User guide

Table Of Contents
Making themes available to BlackBerry device
users
19
Considerations for exporting themes
When you export a theme, the BlackBerry® Theme Builder places the theme automatically in a .cod file that BlackBerry
devices that are running BlackBerry® Device Software 4.2 or later can read. Depending on the export type that you
choose, the BlackBerry Theme Builder also creates either an .alx file or a .jad file that you must distribute along with
the .cod file.
If you are exporting a theme for distribution over the wireless network or for distribution using the BlackBerry®
Desktop Manager, and you want to make a theme available for devices that have different models and different
versions of the BlackBerry Device Software, you must export the theme to a separate folder for each difference. Each
time that you export a theme, you must specify only one BlackBerry device model, the version of the BlackBerry
Device Software, and the export type. If you must specify more than one BlackBerry device model, the version of the
BlackBerry Device Software, or the export type, you must repeat the export process. If you export a theme to one
folder using the same name, the BlackBerry Theme Builder removes the files from the first export (.cod, .alx, and .jad)
and then regenerates the files.
Before you export a theme, the following considerations determine which export settings you should use:
Consideration Description
BlackBerry device that you
want to export a theme to
BlackBerry devices—even those that have the same screen size—have slight
differences in functionality and UI design. You must specify the BlackBerry device
that you want to export a theme to.
BlackBerry Device Software
version that is on the
BlackBerry device that you
want to export the theme to
The BlackBerry Theme Builder can export themes to devices that are running
BlackBerry Device Software version 4.2 or later. You must specify the version that
you want the BlackBerry Theme Builder to export a theme to. If you customize an
element of the theme that a specific version of the BlackBerry Device Software
does not support, the BlackBerry Theme Builder removes that element from the
theme before the theme is exported.
You must instruct users with BlackBerry devices that are running BlackBerry Device
Software 4.2 and 4.2.1 who install a theme to restart their devices manually before
they activate the new theme.
Export types You can make themes available to BlackBerry device users in three diferent ways.
You can export the theme so that BlackBerry device users can copy the theme
to their computer and then use the application loader tool of the BlackBerry®
Desktop Manager to add the theme to a BlackBerry device that they connect
to their computer.
User Guide
Making themes available to BlackBerry device users
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