This tutorial will show you how to create non-trivial lists using ListField. I will create a sample program that allows you to create, remove, update, delete the contents of a list (that’s backed by a Vector). The list field contains rows of selectable list items. It allows you to display a list of items, and load this list of objects from an array or vector.  When using a ListField you have to provide an implementation of the ListFieldCallback interface to perform drawing tasks. This callback constitutes the view and model (using MVC terminology). The controller is the ListField class.

Proceed to the full tutorial - Working with BlackBerry list fields

This tutorial will show you the various ways to create an HTTP networking connection from your BlackBerry device to an HTTP server (web service, servlet, etc). The complicated part about doing this on a BlackBerry is deciding which transport you would like to use, and which transport you can use.

Proceed to the full tutorial - Creating a BlackBerry HTTP Connection

This tutorial will show you how to create field (component) backgrounds and borders (decoration). Each field can have a border and a background property. You can use the border to space out fields in your UI, and you can use them to add whitespace. The background allows you to set the background color property of your field and make it fit the look for your app.

Proceed to the full tutorial - BlackBerry field borders and backgrounds

This tutorial will show you how to create a very simple custom field (component) using the RIM API. If you’re familiar with Swing, then this code will not be a surprise to you. There are some similarities between AWT/Swing and RIM UI API.

Proceed to the full tutorial - Creating a BlackBerry custom field

This tutorial will show you how the use the gauge field to show progress in your apps. This is useful when your app is performing long running tasks that need to report feedback to the user. The gauge field is a horizontal component that can be used to display status or progress. It displays a percentage from 0 to 100 and you can set a label before it to display any progress/status messages. You can even overlay the label inside of the gauge field, so that it won’t be displayed before it, but inside of it (on top of the progress bar that’s drawn).

Proceed to the full tutorial - Using the BlackBerry gauge field to display progress

This tutorial will show you how to ask a user (of your BlackBerry app) for permissions that are required in order for your app to function properly. There are many APIs in the RIM API that will cause a prompt to be displayed in the BlackBerry UI that will require a user to provide explicit permission to access certain API functionality or access to certain hardware features or data on the device. Instead of interrupting the UI, it’s possible to ask the user for all of these permissions at the very beginning. By the way, if the user does not grant permissions when this popup appears, then an exception will be thrown which you have to deal with.

To learn more about the basics on permissions, read this how-to. This tutorial gives you a sneak peek into the use of this API, to explore these (and many other advanced features) in-depth we provide excellent BlackBerry Training Programs.

Proceed to the full tutorial - Asking for BlackBerry application permissions upfront

In this tutorial, I will show you how to quickly manage screens using the RIM UI API. The BlackBerry OS maintains a stack of screens, and your app can be pushed and popped from this stack. These are normal screen display operations. You can even hide your screen from the display, and it will show the BlackBerry home screen. You can close the screen as well. For the basics of creating a simple GUI BlackBerry app, click here.

Proceed to the full tutorial - Creating with BlackBerry screens

This tutorial will simply walk you through the various layout managers available to you using RIM’s UI API (not MIDP). RIM’s layout managers are akin to Swing layout managers, and allow you to arrange lots of fields (aka components in Swing), on the screen. You can create your own layout managers, just like in Swing, but this tutorial will show you how to use the built in ones. If none of the layout managers shown here work for you, then you can composite layout managers to get the desired look for your app, before creating your own.

Proceed to the full tutorial - Creating your first GUI BlackBerry App

If you are a BlackBerry developer, you are familiar with BlackBerry code signing keys. If you are consumer you may not know that in order for a company to make BlackBerry apps, it must apply for “code signing keys ” from RIM.  RIM requires certification that companies are legitimate, legal, and properly registered before they will give out code signing keys to them, and developers must put these keys into the apps they make in order for them to work.

That is just one level of security that RIM employs to ensure good quality, and safe apps for the consumer. When you install an app on your BlackBerry, you are probably familiar with permissions, and the permissions pop-ups you get when you run an app for the first time. If you have BES you have been asked to “grant an app trusted application status”. I am going to go into more details about permissions and the multiple levels of security from device-level to server-level security that every consumer should be aware of.

Proceed to the full tutorial - Security & Application Permissions For BlackBerry Apps

This tutorial will simply walk you through creating your first GUI app using RIM’s UI API (not MIDP). Only a skeleton will be created, that you can later expand.

Proceed to the full tutorial - Creating your first GUI BlackBerry App