BlackBerry Development Fundamentals

This chapter barely touched the peak of the iceberg called BlackBerry Java development. Chapters 12, 13, 14 & 15 cover using the Java development tools RIM offers and the following chapter covers how to test and debug BlackBerry Java applications.

In the mean time, there are a lot of resources available to help you understand every aspect of BlackBerry Java development. The complete API reference is installed along with the developer tools, but you can also find the same information available online at http://www.blackberry.com/developers/docs/4.7.0api/index.html. Since the API’s available to developers change with every version of the BlackBerry Device Software, there’s a separate version released for each edition of the development tools.

The best place to go to get questions answered is the BlackBerry Developer Forums available at http://supportforums.blackberry.com/rim/?category.id=BlackBerryDevelopment. I’m up there almost every day answering questions and you can also find many of the RIM product developers and other experienced BlackBerry developers there to help you. Be sure to mark your posts as complete when you receive the correct answer and be sure to give Kudos to those who help you.

There’s a ton of information available on the BlackBerry Developer’s web site. The most important place to look is the Developer’s Resources section. On the Resources page, you will find links to:

• Developer Video Library – Video demonstrations of many developer topics.
• Developer Documentation – All of the developer documentation.
• Developer Tools & Downloads – Free development tools and related downloads.
• Online Forums – Direct access to the Developer Forums.
• Partner Services – Information on the different RIM partners offering custom application development services, application testing services and more.
• Developer Knowledge Base – Searchable database containing articles written by the BlackBerry development team and developer support personnel.
• Developer Labs – Hands-on lab exercises designed to help any developer get started with BlackBerry development.
• Developer tutorials – Step by step instructions on several developer topics.
• BlackBerry Developer Newsletter – Sign up for email updates from RIM on developer topics.
• Developer Issue Tracker – Access to a web application that allows developers to submit development-related issues and feature requests for consideration by the RIM product team.
• BlackBerry Administration API – Information on the new BlackBerry Administration API released with BES 5.0. Allows developers to write applications that interact with the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution.

For additional information on CLDC and the capabilities it provides refer to http://java.sun.com/products/cldc/ and http://wikipedia.org/wiki/CLDC.

For additional information on the MIDP specification, refer to http://java.sun.com/products/midp/ and http://wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDP.

All of the BlackBerry Java development tools can be downloaded from www.blackberry/developers.

RIM has published the BlackBerry Smartphones – User Interface Guidelines to make it easier for developers to understand how BlackBerry applications should act.

For information on how to leverage the GPS capabilities of a device or invoke the BlackBerry Maps application, refer to the BlackBerry Java Development Environment - GPS and BlackBerry Maps - Development Guide.

There are several interesting knowledge base articles related to concepts in this chapter:

• How to - Invoke the browser (Article #DB-00701)
• What Is - Global Events and Global Event Listeners (Article #DB-00145)
• How To - Access and Obtain Service Books (Article #DB-00418)

To access the articles, go to www.blackberry.com/developers and search for the relevant knowledge base article.