Once you finish developing an application project, you need to make it possible for users to install the project on their devices or access it through web browsers. This can be done with the Packing and Build App features. In the Packing stage, you can create the files necessary for deployment by selecting an operating environment and update type. Next in the Build App stage, you can compress those created files to make an installation file.

Configuring Deploy Environment

You can set the necessary values related to Deploy by clicking the menu [Deploy > Settings] item. Only items related to Deploy environment configuration among the menu [Tools > Options] are put together and the values to set are the same.

Packing- Create Archive Files

In this stage, you can select operating environments and corresponding update types for your project. You can designate the files to be included in archive files, varying according to operating environments.

Launch Packing Wizard to Create Archive Files

If archive files are successfully created, Nexacro Studio will present blue-colored links, which you click to open the folders that contain relevant files. Clicking the [Build App] button at the bottom left will lead you to Build App, a wizard for creating deployment files. When you select 'Web Browser' only as an operating environment, the [Build] button will not activate.

index.html

In the case of the web browser environment, Nexacro Studio does not create an installation file. Instead, it creates an HTML file through which you can access the app by using an web browser. In the _web_ folder, you will find that necessary files have been created including the index.html file. Once you upload all those files to a server, you can access the app through a web browser by entering the below URL.

http://[domain name]/index.html

Select Update Type (for each operating environment)

For the Windows, Android, iOS and macOS environments, you need to select an update type, which alters a selection of settings options as well as created archive files.

Update Type

• Update (Local + Server)

  To install an app, you need to download necessary archive files and save them to your local storage. If the app detects a change in the version of its contents, relevant updates will be downloaded via the network and saved to your local storage.

• Server

  You can execute an app only with a network connection. You need to download necessary files from the server.

• Local

  To install an app, you need to download necessary archive files and save them to your local storage. You can execute an app without a network connection.

Configurable Options (according to operating environments and update types)

You can select types of files that will be deployed, according to operating environments and update types. In the configurable option section, you can select files to deploy.

Update Info.

You can set update policies for receiving recent contents from the server. You need to designate the directory from which contents are downloaded. Moreover, you need to set the timeout for updating and determine the number of permitted retries. (An updating process will finish as a failure if you fail to receive contents for a specified number of retries.) Lastly, you need to determine whether the updating is performed automatically or manually (on user demand).

Applicability according to operating environments and update types

Configurable options

Click the [Update Info] item to the right of the Resource Setting item and then edit the content.

Setup

You can deploy the basic setup of Nexacro Platform without using the Build App wizard. You just need to create a bootstrap file and resource files and add setup update information to the bootstrap file.

Applicability according to operating environments and update types

Configurable options

You can select the types of operating systems where the deployed runtime will run. The information on selected OSes will be added to the bootstrap file start.json.

Module

You can determine whether to deploy the framework nexacro17lib, which is necessary for executing a Nexacro Platform-based app. For Windows, you can add external modules as well as modules for running a UWP app.

Applicability according to operating environments and update types

Configurable options

You can add, change or delete module files to deploy. Provided options are varying according to operating environments.

Configurable options (for Local update type)

The framework file (nexacro17lib.zip) is set by default, and you cannot delete or change this file. Only two options are presented: Type and Name.

Configurable options (for Windows operating environment)

You can add extension modules, UWP and files. For Android, iOS and macOS, you cannot deploy any module other than the framework file.

Configurable options (for web browser environment or for Server update type)

You need to deploy the framework in the form of files executable on web browsers, rather than the form of a compressed file.

Source

You can specify source files (or folders) to deploy, selected from the files in your project. You should select an entire project for the first deployment while you can pick up only necessary files for an update. Source files are deployed in the form of either individual files or compressed archive files depending on operating environments and update types.

Applicability according to operating environments and update types

Configurable options

You can select files for deployment from Project Files. If there are already-made archive files, you can choose one or more archives and then select files for deployment from Project File. In this way, you can selectively add source files to an archive.

Configurable options (for Web Browser operating environment or Server update type)

While no archive file is created, you just need to select files for deployment from Project Files. You cannot find the Archives option in the configurable options section.

Configurable options (for Local update type)

Only the Rearchive and Name options are presented.

Resource

You can specify resource files to deploy. You should select entire resources for the first deployment while you can pick up only necessary files for an update. Resource files are deployed in the form of either individual files or compressed archive files depending on operating environments and update types.

Applicability according to operating environments and update types

Configurable options

You can select files for deployment from Resource Files. As for the Archives option, you can create only one archive file, Resource.zip.

Configurable options (for Web Browser operating environment or Server update type)

While no archive file is created, you just need to select files for deployment from Resource Files. You cannot find the Archives option in the configurable options section.

Configurable options (for Local update type)

Only the Name option is presented.

Build App- Create Installation Files

In this stage, you can create installation files by including necessary archive files created in the previous Packing stage. You can choose options according to the operating systems to which your application will be deployed.

Launch Build App Wizard to Create Installation Files

In the case of clicking the [Build] button in the Packing step, it moves to the property setting screen, and in the case of accessing the Build App menu, it moves to the setting screen after selecting Build Target.

You can either use the default engine setup key as it appears in the input field automatically or use a new setup key by clicking the key-shaped icon on the right side of the input field. You are recommended to create new engine setup keys and manage them separately if you need to install multiple apps in your PC.

When an image file, such as Icon or Splash Image is included, the image preview function is provided when the eye-shaped icon is clicked. If you have bundled multiple image files in a zip file, then you can click the [>] button in the lower right corner to view the next image.

You can check out created installation files. For iOS and Android, QR codes will be generated to allow you to download the files by yourself.

Set Options for AppBuilder

If you build an app through AppBuilder, you need to create an AppBuilder project and set related options, which can be done through the console of AppBuilder. Meanwhile, the Build App wizard can handle the following jobs: creating an AppBuilder project, changing the framework library, registering user libraries and setting permissions.

Create TargetProject (App Builder Project)

Setting > Build Environment > Target Project

To use App Builder, you need to create an App Builder project first. You can select an existing project if there is one. If there is no existing project, click the + button to create a new project.

Register or Change Build Library

Setting > Build Environment > Build Library

You can manage the Nexacro Platform framework library as well as libraries for each operating system. You can edit existing libraries and add new library files.

If you designate a local library instead of the one registered in the server, App Builder will use the library installed on your PC.

The local library item is set to the product-installed version by default. The list of library files set by default can be found in the SetupRuntime.json file.

The default library file can be changed by the user. Changed contents are maintained until the product updates, and if the SetupRuntime.json file is changed during the product update, then it is initialized according to the corresponding version.

• l Android library can be selected from Android or AndroidX.

• You can choose a different version of the file from the framework library. If the file version is different, then the item is displayed in red.

Changing or Registering Signing as New

Setting > Android, iOS, macOS > Advanced > Signing

You can register or create the Signing file (for Android) and then check the registered content.

Android

iOS/macOS

Register or Change User Library

Setting > Android, iOS > Advanced > User Library

You can manage user libraries for each operating systems. You can edit existing libraries and add new library files.

You can select user libraries to apply them to a certain project project.

Define Permissions

Setting > Android > Advanced > Permission

You can define permissions required to run an app in Android.

Check Logs when AppBuilder Fails to build

If AppBuilder fails to build an app, it will provide a log by presenting a log file link instead of an installation file link.

In the log file, you can see an error code as well as the logs created when the build failed.

Quick Build with Previous Settings

If you have the Build history of the project, then you can use the Quick Build function. If there is the Build history, then the menu [Deploy > Quick Build] item is enabled.

In the Quick Build Wizard, you can check the list of each operating system in which the Build has been performed, download the app, or modify the version information of the edited resource file, and then proceed with Build.

When clicking the [Build] button, it operates as follows according to Update Type.

Develop and Run UWP App

In Windows 10 or later, you can develop and deploy an app that uses Universal Windows Platform (UWP) APIs. In Nexacro Platform, the Camera, Network and Geolocation objects of the DeviceAPI module adopt UWP APIs.

Packing > Module

When setting modules, add UWP (WIndows10 Device Agent).

Deploying nexacro17_UWP.appxbundle

The nexacro17_UWP.appxbundle file is neither included in an installation file nor created in the process of packing. You must copy the file to the URL of a bootstrap file. The nexacroUWP app will be installed automatically when you launch your installed app.

Running UWP App

A UWP app works in the same way as conventional apps if you use a Network or Geolocation object. However, a background app like below will be launched if you operate a device component directly: for example, calling the takePicture method of the Camera object.

The below sample is a simple example that operates a camera feature in Windows 10 and shows the captured image through an ImageViewer component.

this.Button00_onclick = function(obj:nexacro.Button,e:nexacro.ClickEventInfo)
{
	this.Camera00.takePicture();
};

this.Camera00_oncapture = function(obj:nexacro.Camera,e:nexacro.CameraEventInfo)
{
	trace('camera capture ok: '+e.url);
	this.ImageViewer00.set_image("file://"+e.url);
};

this.Camera00_onerror = function(obj:nexacro.Camera,e:nexacro.CameraErrorEventInfo)
{
	trace('camera error: '+e.errormsg);
};