Karl G. Kowalski RSA, The Security Division of EMC Learn to: • Download and work with the JDE • Take advantage of developer tools, including device and service simulators • Create your own BlackBerry apps • Submit your apps to BlackBerry App World and get them accepted BlackBerry ® Application Development Making Everything Easier! ™ Visit the companion Web site at www.dummies.com/ go/blackberryappdev to find source code files for the code listings in the book. Open the book and find: • The tools you need to start programming apps • How to decide which JDE version to download and use • Pointers for creating menus and screens • Hints for using threads • How to use different types of storage in your app • How to use simulators and real devices to test your app • Tips to get your app accepted to BlackBerry App World • How to submit multiple versions of your app and upgrade it Karl G. Kowalski writes application software for mobile platforms including BlackBerry, iPhone, and J2ME devices. He has developed software for several versions of the RSA SecurID® product, BlackBerry devices, and the first version of RSA SecurID for iPhone devices. $29.99 US / $35.99 CN / £21.99 UK ISBN 978-0-470-46711-4 Programming/Application Development Go to Dummies.com ® for videos, step-by-step examples, how-to articles, or to shop! Be a part of the BlackBerry boom and learn to program for one of the hottest handhelds around With more than 50 million BlackBerry users, it’s no wonder the BlackBerry developer community is growing. Now you can join the ranks. With this practical, hands-on guide, you’ll develop an application from concept to completion. From coding your app to uploading it to BlackBerry App World and selling it, adding more juice to your BlackBerry apps has never been easier! • Discover the world of app development — register as a developer and begin coding your first app • Dive into code — create and display screens, accept and store data, and use threads to multitask • Create apps for the corporate enterprise — understand how the BES can affect your app’s ability to run properly and connect to networks • Put the finishing touches on your app — debug your application both on a simulator and on a real device • Sell your app — deploy your app to BlackBerry App World and upgrade it down the road BlackBerry ® Application Development Kowalski Spine: .816” www.it-ebooks.info Spine: .816” Start with FREE Cheat Sheets Cheat Sheets include • Checklists • Charts • Common Instructions • And Other Good Stuff! Get Smart at Dummies.com Dummies.com makes your life easier with 1,000s of answers on everything from removing wallpaper to using the latest version of Windows. Check out our • Videos • Illustrated Articles • Step-by-Step Instructions Plus, each month you can win valuable prizes by entering our Dummies.com sweepstakes. * Want a weekly dose of Dummies? Sign up for Newsletters on • Digital Photography • Microsoft Windows & Office • Personal Finance & Investing • Health & Wellness • Computing, iPods & Cell Phones • eBay • Internet • Food, Home & Garden Find out “HOW” at Dummies.com *Sweepstakes not currently available in all countries; visit Dummies.com for official rules. Get More and Do More at Dummies.com ® To access the Cheat Sheet created specifically for this book, go to www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/blackberryapplicationdevelopment Mobile Apps There’s a Dummies App for This and That With more than 200 million books in print and over 1,600 unique titles, Dummies is a global leader in how-to information. Now you can get the same great Dummies information in an App. With topics such as Wine, Spanish, Digital Photography, Certification, and more, you’ll have instant access to the topics you need to know in a format you can trust. To get information on all our Dummies apps, visit the following: www.Dummies.com/go/mobile from your computer. www.Dummies.com/go/iphone/apps from your phone. www.it-ebooks.info by Karl G. Kowalski Software developer for RSA Security BlackBerry ® Application Development FOR DUMmIES ‰ 01_467114-ffirs.indd i01_467114-ffirs.indd i 8/30/10 1:03 PM8/30/10 1:03 PM www.it-ebooks.info BlackBerry ® Application Development For Dummies ® Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http:// www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/ or its af liates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. BlackBerry is a trademark or registered trademark of Research In Motion Limited. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITH- OUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZA- TION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ. FULFILLMENT OF EACH COUPON OFFER IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OFFEROR. For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Control Number: 2010935568 ISBN: 978-0-470-46711-4 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 01_467114-ffirs.indd ii01_467114-ffirs.indd ii 8/30/10 1:03 PM8/30/10 1:03 PM www.it-ebooks.info About the Author Karl Kowalski has traveled the world of software development for far longer than he really wants to remember. He has written code for everything from airplanes, to voice recognition, to robot submarines, to games, and even particle accelerators, and he has developed software on everything from mainframes to cellphones. He lives near Boston and works for RSA, the Security Division of EMC, where his tasks include developing security solutions for mobile platforms, most especially the BlackBerry smartphone. In his spare time, he develops software for smartphones such as BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android as part of his startup, BlazingApps LLC (www.blazing apps.com). Dedication To my parents, Stanley and Constance Kowalski, who are always there for me, and who at every step helped me to become who I am today. Thanks, Dad, for introducing me to programming computers, back before I could do algebra. To my siblings — Lee Anne, Rosemarie, and Joseph — who always kept me honest about taking time off from writing. Special thanks to Lee Anne who helped me get started when I rst mentioned the idea. To my friend Pauline, who saw me through some of the hard parts of becoming a writer. Finally, to the members of the RSA Credentials Everywhere team: I couldn’t have done this without your encouragement and support. Author’s Acknowledgments Many thanks go to Carole Jelen, agent extraordinaire, who never gave up on me nor let me give up on myself. Acquisitions Editor Katie Mohr helped me greatly through my learning to write For Dummies experience and also with ideas and motivation for moving ahead. Project Editor Jean Nelson deserves enormous thanks for putting up with a wet-behind-the-ears writer as I worked to stay on target and stick to the schedule. Senior Copy Editor Teresa Artman was very helpful in her efforts to take my typing and turn it into something readable. Special thanks also to Leah Cameron for her feedback as I learned to write For Dummies. Thanks to Christopher Parsons for his technical review. Thanks to Robert Philpott at EMC for his work to ensure that I maintained a distinct separation between my EMC efforts and my writing efforts. 01_467114-ffirs.indd iii01_467114-ffirs.indd iii 8/30/10 1:03 PM8/30/10 1:03 PM www.it-ebooks.info Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Project Editor: Jean Nelson Senior Acquisitions Editor: Katie Mohr Senior Copy Editor: Teresa Artman Technical Editor: Christopher Parsons (Bla1ze) Editorial Manager: Kevin Kirschner Media Development Project Manager: Laura Moss-Hollister Media Development Assistant Project Manager: Jenny Swisher Media Development Associate Producers: Josh Frank, Marilyn Hummel, Douglas Kuhn, Shawn Patrick Editorial Assistant: Amanda Graham Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case Cartoons: Rich Tennant ( www.the5thwave.com) Composition Services Project Coordinators: Katherine Crocker, Kristie Rees Layout and Graphics: Samantha K. Cherolis, Joyce Haughey, Christin Swinford Proofreaders: Melissa D. Buddendeck, Dwight Ramsey Indexer: BIM Indexing & Proofreading Services Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director Publishing for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher Composition Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 01_467114-ffirs.indd iv01_467114-ffirs.indd iv 8/30/10 1:03 PM8/30/10 1:03 PM www.it-ebooks.info Contents at a Glance Introduction 1 Part I: Getting Started on BlackBerry Apps 7 Chapter 1: Gathering What You Need to Develop BlackBerry Apps 9 Chapter 2: Registering and Downloading 33 Chapter 3: Coding with the BlackBerry Java Development Environment 59 Part II: BlackBerry Application Development 77 Chapter 4: Designing and Organizing Your BlackBerry App 79 Chapter 5: Setting Up Screens and User Interfaces 109 Chapter 6: Storing Your Users’ Data 137 Chapter 7: Getting Tied Up in Threads 163 Part III: Developing Enterprise-Class BlackBerry Apps 197 Chapter 8: Writing Apps for the Enterprise 199 Chapter 9: Networking Your BlackBerry App 215 Part IV: Finishing and Debugging Your App 241 Chapter 10: Running Your Code on a Real Device 243 Chapter 11: Debugging Your Application 257 Chapter 12: Submitting to the BlackBerry App World 275 Part V: Securing and Supporting Your App 297 Chapter 13: Best Practices for Application Development 299 Chapter 14: Application Deployment and Upgrades 321 Part VI: The Part of Tens 337 Chapter 15: Ten Most Useful Sample BlackBerry Apps 339 Chapter 16: Ten BlackBerry Development Tips 343 Part VII: Appendixes 349 Appendix A: Device and Service Simulators 351 Appendix B: Real Devices and Services 365 Index 379 02_467114-ftoc.indd v02_467114-ftoc.indd v 8/30/10 1:03 PM8/30/10 1:03 PM www.it-ebooks.info 02_467114-ftoc.indd vi02_467114-ftoc.indd vi 8/30/10 1:03 PM8/30/10 1:03 PM www.it-ebooks.info Table of Contents Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Conventions Used in This Book 2 Foolish Assumptions 3 How This Book Is Organized 4 Icons Used in This Book 5 Where to Go from Here 6 Part I: Getting Started on BlackBerry Apps 7 Chapter 1: Gathering What You Need to Develop BlackBerry Apps. . . . 9 Why Develop BlackBerry Apps? 9 Discovering Apps, BlackBerry Style 11 Getting familiar with standard apps 11 Understanding how users navigate and use their BlackBerry smartphones 12 Filling Your Toolbox 18 Downloading the software you need 18 Gathering BlackBerry simulators 19 Building or buying a development computer 20 Choosing a BlackBerry device 22 Using Your Programming Skills 23 Java programming for BlackBerry 24 Debugging 25 Using software patterns 25 Understanding BlackBerry Application Development Challenges 27 Choosing an OS version 27 Programming defensively 29 Entering a Brave, New BlackBerry App World 30 Deciding what kind of app to create 31 Brainstorming, alone or in groups 31 Becoming a BlackBerry developer and App World vendor 32 Chapter 2: Registering and Downloading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Registering with RIM 33 Signing Up to Be a Citizen of the App World 37 Getting the JDE 42 Which JDE version is right for you? 44 Playing it safe 46 02_467114-ftoc.indd vii02_467114-ftoc.indd vii 8/30/10 1:03 PM8/30/10 1:03 PM www.it-ebooks.info BlackBerry Application Development For Dummies viii Downloading and Installing a JDE 47 Downloading and Using Alternate Device Simulators 50 Tapping Helpful Resources 54 Perusing the API documentation 54 Digging into online developer documentation 55 Exercising your Google-fu 57 Asking for help on the developer forums 57 Chapter 3: Coding with the BlackBerry Java Development Environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Getting Familiar with the JDE 59 Creating a BlackBerry Application with the JDE 60 What does the JDE actually do? 61 The JDE display 63 Building and Running Your First BlackBerry App 64 Creating your rst app 65 Creating the display class 69 Building your application 72 Adding an Alternate Entry Point 74 Creating and con guring an AEP Project 74 Adding AEP code to your app’s main( ) routine 76 Part II: BlackBerry Application Development 77 Chapter 4: Designing and Organizing Your BlackBerry App . . . . . . . .79 Getting Creative and Keeping a Record 79 Planning What Your App Will Do 81 The Fundamentals of BlackBerry Applications 82 Parts of every BlackBerry app 83 The phases of a BlackBerry application 83 Handling Screens and Callbacks 92 Screen management 93 Callbacks: The Java version of phoning home 101 Chapter 5: Setting Up Screens and User Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 The Screen 110 Choosing a screen type 110 Creating a screen 111 Extending a screen’s basic functionality 114 User Interface Elements 115 User interface callbacks 117 Creating a custom user interface element 118 Menus 119 Understanding the MenuItem class 120 Creating a menu in a BlackBerry application 121 Responding to User Interaction 123 02_467114-ftoc.indd viii02_467114-ftoc.indd viii 8/30/10 1:03 PM8/30/10 1:03 PM www.it-ebooks.info [...]... and sell their applications to all BlackBerry users BlackBerry Application Development For Dummies shows you how to develop an application from concept to completion, from coding to uploading it to the BlackBerry App World to sell it to BlackBerry users About This Book BlackBerry Application Development For Dummies is a guide to developing BlackBerry smartphone applications No BlackBerry development experience... the entire set All through my early BlackBerry development, I searched for a book that would show me the whys and hows to get my applications working right I didn’t find anything Eventually, I decided it was time to write the book I had been searching for — BlackBerry Application Development For Dummies This book helps you sift through the resources of BlackBerry development to reveal only what’s absolutely... Java For Dummies, 4th Edition, by Barry Burd, or Java All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies, 2nd Edition, by Doug Lowe and Barry Burd (all from Wiley Publishing) Sun’s online tutorials are helpful as well How This Book Is Organized The chapters in BlackBerry Application Development For Dummies are divided into seven parts Part I: Getting Started on BlackBerry Apps Part I takes you into the world of BlackBerry. .. world of BlackBerry application development You find out about BlackBerry applications in general, and you discover some of the challenges that your app might encounter on a BlackBerry smartphone You also discover how to become a registered BlackBerry developer and all the steps you need to take so you’re ready to deliver to the BlackBerry App World Part II: BlackBerry Application Development In Part... a BlackBerry application developer and downloaded the JDE, I recommend you hop right to Chapter 2 If you have a particular question or problem, check the Index or Table of Contents to find the information you need If you have questions or comments about the book or BlackBerry development in general, contact me at kgkfordummies@gmail.com You can also find additional information about my BlackBerry application, ... Macintosh OSX tool for BlackBerry development, unless you use a virtualization application (an application that allows you to run other operating systems within it) RIM offers a plug-in for the Eclipse development environment Eclipse is an open source (free) Java development environment you can download from www.eclipse.org This book concentrates on development using the RIM JDE, but if you’re comfortable using... the current version of BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse is 1.1, and makes use of the BlackBerry OS 5.0 APIs Information about the RIM Eclipse plugin can be found at http://na .blackberry. com/eng/developers/devbetasoftware/javaplugin.jsp Gathering BlackBerry simulators The BlackBerry JDE comes with several supporting applications to assist you in developing a quality BlackBerry application You use smartphone... of memory A good midrange computer with a large amount of memory, as much as it can use, will support your needs for BlackBerry application development Table 1-1 shows the requirements for a bare-bones development PC and for a development PC with power to spare Table 1-1 Requirements for a Development PC Equipment Minimum Requirements Optimum Requirements Processor 2.0 GHz processor 3.0 GHz multi-code... Part I: Getting Started on BlackBerry Apps Figure 1-1: The BlackBerry Curve Home Screen with the Browser application selected Figure 1-2: The Browser application in action Here are a few other reasons why I see the BlackBerry as a great development opportunity: ✓ BlackBerry applications tend to be small This makes them easy to develop and maintain, and they don’t require a large development team: You need... to run ✓ The BlackBerry Java Development Environment (JDE): You can get the JDE for free, but you must become a registered BlackBerry developer first Registration is also free Registering with RIM and downloading the JDE are covered in detail in Chapter 2 www.it-ebooks.info 03_467114-intro.indd 303_467114-intro.indd 3 8/30/10 1:03 PM8/30/10 1:03 PM 4 BlackBerry Application Development For Dummies And . advertise, and sell their applications to all BlackBerry users. BlackBerry Application Development For Dummies shows you how to develop an application from concept. the BlackBerry App World to sell it to BlackBerry users. About This Book BlackBerry Application Development For Dummies is a guide to developing BlackBerry