Getting started with Blackberry Development in Eclipse

Setting up your development tools for BlackBerry Java applications

If you’re developing Java® applications for the BlackBerry® device, there are a number of tools you can use to develop your application. In this article, we will focus on setting up the BlackBerry® Java® Plug-in for Eclipse®.

The BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse extends the Eclipse® development framework to allow you to develop a BlackBerry Java application for the BlackBerry device. In Eclipse and Eclipse-based IDEs, the plug-in provides the tools to develop, debug, optimize, and localize your application.

System requirements

Before downloading the BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse, make sure your computer meets the following system requirements:

Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon™ Desktop Processor 2.5GHz or faster
1.5 GB or more available hard disk space
2 GB RAM or more
Monitor with 1024 x 768 resolution or higher
Windows Vista®, Windows® XP, or Windows® 7 (Note: 64-bit versions require 32-bit Java® and 32-bit Eclipse).
Java® Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE) Development Kit (JDK) 6, update 14 or later

Task 1: Downloading and installing the Java SE JDK

Note: If you already have Java SE JDK 6 update 14 or later installed on your computer, you can proceed to the next task.

Go to www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html .
Click Download JDK.
From the Platform drop-down list, select the platform you are developing on.
After reviewing the license agreement, select the license checkbox. Click Continue.
Click the filename and save the file to a location on your computer.
Double-click the exe file and proceed with the installation.
Update the PATH environment variable to point to the newly installed JDK by completing the following steps:
From the Control Panel, select System.
On the Advanced tab, click Environment Variables.
Under System variables, select the Path variable and click Edit.
At the beginning of the Variable value field, type the path of the JDK followed by a semicolon ; For example, C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_21\bin;
Click OK to save and close the Environment Variables window.
In the Environment Variables, update the JAVA_HOME variable to point to the newly installed JDK. Use the instructions in the prior step to update the JAVA_HOME variable.

Task 2: Downloading and installing the BlackBerry Java Plug-in and the Eclipse IDE

Note: If you have a registered account on the BlackBerry® Developer Zone, please log in. By using your registered account, you avoid having to complete download agreements for each time you download a file. You can log in or register for an account at www.blackberry.com/developers.

Go to www.blackberry.com/developers/java.
Click the Development tools and downloads link.
Click the Download the BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse v1.3 (full installer) link. This installer includes both the BlackBerry Java Plug-in-in for Eclipse and Eclipse 3.6.
Click Download.
Click Save, and then save the file to a location on your computer.
Double-click the setup application file.
Click Run.
On the Introduction screen, click Next.
Review the license agreement, and then select I accept the terms of the License Agreement.
Click Next.
Choose a location where you would like to install Eclipse. You can use the default location that’s specified on the screen or you specify a different folder location. Note: The folder must be empty.
Click Next.
On the Select Additional Tasks screen, select where you want the setup application to create shortcuts for the BlackBerry Java Plug-in.
Click Next.
Review the information on the Pre-installation Summary screen, and then click Install.
Click Done.

You have successfully completed the installation of the BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse and the Eclipse installation.

When you first launch the BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse, Eclipse will prompt you to specify a workspace. This workspace contains all the application projects you plan to work on.