I am proud to introduce a new series of articles from Epic Applications around BlackBerry development. Whether you are trying to get started with BlackBerry development, or are just looking for some tips, you should find this series interesting.
In this first part, we will discuss the very basics of getting started and show you how to get Eclipse, the BlackBerry plug-in, and several simulators going.
Prerequisites
- Windows XP, Vista or 7
- Some programming experience
- The BlackBerry platform uses Java 2 Micro Edition, which is a stripped down version of Java. If you have never programmed before, you likely won’t make it very far.
Every developer has a different way of setting things up, and I have chosen to use Eclipse and a BlackBerry plug-in. RIM also offers an integrated JDE, however, it lacks productivity tools like auto-complete and many of the other benefits of Eclipse.
Step 1: Install Eclipse
Eclipse is an open source IDE which has a powerful extensibility model which RIM is utilizing. Not all versions of Eclipse are compatible with the RIM plugi-ins, so I recommend Ganymede.
When the download is complete, extract it into a dedicated folder, for example /My Documents/Eclipse. Once you have finished extracting the files, open up eclipse.exe.
When it starts (which can take a while), you will be asked for a workspace directory. This is where all your files will be saved, and should be in a secure location. I highly recommend you set up an automated back up of this folder to insure you against accidental deletions. I have been using iDrive, which is free.
2. Install the BlackBerry Eclipse Plug-in
Now that you have Eclipse up and running, we need to install the BlackBerry tools which add the functionality specific to BlackBerry’s that we need.
figure 1
Be sure to take note of where you download the file to, as you will need to remember it from inside Eclipse.
Back in Eclipse, select Help and then Software Updates. Click on the Available Software tab, and select Add Site…, then click on Archive. You will now need to select the plugin file that you just downloaded. Please note Eclipse is looking for a .zip, so if you extracted it, go back and get the .zip.
figure 2
Once you have selected the plug-in, click OK. You will now see a screen that shows the BlackBerry JDE Plug-in for Eclipse next to a checkbox. Select the checkbox next to the it which should subsequently check the boxes below it (fig. 2), then click Install.
A dialog will pop up asking you to confirm the installation. Click Finish to move on. After installation is complete, Eclipse will ask you to restart itself, and you should click Yes.
Step 3: Download Device Simulators
The plug-in we installed came with a simulator for BlackBerry OS 4.5, however, that is a bit outdated now. It is the OS that runs on the Curve 8330s and some of the other older devices. RIM provides a simulator for many devices, and I recommend you download 2 more to get started.
- Download Storm (4.7.0) component pack
- Storm users are the most active in the BlackBerry community and are a market you want to be sure to cater to. This component pack allows you to utilize the touch specific features that the Storm offers, as well as test your other apps on the different screen resolution of the Storm.
- Download Curve 8900 (4.6.1) component pack
- The Curve 8900 is my choice for 4.6 devices as the simulator starts a bit faster, and the dimensions of the screen match that of the new Tour, which is a very popular device.
Install both of the component packs above using the same process we used to install the plug-in in Step 2.
Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon, which will show you how to get your first app running in the simulator!
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This is a really clear and concise article. Much easier to follow then the actual tutorials available on RIM’s website. One thing I would suggest adding is a comment regarding Win 7 64 bit support. I think that new users will have trouble getting this to work in a 64 bit environment. If you have any advice on that it would be great to share in this article.
Thanks,
Brad