Java Development

[masterT]

Hello, i created a couple of .png pictures in paint for the read and unread icon but i must be doing something wrong because when i make a browser channel push, the default icons shows up in blackberry home screen instead of mine. Can somebody tell me how to create suitable icons for channel push?

Thanks.

[JWeber]

The urls for the icons are set with the "X-Rim-Push-Unread-Icon-URL" and "X-Rim-Push-Read-Icon-URL" http header values. 

There is a JDE sample located at "..\samples\com\rim\samples\server\browserpushdemo" which demonstrates how to send a channel push (with read / unread icons).

Message Edited by JWeber on 07-22-2008 11:18 AM

[masterT]

I'm using the source code in http://na.blackberry.com/eng/developers/resources/journals/jul_2005/net_a_simple_push_application.js... to guide me in my development, which I belive is similar to the JDE sample you are referring to.

My problem it's not how to send a browser channel push with read and unread icons.

The problem is that when I send a browser channel push, the icons that show up in the blackberry home screen are the default icons and not the icons that I set with the "X-Rim-Push-Unread-Icon-URL" and "X-Rim-Push-Read-Icon-URL" http header values.

So I'm asking if you have any advice to solve this problem.

Thanks

[JWeber · Accepted solution]

I've tried the sample and confirmed it works.  Make sure your icon urls don't contain "localhost" but rather the computer name.  You will also want to make sure that you can navigate to the icon urls through the BlackBerry Browser.

[masterT]

Yes, I just have to replace "localhost" by the computer name in the icon urls to solve my problem.

Thanks JWeber

[marchywka]

What is required or what are options are there for actually getting  a BES address for testing and actual deployment?

Do you have a link you can post? I'm sure this is described somewhere I just have bad luck finding stuff like this.  

Thanks.

[MSohm]

The push would be sent to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server on which a user resides.  So you would be pushing to a server in your environment.  The MDS Simulator and BlackBerry Simulator can be used for testing.

Or are you asking where you can purchase a BlackBerry Enterprise Server?

[marchywka]

Well, sure, I'm not excluding "commercial" responses

I got a 7130 that came with a Reuter's icon that appears to have been a channel push icon.

As I understand this, Reuter's would have a server (BES) that pushes content and changes the icon

state to let me know something new is there. Apparently I don't have to be a part of a Reuters

enterprise, as long as they have me on a list I can get the new content and updated icon.

I guess I'm generally interested in BB push applications and what I can do without a special server but

if we need to get our own BES then, sure, I'd like to determine what the costs and benefits are ( sales literature

is fine). But, if I have demo code to let me send SMS on a given port and have a registered listener installed,

I would imagine this would let me get to anyphone that supports j2me and allows midlets to register for push

or as somekind of listener. So, I want the most portable push approach I can find, preferably one that allows

notification with an icon changes ( and better still an icon change that survives power cycling, I think the java docs

for the BB api's that allow programmatic icon change specificlly state they don't survive on-off).

Thanks.

[MSohm]

Here are a few developer knowledge base articles that should get you started.

How To - Deploy an icon to the BlackBerry smartphone for a web application or URL
Article Number: DB-00665

http://www.blackberry.com/knowledgecenterpublic/livelink.exe/fetch/2000/348583/800708/800655/How_To_...

How To - Define a rollover icon for an application 
Article Number: DB-00467

http://www.blackberry.com/knowledgecenterpublic/livelink.exe/fetch/2000/348583/800332/800505/800608/...

What is - Different ways to listen for SMS messages
Article Number: DB-00579

http://www.blackberry.com/knowledgecenterpublic/livelink.exe/fetch/2000/348583/800451/800563/What_Is...

How To - Use SMS to notify an application 
Article Number: DB-00533

http://www.blackberry.com/knowledgecenterpublic/livelink.exe/fetch/2000/348583/800451/800563/How_To_...

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Information

http://na.blackberry.com/eng/services/server/

[marchywka]

Thanks but a couple of " would be nice " thoughts:

1) Can you provide, in addition to the gui steps, something that describes what the MDS/BES/phone ultimately sees,

probably jad file contents? That is, the gui is not "The Thing" and while helpful for getting started doesn't

really tell you what needs to get done. I can start up the gui, go though the steps and look at the output

but it takes minutes to start on my machine and then I have to hunt for all the results etc.

I'm not just asking for personal convenience but illustrating the final result would be a bit more helpful.

2) I can talk with out SMS provider about sending binary SMS, but I'm still a bit curious to know if

RIM or the carriers provide any way to initiate contact to a particular user with a generic addressing scheme.

None of the j2me socket stuff is useful if you can't portably find the other end of the connection. For mobile initiated,

static IP terminated connections that's great but otherwise you are stuck. Is there any mechanism like

user.blackberry.net to synthesize a host name given some user info ( imei.blackberry.net would be nice, LOL)?

3) I'll look at the BES sales literature, I'm sure commercial info re BB is not going to be rejected by the moderator here

( I refuse to use the graphical emoticons since I'm tired of these html editors slowly everything down...)