I deployed many midlets on Blackberry, but now I want to try their CLDC model. Never deal with it. What is the best resource to read for a quick start (except the BB examples?)
This site has a great series of articles on how to build a real-word blackberry app
How to Build a Real-World BlackBerry Application
While not a quick read these two forms have helped me quite a bit:
Blackberry Support Forums
Blackberry Forums
Here are some other resources I have found helpful:
Getting started with the Blackberry Java Development Environment (JDE)
Develop applications for the BlackBerry
jonathanhfisher's Blog
Related
This is a very basic question, but I have no idea how to be begin, so please bear with me.
I'm a C# software developer, so I'm very familiar with the VS IDE and with Windows and Web development. But I have never developed a mobile application.
With that said, I came up with an idea which is essentially a screen with a map and a bunch of pins, and a list that represents each pin. It will run in an iphone and android phone. It will look something like below.
I decided to develop it in Xamarin because 1) I've worked with VS for many years so I understand how it works, 2) I can develop one app in Xamarin that can run both in ios and android.
I understand that it may be a very basic question, but I have no idea where to start. I also have experience with development, so I don't want to go thru the Hello World example. Finally, I also have a full-time job, so my limited free time would be used to completing this particular app.
So my question is: where do I start?
First thing first. You should get yourself familiar with Mobile Development(app life cycle, patterns etc.) by creating few sample applications (since you stated you were developing in Visual Studio using c# before it should be quick procedure for you). You can find documentation and sample codes on official Xamarin site:
Xamarin Website
Next get yourself familiar with MVVM pattern and MVVM frameworks to write applications using modern patterns and modern practises. I personally recommend MVVMCross or MVVMFresh.
Data Binding from Official site
FreshMVVM with Samples
Then get yourself familiar with Xamarin.Forms maps. It's a nice library that allows you to use one code and share them across 2 platforms. Google Maps official apis are also good but they are platform specific.
Xamarin Forms Maps
Enjoy and welcome to the Dark Side ;)
I'd like my Blackberry devices to get and possibly set data to the server, and am a little confused by all the options:
RIM-Push/Pap-Push. Use any library that is able to compose a HTTP GET request to the MDS-CS service (not MDS-IS). This is a one way operation from the server to the device.
RIM-Push (Push a URL and or shorcut to a device for possible offline viewing)
PAP-Push (Same as above, BUT allows for message confirmation of delivery)
WebServices: Use Visual Studio 2008 to create a Web Services only project. I'm unclear if this is supported anymore, or if MDS-IS is used. This is a 2 way operation.
MDS-IS: Use Eclipse to develop the applications and Java is required, I am unsure of what client libraries are able to do (2 way operation).
Let me know if missing any option, or if I need to revise my understanding of the basics
This is actually quite a broad question - there are a lot of ways for a BlackBerry device to interact with a server, and the ideal way depends heavily on your specific application.
Generally:
MDS Studio: the Visual Studio 2008 method is no longer actively supported. It was a mostly visual forms designer, but not a great solution for a lot of reasons. Basically, don't use it.
Mobile Web: Depending on what you need to do, this might work. Everything server side. The thing to be aware of (and why this doesn't work for a lot of problems) is that prior to BlackBerry 6 the browser wasn't very capable, either in terms of HTML support or JavaScript support. You can, however, create shortcuts to mobile web sites which appear as icons on the BlackBerry homescreen. And you can use BlackBerry Web Signals: http://na.blackberry.com/eng/developers/browserdev/websignals.jsp to push changes to mobile web pages to devices
Widgets: Supported in BlackBerry OS 5 and higher. http://na.blackberry.com/eng/developers/browserdev/widgetsdk.jsp These are packaged much like 'native' BlackBerry apps, but written using HTML and JavaScript. Can be a good option for rapid development if you're ok with just targeting OS 5, and with the limitations of the BlackBerry Browser. Lots of JavaScript hooks to system functions, so they give you more functionality than pure mobile web, and you can distribute them through App World and the like.
Java Apps: Most development work, but you get potentially the best user experience, and the most functionality. Too broad a topic to cover adequately here, but there are a lot of questions related to these on SO and elsewhere. A good starting point is the BlackBerry developer zone: http://www.blackberry.com/developers RIM Push and PAP Push both fall into this category, as they interact with Java apps, though there are other methods that you can use to achieve similar results (client polling, or I've even seen SMS or email used to push info or wake up a client, though this isn't recommended by RIM).
For a deeper overview of the options I'd recommend a book by my friend John Wargo, called BlackBerry Development Fundamentals. He covers the various options pretty well.
I've been writing BlackBerry applications in Java and I'm interesting in developing widgets as well, but I'd like to have a look at a real world BlackBerry application implemented using the Widget API first. I find a lot of tutorials, code snippets and forum threads / stackoverflow questions regarding BlackBerry widgets, however I wasn't able to find a live widget that I can run on my BlackBerry (or maybe I just didn't realize it was a widget).
So, are there any (free) real world BlackBerry widgets I can try to learn the look and feel of BlackBerry widgets?
I finally stumbled over a small list of applications implemented as widgets:
http://www.blackberrycool.com/2010/08/17/examples-of-blackberry-widgets-in-app-world/
Which good resources for starting widget development for blackberry do you have?
Are there any tutorials that go further then a hello world? Advices on how to structure your app how to integrate second party java-script libraries something like this?
Sadly the rim documentation is nearly non existent.
This is an excellent blog with advanced concepts and tutorials:
http://www.thinkingblackberry.com/
And this site has a wonderful tutorial on creating a blackberry game that describes and exemplifies complex layout issues.
http://www.toniwestbrook.com/archives/69
Here are some great tutorials on RIM Widget API:
http://mobijournal.com/using-invoke-apis-in-your-blackberry-widget/
http://mobijournal.com/blackberry-sqlite-tutorial/
http://mobijournal.com/common-blackberry-webworks-development-pitfalls-that-can-be-avoided/
Recently I've been getting more and more into mobile development. I am currently working with the iPhone and Android based devices.
Palm's new WebOS looks interesting.
Are there any good online tutorials for quickly getting up to speed on developing for the Palm WebOS?
The Palm Developer Network has some basic overviews: http://developer.palm.com/
They also have a section up there: Palm webOS: Developing Applications in JavaScript Using the Palm Mojo Framework. This may be a good start.
Palm webOS: Developing Applications in JavaScript Using the Palm Mojo Framework is a book in the making, available currently through O'Reilly Rough Cuts program).
You can easily read the first chapter.
That's the closest you can get currently from official sources. Unless you apply to their SDK early access program (sdkapplication.palm.com/sdkapplication) and they let you in (you can apply for it until the SDK is officially released to the public).
Of course, another thing we can do until the SDK is out is catch up on whatever technologies we individually need that programming for Palm's webOS will require: JavaScript, HTML5, CSS... and there's ton of material about these online. Actually, there are many websites dedicated to Palm Pre and webOS that sprung up recently. The one that is more programming oriented that I know of is webOShelp.net: take a look at their Getting started with webOS guide (www.weboshelp.net/getting-started-with-webos).
P.S. sorry about not clickable links, had to play the system somehow ;) - it won't allow me to post more than one link since I'm new here.
Now that the device is out, people are actively playing with the device. Best site I have found so far is (no affiliation) http://predev.wikidot.com
Also, if you root the device, you can look at the source for the shipped apps in /usr/palm/applications
I have additional notes at http://friendfeed.com/
The site www.weboshelp.net has quite a few good tutorials.
This blog has a good tutorials:
http://kmdarshan.com/blog/category/webos/