Native Development

[cstepaniuk]

Hi,

First when I say Native SDK I'm not referring to anythign releated to BB10, I'm talking about PlayBerry Playbook v2.0.

I've been experimenting with the Native SDK and with the provided samples and I'm trying to determine how to write a simple data entry application with the Native SDK?  Is that what the Native SDK is meant for?  Or am I going it about it the wrong way?

What is the recommended way to write those types of applications?  I noticed there is a Dialog Sample and a Keyboard Sample, but that's where the data entry types of UI stop in the Samples section.  I was wondering how do I create Buttons, Toggle Buttons, Lists, etc for the Native SDK?

Thanks!

[peter9477]

You're not talking about BB10, but you're trying to use the Native SDK for things like simple data entry applications... basically yes, you're going about it the wrong way. That's not what the Native SDK (alone) is meant for.

The recommend way to write those applications will be with the Cascades SDK (which builds on the Native SDK but adds a UI framework based on Qt/QML), or with WebWorks which is of course HTML5+Javascript.

The dialog sample shows the use of system dialogs, but because those are implemented with a system service outside your app, they are inflexible. There's a fixed set of them, and if you don't like how they look or what they do, you can't change it.

The Cascades stuff is here: https://bdsc.webapps.blackberry.com/cascades/

Unfortunately, at least for now we can't use this for the PlayBook, so if you absolutely must deploy this before the fall, your only real option is WebWorks, or possibly the AIR SDK (which is pretty mature and quite capable of what you want).

[jheron]

I would recommend using Qt creator to build your application. Then you can release it for playbook (as well as multiple other mobile and desktop platforms) as soon as its done.

If its just a simple data entry application then qml/js may be all you need...

If you decide to update the ui to a native bb10 look and feel (cascades) in the future it should not be too intensive at all...

There are many examples and tutorials for Qt/qml apps, some are even included with the QtSDK.

If you decide to use qml I have ported the symbian qt components over to the playbook platform and they work well, a search here will find them for you.

Good luck!

Jon

[peter9477]

I'll second the suggestion from jheron actually, as Qt on the PlayBook (using QtGui instead of Cascades, and not getting the native BB10 look and feel until/unless someone clones it) is certainly an option. QtCreator is probably a good way to go about it. Worth considering.