choose to build for your target handset as either “native-debug” or “native-release”. This will give you a .cod file to use with the simulator. You can then start the BB simulator (this may take a while), and go to File->Load BlackBerry Application or Theme. and select your .cod file. This will then appear in the “Applications” folder off the main BB app panel for most newer devices. Older devices tend to place installed applications directly in the main menu.

The second way is to download and install the customised version of Eclipse for BlackBerry, from BlackBerry’s developer site. This is referred to as “BlackBerry Java Plugin For Eclipse”. Then from +Multi-Build, select the “Retain output build files” checkbox, and then build for “native-debug”. This will leave you with an Eclipse project in the Builds/X.Y.Z/Handset/temp/java_edit/ folder. You can then import this into your BB Eclipse workspace, and select Run->Debug as…->BlackBerry Simulator. The simulator will then start (again, this may take a while), and install your application automatically.

I personally use the BlackBerry Eclipse environment for debugging - it allows you to get println() output to the console, as well as breakpoints, variable inspection, etc.

Regarding signing of code: Currently, BlackBerry builds do not require signing, because Mobile Designer intentionally does not use any of the BB secure API calls. As we add features to the platform, this may need to change (possibly only if you switch a given feature on). Obviously, if you decide to add any of your own BlackBerry native code to your projects, you’ll have to keep an eye on which APIs you’re using.

Hope this helps :slight_smile:

Regards,
Mark.