Using Microsoft Visual Studio
The BlackBerry Native Plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio integrates seamlessly with your Microsoft Visual Studio development environment. You can use the BlackBerry Native Plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio to develop C and C++ applications that target the BlackBerry 10 OS and the BlackBerry PlayBook OS.
There are a number of important steps you should follow to develop an app in Microsoft Visual Studio.
- Install the software
- Configure your development environment
- Configure your app
- Build and debug your app
- Sign and publish your app
Key features
The BlackBerry Native Plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio has enhanced functionality in four key areas.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| BlackBerry Solution Target | You can create a new solution configuration that is specific to the BlackBerry PlayBook OS and the BlackBerry 10 OS. With this solution configuration you can adjust the settings for your project to associate it with the correct libraries and resources that you need to compile against the BlackBerry Native SDK. When you use this configuration to build or run your application, Microsoft Visual Studio builds using the BlackBerry Native SDK compilers, rather than the default Win32 compilers. |
| BlackBerry build and deployment scenarios | New functionality has been added to change how the Build Solution menu for Debug and Release, as well as the Run button for Debug and Release work. |
| Code signing keys | You can manage the code signing keys that you obtained from the BlackBerry Signing website. This allows you to Register, Unregister, Backup, and Restore your signing keys. |
| The bar-descriptor.xml file | This is the application descriptor file that is added to your projects when you create a new BlackBerry Solution Target for your project. This file is required when creating an application for the BlackBerry 10 OS or the BlackBerry PlayBook OS. |
| Importing apps | You can import apps that you have developed and exported as Win32 or you can import an app that you developed in the QNX Momentics IDE. |