Introductory Questions
Q 1.1. What is bbtweet?
A: bbtweet is a BlackBerry Twitter application that aims to integrate Twitter into the standard BlackBerry api. That means incoming status updates should appear as new messages, notifications should be configurable under profiles, etc.
Q 1.2. Why another BlackBerry Twitter application?
A: There are several reasons a new project was started.
- Most current BlackBerry Twitter applications are self contained as if designed with a generic mobile phone in mind more so than a BlackBerry. bbtweet is built on the idea that the best realization of Twitter on the BlackBerry will come by integrating it with the native BlackBerry interfaces.
- There were not any open source BlackBerry Twitter projects already started that could be assisted in achieving #1
- @jasmas needed a final project for his class.
Q 1.3. Who is responsible for developing bbtweet?
A: Right now I (@jasmas) am working by my lonesome, but feel free to jump aboard.
Install Questions
Q 2.1. What are the minimum requirements for running bbtweet?
- A device running BlackBerry OS 4.2+
- One of the following data services
- BlackBerry Internet Browsing Service (BIS-B or BIBS)
- BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES)
- Direct TCP data connection
Q 2.2. What is the preferred way to install bbtweet?
A: There is not currently an official release of bbtweet. However, the preferred way to install the current SVN build of bbtweet is over the air (OTA) from your device. This can be done by pointing your device browser here.
Q 2.3. How can I keep bbtweet up-to-date?
A: Until there is an official release the only way to stay up to date is to check SVN manually upgrade by following the install procedure outlined in Q 1.1. Note that the version in SVN will always be the version of the next milestone (currently 0.1), so it will appear as the same version even though it has been updated. You will have to check here to see if the revision of bbtweet.jad has actually changed since the last time you updated. This process will be streamlined once there are official releases.
Q 2.4. How can I uninstall bbtweet?
A: bbtweet can be uninstalled the same way as any other BlackBerry application. Find the "Applications" screen under Options on your device (often under "Advanced"). Find and highlight bbtweet in the list and select "Delete" from the menu.
Q 2.5. How do I configure bbtweet?
A: When you first open bbtweet on the BlackBerry, it will open the Options screen for configuration. Here is an explanation of each setting:
- Username - This is the username bbtweet will use to communicate with Twitter.com
- Password - This should be set to the password for the above username
- Update Retrieval - Set to Enabled or Disabled the retrieval of status updates from the friends timeline into the device Messages view (default is disabled)
- Update Interval - This is the frequency in minutes that bbtweet will query the friends timeline (Note: A very low setting will impact battery life, default is 15 minutes)
- Status Update Retries - The number of times bbtweet will retry sending a status update before giving up.
You will be prompted to save any changed settings when you leave the Options screen. To change settings after the initial configuration, choose Options from the bbtweet menu.
Q 2.6. How do I configure bbtweet notifications?
A: bbtweet notifications are configured along with all other device notifications in the device Profiles dialog. This is the same dialog used to configure ring tones, etc.
Developer Questions
Q 3.1. I'm interested in helping out. How can I contribute?
A: You can submit bug fixes or new features with code attached under the Issues tab. Submissions will be reviewed as soon as possible.
Q 3.2. Can I join the project?
A: If you are a developer and you have cycles you'd like to contribute to improving bbtweet, please contact @jasmas.
Q 3.3. How do I set up the bbtweet development environment?
A: On a computer that meets the requirements described here, perform the following:
- If you do not already have eclipse installed, download and extract the Windows version of the Eclipse IDE for Java Developers, available here.
- Download and install the BlackBerry JDE Plug-in for Eclipse (registration required). Instructions for this step are available here. (Note: To build bbtweet, a BlackBerry Component Pack for JDE v4.2 or higher is required)
- Install Subclipse SVN Plug-in for Eclipse by following the instructions here.
- Open Eclipse and create a new BlackBerry project to initialize the BlackBerry workspace.
- Open the File menu and select New -> Project
- Select BlackBerry Project from the available Wizards and click Next
- Name the project something arbitrary, such as 'test' or 'dummy' and click Finish
- This project can be deleted after creation
- Configure the BlackBerry workspace
- Open the BlackBerry menu and select Configure BlackBerry Workspace
- In the panel on the left under BlackBerry JDE, select Code Signing
- Check each of the three boxes to allow access to all APIs
- Click OK
- Check out a copy of bbtweet
- Open the File menu and select New -> Project
- Select Checkout Projects from SVN from the available Wizards and click Next
- Choose Create a new repository location and click Next
- Type http://bbtweet.googlecode.com/svn/trunk for the Url (developers with permission to commit use https) and click Next
- Select the bbtweet folder under trunk and click Finish
- Check out a copy of bbtweet_Autostartup
- Open the File menu and select New -> Project
- Select Checkout Projects from SVN from the available Wizards and click Next
- Choose Use existing repository location and select http://bbtweet.googlecode.com/svn/trunk from the list, then click Next
- Select the bbtweet_Autostartup folder and click Finish
- Configure and compile the bbtweet_Autostartup project (alternate CLDC entry point for bbtweet)
- Right click bbtweet_Autostartup in the Package Explorer and select Properties from the context menu
- In the panel on the left, select BlackBerry Project Properties
- Choose the Application tab on the right
- Under Alternate entry point for, ensure that bbtweet is selected (This is stored as a workspace setting and therefor is not retrieved from SVN)
- Click OK
- Open the Project menu and click Build Active BlackBerry Configuration
- Configure the BlackBerry debugger for bbtweet
- Select bbtweet in the Package Explorer
- Open the Run menu and click Debug Configurations
- In the panel on the left, select BlackBerry Simulator and press the New button to create a new debug configuration
- On the right, change the Name to bbtweet_debug
- Click the simulator tab and choose a JDE profile for the device on which you want to test bbtweet (recommended profile is 8330-JDE)
- Check the box next to Launch Mobile Data System Connection Service (MDS-CS) with simulator
- Click the Debug button to save the configuration, compile bbtweet, and launch it in the debugger
A 2.3 should reference Q 2.2, not Q 1.1.
Are there still plans to continue updating bbtweet? I think the last update was done back in late May/ early June.
bbTweet is still active, yes. I have done a few fixes this month to repair the damage from Twipocalypse. Download the latest build OTA to receive them.
I've downloaded and installed the latest release. Is there documentation on how to view friends timeline? I feel like an idiot but I can't seem to figure that out. Thanks!
I followed the script to uninstall bbtweet, but whenever I reboot my device, it still appears in the list of running programs. There is no icon of it, where I can try to uninstall again. Does anyone have any guidance with me to proceed. I want to completely remove bbtweet.
Looks like a nice app. Would it be possible for your to change the hardcoded values for configurable ones. That way it can also be used for the statsnet websites. Currently there is nothing available for the blackberry so that would be sweet if you can add support for it. Statusnet supports the twitter api so initially only the server values have to be configurable to make it work.