Web and WebWorks Development

[stefanybaez]

Hey everyone, I've been looking for a while but have found no real guidance regarding what I'm trying to do.

I just started developing for BlackBerry (though I know Java so I'm not a complete n00b when it comes to programming itself). I want to make an application for my blog, basically get notifications of new posts and be able to check old posts too. I'm not sure how to start, I'm assuming I need the web dev kit since it's a web application, but then after that I'm kinda lost. Can anyone guide me? I'd very much appreciate it

[astanley]

Hello stefanybaez,

Welcome to the BlackBerry development forums!

From your description It sounds like the BlackBerry WebWorks Application Platform will fit your needs very well.

Overview:

The BlackBerry WebWorks Application Platform enables developers to easily and efficiently create fully featured and visually stunning BlackBerry applications using solely web technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript.  Through the use of provided JavaScript APIs, new or existing web content can be enhanced by integrating it with features and capabilities of the BlackBerry Device Software.  Some examples of this include click-to-calendar or click-to-address book, Push alerts, offline access, retrieving GPS information or even launching 3^rd party applications, among many others.  This synergy enables developers to leverage the best of both Web and Java technologies that are available on the BlackBerry platform.  As well, developers can leverage the powerful WebKit browser rendering engine which offers the benefits of the various capabilities of the HTML5 and CSS3 web standards.

For your interest, each of the following applications were created using the WebWorks App platform and can be found in BlackBerry App World.  I wanted to highlight “LA Phil” as it is a very nice example of a well designed application: LA Phil, Birdseye, gList, LEDart.ME, Loan Analyzer.

Getting started:

All development tools and resources are available, or linked to, from the Web Development Tools & Downloads page.   Various learning resources  (Labs, Tutorials, Sample Code, Videos, etc) are available to assist developers become more familiar with what you can do on the WebWorks App Platform.  I’d encourage you to review the following:

• BlackBerry WebWorks SDK documentation
• WebWorks API Reference Guide
• Sample code: Weather App, SketchPad, RSS Reader

To get started, the following development tools can be installed in the following order:

1. Java Development Kit v1.6 - must be in place before using our development tools
2. BlackBerry Widget SDK – Command line utility that performs the actual packaging of files into a standalone application
3. BlackBerry Web Plug-in (Optional) - Makes it easier to build applications by using a familiar development environment (Note: You can choose a Plug-in either for Eclipse or Visual Studio, depending on personal preference).

Hope that helps.  Please feel free to keep us posted on your progress and whether you have any follow up questions. 

Sincerely,

Adam

[stefanybaez]

This is AWESOME. Thanks for your help!

[astanley]

My pleasure, happy to help.

Good luck and keep us posted of your progress 

Cheers,

Adam