BlackBerry as a mobile platform emerged from the pager era
to enterprise email technology. Blackberry came to be primarily known for their
ability to send and receive email using the push email mechanism, while
maintaining a high level of security through the on-device communication
channels. Developers have the privilege to develop custom applications using
APIs built on java ME or the BlackBerry proprietary APIs. As such the BlackBerry Apps Developers
anticipate a smooth and quick environment to leverage the usage of the exposed
APIs for BlackBerry web Development and BlackBerry Application
Development keeping in mind the security concerns of the
applications.
To achieve this, the primary focus must be on data and security. Additionally, specifications such as testing portability across multiple devices and data synchronization opens up new challenges for developers .These challenges need to be handled carefully and with full focus. To ease out on these challenges, there is a need for tools and automation to be introduced in the BlackBerry Application Development services. There are both open-source and commercial tools available to handle these challenges at every life Cycle stage.
Requirements: Rational Requirements Composer provides a
comprehensive set of features for work with requirement, extending from
requirement and use case management to advanced traceability and
prototyping capabilities.To achieve this, the primary focus must be on data and security. Additionally, specifications such as testing portability across multiple devices and data synchronization opens up new challenges for developers .These challenges need to be handled carefully and with full focus. To ease out on these challenges, there is a need for tools and automation to be introduced in the BlackBerry Application Development services. There are both open-source and commercial tools available to handle these challenges at every life Cycle stage.
Prototyping: Creating prototypes for Blackberry UIs can be realized using open source tools such as Evolus Pencil and iRise. Evolus Pencil provides features to create custom GUI templates and diagrams for BlackBerry applications based on various images. Prototyping is made easier with the simple Drag & Drop feature. iRise is another prototyping tool that can be used across platforms. UIs can be easily created with the drag & drop feature with support for template customizations based on the project requirements. It also provides features for simulations of the applications even before any coding. In addition, Blackberry provides its own suite of graphic design tools called Blackberry Theme Studio that allow developers to create colorful themes, splash screens and animations optimized for the Blackberry smart phones. Custom themes can be created and submitted to the Blackberry App World.
Design: For modeling and design, advanced tools such as IBM Rational Software Architect (RSA) can be used. Supported on the UML 2.2 specification, developers are given options to generate UML diagrams from the set of 14 different diagram types available in RSA with existing or custom defined patterns that can be applied based on the applications specifications.
Coding: The BlackBerry JDE provides a stand-alone environment with enhanced set of utilities and interfaces with rich RIM API references and various simulator models for development and deployment of applications. BlackBerry also offers a plug-in to Eclipse for developers who are accustomed to using the ideas their development environment. Additionally, platform independent open source tools are also available for BlackBerry Mobile App Development. Phone Gap is a development framework that supports development of applications using JavaScript, HTML5 and CSS across all the mobile platforms. It can also be used in collaboration with frameworks like jQuery Mobile, Sencha and others. MoSync comes as an IDE based on Eclipse which supports application development using C and C++.
PQM & Code Analysis: PMD Quality Analyzer for BlackBerry is an internally developed tool that can be used to perform static analysis of the applications against certain identified rule sets defined in the tool. It also incorporates the Infosys identified static analysis rules for BlackBerry. The tool also generates PQM reports based on the Infosys identified quality metrics.
Profiling & Coverage: BlackBerry Profiler is available as an inbuilt feature with the JDE and the Eclipse-plugin. It helps identify performance bottlenecks in the applications by capturing the memory allocations, heap storage, and deadlocks that further aid in program optimization. The JDE is also packaged with a Coverage utility that can be attached to the simulator or the device and captures information on the percentage coverage of code at package, method and class level. Though the utility lags behind w.r.t debugging information and usability, availability of an end-to-end development environment for BlackBerry with the JDE makes it a fitting choice for developers.
Testing: Various tools have been marketed commercially with support for testing applications across platforms. M-Eux Test provides automation testing of applications based on a record and playback model. It identifies an Object Pool based on the properties of the GUI elements identified during recording. This ensures a robust solution for functional testing in scenarios where UI change requests have a high probability. The Object Pool also supports re usability across test scripts. Test Quest Countdown is another automation tool available for functional testing of mobile applications incorporating comprehensive features such as test management, test case design and reporting.
BlackBerry is still undoubtedly the front-runner in the Mobile Enterprise domain. Its seamless integration with an organizations process and the Corporate Mail accounts with the sophisticated security encryption still act as the strongholds for ensuring RIM remains a top competitor. Tools Group ensures adequate automation solutions are standardized and made available to teams involved in development on the Blackberry platform.
