First Time developer

**Nyegnav** · 05-01-2012, 10:05 AM

Hello,

I was hoping to get some advice on how to start learning to develop for the blackberry platform. Specifically I'm looking forward to learning to develop for the playbook, and the upcoming blackberry 10.

I've got particular interest in using Cascades as I'm not artistically inclined and my apps would otherwise be quite ugly.

I've not done any programming since High school so thats been 7 years so I do not know anything about HTML5 or even flash.

If I'm going to be using Cascades and developing for Playbook/BB10 what is the best language to learn for going forward. Are there any good tutorials on that languages?

I do have quite an apptitude for programming but am miserably out of touch when it comes to where to start learning again. I'm looking for a summer project to catch up on and hopefully have an app out (A U.S election game so Data heavy and turn based) by September.

Please let me know of any advice...

**Coach_Urk** · 05-01-2012, 10:28 PM

I would like to learn to so if anyone gives you any good tutorials could you also let me know. I'm trying to create an app for a website I visit a lot. I'm trying to create everything necessary and then show the Admins of the site what I have completed.

You can send me any tutorials at: urkel.bda@gmail.com

**Thunderbuck** · 05-01-2012, 10:51 PM

In theory, you might have multiple libraries built using different technologies.

Cascades apps are built using the native SDK, so it's C++ or Qt (QML, or Qt Markup Language, which looks a bit like Microsoft's XAML). It's kind of heavy-duty stuff.

Fortunately, there's free tools, tutorials, and sample apps available at the Cascades site.

**Nyegnav** · 05-02-2012, 08:07 AM

Hmmm, so if I'm starting from scratch I'd have to learn c++ in order to effectively use cascades.

If I'm aiming for beginner starting point to put an app out pursuing cascades seems unrealistic then?

What language is best to learn to begin from scratch for bb10/playbook app development?

**big bb** · 05-02-2012, 03:46 PM

I would say the best for you to learn would be html 5 and use jquery to do your javascript

update
Sorry i forgot about the bbui.js which is like jquery it is made by RIM and it is like the cascades framework

**Coach_Urk** · 05-02-2012, 05:00 PM

Is there somewhere online that has a good HTML5 guide for beginner's and possibly one for JQuery as well?

**Thunderbuck** · 05-04-2012, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by Nyegnav

Hmmm, so if I'm starting from scratch I'd have to learn c++ in order to effectively use cascades.

If I'm aiming for beginner starting point to put an app out pursuing cascades seems unrealistic then?

What language is best to learn to begin from scratch for bb10/playbook app development?

I won't try to pretend that Cascades is the easiest thing to pick up, BUT...

There are some not bad walkthroughs on RIM's Cascades site. And you don't HAVE to code in C++, either; your app can be defined through scripting in a QML document. The beginner tutorial actually has you build the same app using both approaches.

**Alex_Hong** · 05-19-2012, 02:20 AM

Lets say if i want to give it a go at developing native apps for BB10 with cascades, the best way would be to learn c++ and then qt? Cascades is using qml right, so am i right in saying that just knowing c++ wouldn't be enough? I'm guessing that with no prior programming knowledge at all, this could be close to impossible. hahaha.

**_StephenBB81** · 05-19-2012, 09:35 AM

Though Cascades is a wonderful set of tools

WHY did you pick cascades?

Do look at using WebWorks the BBUI.js and Alice.js will allow you to build apps that look as good and have a faster development time over learning C++ and QML,

though if you think your apps are going to need hardware level API's then yes you'll want cascades

**Alex_Hong** · 05-19-2012, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by deRusett

Though Cascades is a wonderful set of tools

WHY did you pick cascades?

Do look at using WebWorks the BBUI.js and Alice.js will allow you to build apps that look as good and have a faster development time over learning C++ and QML,

though if you think your apps are going to need hardware level API's then yes you'll want cascades

Good point. Perhaps then i should look into html5, css, and javascript. then use webworks and BBUI.js instead. i looked at BBUI.js and it seems nice enough.

I have started picking up the basics for c++ and also javascript. They do feel quite similar except with the syntax being different.

i choose c++ simply because of wanting to create an app that runs in native environment. The followed by Qt. But the apps that i'm thinking of creating do not need hardware level APIs. Perhaps the camera API, but then again from what i understand with webworks you still can tap into those APIs.

I'm basically thinking of doing some simple apps that are only relavant in my own country, to help fill out some holes that we have here. As compared to ios, android, or windows phone, there is almost nothing for BBOS or playbook at the moment.

Though i have background in programming AT ALL. haha. I do have a keen mind to learn. So am i right in saying that javascript and html is easier to pick up for a beginner?

**app_Developer** · 06-16-2012, 06:53 AM

Originally Posted by Thunderbuck

I won't try to pretend that Cascades is the easiest thing to pick up, BUT...

There are some not bad walkthroughs on RIM's Cascades site. And you don't HAVE to code in C++, either; your app can be defined through scripting in a QML document. The beginner tutorial actually has you build the same app using both approaches.

Well, you can't build your entire app using QML, at least not a very interesting app. However, you don't need to know C++ at any sort of expert level for this. Beginning to intermediate level knowledge is enough I think to get by fine for an average BB10 app. You can use a lot of Qt stuff without completely understanding how it all works.

JavaScript is of course still easier for most people to pick up.