Since I couldn't figure out how to read parameters from the jad file, I had to generate scripts to make customer specific
( branded apps). I was able to just run the ide and look at the output in the build status box at the bottom and copy/paste
guess enough to make it work. I ended up with automated compile and signing but, probably due to some
other constraints, I never got the resource bundles to work right ( I'm trying to do everything without packages ).
It would be nice if invoking rapc with no options printed some help like most other command line apps 
I posted a signing script piece earlier.
I'm compiling under multiple JDE's on cygwin using this subroutine,
rimm_compile_rapc()
{
WK="warnkey=0x52424200;0x52525400;0x52435200"
RAPC="$rimm_compile_dir"/rapc.exe
#note that RROT could have changed up until now, so convert to windoze lazily
FUPAT=`cygpath -w "$rimm_compile_dir"`
# equivalent to TDW
cd "$2"
MID2="$1.rapc"
JNAMEX="$1".jad
if [ -e "$JNAMEX" ]
then
#echo need to manually deletee $JNAMEX or jad will have multiple entries...
echo you should remove $JNAMEX to avoid dup entires, deleting now, hope that is ok
rm "$JNAMEX"
fi
echo using $RAPC $FUPAT
# I think we have cd'ed to TDW so paths removed..
$RAPC -quiet import="$FUPAT\..\lib\net_rim_api.jar" codename="$1" $MIDFLAG "$MID2" "$WK" ${STUFF} "xxx.java" "xxx.png" -icon "xxx.png"
if [ "$?" != "0" ] ; then echo compiler failed so stop ; exit -1; fi
}
