Pre-Configured Digitise Apps Clients

The pre-configured Digitise Apps Client build facility in App Studio allows you to build a version of the standard Digitise Apps Client which has some or all of its configuration settings, such as the address of the App Server, already configured so that you don't have to configure individual devices separately. The settings are included in the Client setup, so that when you install the Client on a device, it will automatically be configured according to the settings you chose in App Studio. Individual settings can, optionally, be locked preventing a user from changing them when running the Client.

This option is available for all Platforms, although there are some differences between the Platforms.

On the Android Platform, the Digitise Apps Client is built using the remote automated Digitise Apps Build System hosted by NDL, which is accessed via a secure SSL Internet connection. This is done within App Studio and it requires an Internet connection on your development PC. Once built, you can download the completed Client from the Build Requests Pane in App Studio.

 

On the Apple Platform, the Digitise Apps Client is built using the remote automated Digitise Apps Build System hosted by NDL, which is accessed via a secure SSL Internet connection. This is done within App Studio and it requires an Internet connection on your development PC. Once built, you can download the completed Client from the Build Requests Pane in App Studio.

 

Due to restrictions imposed by Apple, you can only use the iOS version of the Client on developer test devices. You cannot use it on user devices, even for testing purposes. The Client build needs to be code signed with your Distribution Certificate and Provisioning Profile and thus requires these to have been uploaded to the Build System before you can generate a pre-configured Client. You can also use this facility after updating your code-signing Certificate and Provisioning Profile to create a new version of the standard Client signed with the updated Certificate. You will need to obtain the new Certificate and provisioning Profile and update them on the Build System before you can create the updated signed Client.

 

On the Windows Universal Platform, the Digitise Apps Client is built using the remote automated Digitise Apps Build System hosted by NDL, which is accessed via a secure SSL Internet connection. This is done within App Studio and it requires an Internet connection on your development PC. Once built, you can download the completed Client from the Build Requests Pane in App Studio.

 

The Windows Universal Client has to be code signed with a digital code-signing Certificate. If you want to use the NDL Certificate this Certificate is available to all users registered with the Build System and has a life span of approximately 100 years. The App Studio Settings allow you to check the current expiry date of the Certificates available on the Build System; check here to find out when the Certificate has been updated. If you are using your own Certificate, you will need to obtain a new Certificate before the current one expires and upload it to the Build System. When the Certificate is due for renewal, you can use the pre-configured Client build facility to renew your Client installation file after the relevant Certificate has been updated on the Build System.

 

On the Windows Desktop Platform, the pre-configured option produces an install file which only contains the configuration information you have specified for the Client. This version is created locally on your developer PC and doesn't use the Digitise Apps Build System. You will need to install the standard Digitise Apps Client on each device before you can install the configuration information file over the top.

 

 

App Studio allows you to specify the configuration settings and request a build of the Client. This is done using the Request Build button available on the Ribbon's Publish tab. You do not need to have a Project open in order to configure and request a pre-configured Client build.

If you want to build Clients for multiple Platforms, you will need to submit a separate request for each Platform.

The Build options produce an installable file in a format appropriate to the type of device on which it will be installed. For all Platforms except the Windows Desktop Platform, the Build Requests Pane provides a list of your Client and Standalone App builds submitted to the Digitise Apps Build System and displays the current status of each build request.

When the Build System completes a Client build it will notify you by e-mail and the Status column for the build in the Build Requests Pane will change to Completed. You can then download the installation package from the Build Requests Pane.

Once you have downloaded the installation package, you can then deploy your Client to your mobile devices.

For the Windows Desktop Platform, when the build completes, App Studio will load Windows File Explorer at the folder you specified to store the installation file.