Sign a BlackBerry 7 or earlier app

Using the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK to sign your app

You can sign your application at the same time that you package it by adding the -g <password> option to the package command.

Before you begin: Make sure that you have created an archive file (zip file) of your application.

1. At a command prompt, navigate to the installation folder for the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK, where the bbwp.exe file is located. The file path may vary based on where you installed the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK.
   For Windows XP:

   cd C:\Program Files\Research In Motion\BlackBerry WebWorks SDK <version>

   For Windows 7:

   cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Research In Motion\BlackBerry WebWorks SDK <version>

   For Mac OS:

   cd "/Developer/SDKs/Research In Motion/BlackBerry WebWorks SDK <version>"

2. Type the following command to package and sign your application:

   bbwp <archive_file> -g <password> -o <output_location>

   where:

   • <archive_file> is the name and location of the application archive file (your zip file)
   • <password> is the password that you specified when you registered your code signing keys with the RIM Signing Authority
   • <output_location> is the location where you want the output files to be created

   Windows example:

   bbwp C:\myapp\HelloWorld.zip -g mypassword -o C:\myapp\signed

   Mac OS example:

   ./bbwp ~/myapp/HelloWorld.zip -g mypassword -o ~/myapp/signed

   When you execute this command, the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK packages your application and then starts the BlackBerry Signature Tool to sign your application.

   
   

   
   
   
   After your application is successfully signed:

   • The RIM Signing Authority sends you email messages indicating that your application was successfully signed.
   • The BlackBerry WebWorks SDK creates two folders: OTAInstall and StandardInstall in the output location you specified. These folders contain the signed COD files.

OTAInstall and StandardInstall folders

When you package and build your application with the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK, two folders are created: OTAInstall and StandardInstall. These folders contain the files you will need to deploy your application. If you choose to deploy your application by using the BlackBerry Desktop Manager or from a BlackBerry Enterprise Server, you use the files in the StandardInstall directory. This includes all the *.cod files and the *.alx file.

If you are deploying your application by having a user click a link in their BlackBerry Browser, you will need the files from the OTAInstall directory (OTA is short for "over the air"). This includes all the *.cod files and *.jad file. You post the *.jad and *.cod files on a web server and provide the user with the URL to the *.jad file.

Viewing the approval status

If you want to view the status of your signed files, perform the following steps:

1. Start the BlackBerry Signature Tool:
   1. From a command prompt, navigate to the bin folder in the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK installation folder.
   2. Type the following command:

      java -jar SignatureTool.jar

2. In the BlackBerry Signature Tool, browse to your COD file.
3. View the Status column.

   
   

   
   
   

   For files that are signed, the Status column contains Signed. For files that are not signed, the Status column contains Failed. A .cod file might be rejected because you typed an incorrect private key password.

Using the Ripple emulator to sign your app

In the Ripple emulator, you can sign your application at the same time that you build it.

First, you need to fill in some settings for signing:

1. In the Ripple emulator, select the Build panel.
2. Select Settings.
3. In the Password field, type the password that you used to register your signing key.
4. Close the Settings window to save your changes.

   The fields in the Build section need to be filled in as well because you are building the application, then signing it. For more information about the build settings, see Package with Ripple

Now, to sign the app:

1. If the build and deploy services are not currently running, click Start Services.
2. Select Package & Sign.

The Ripple emulator builds and signs your application. Make sure that you pay attention to the console messages to determine whether signing is successful. The Ripple emulator indicates when the package and build is completed successfully, but does not determine the status of application signing.

After the process completes successfully, the .zip and signed .cod files for the application are stored in the output folder that you specified in the settings.