configuring Maximo Anywhere files

Towards the last week, I had the opportunity to work on Maximo Anywhere. Both Maximo and TRIRIGA use the Anywhere platform for their mobile solutions.  So I would like to share with you some basic tips that I learned.

• Tip #1 - Always copy the original file before modifying or changing any files! There are some cases that depending on what you've modified, the only way to recover is to copy over the original file and add back in your changes.
• Tip #2 - Save early and save often! This is a good practice with any file you are dealing with.
• Tip #3 - Get to know the tool you are using. It is recommended that when configuring your mobile screens that you use the eclipse tool instead of a text editor. This is because not only can you edit your files here, but you can also preview them using an emulator. Knowing the tool you are using can make your life much easier!
• Tip #4 - Know where to insert new code.I spent a few days reading through the code, which the was Maximo based and I work with TRIRIGA. If you are not familiar with the code, it can be challenging to determine where you need to insert something.

As shown in the screen above, there is a section called Outline that will, like the UI, view sections of the code. When you click on something in the outline, it will bring you to that section of the code. Which will save you from having to search the code for the correction section. Believe me, I am wishing I used that to help me find the Work Detail View as I ended up putting the new field I was trying to add in the wrong place! But I learned my lesson!

• Tip #5 - Line numbers and Bookmarks. You can show line numbers in the code that will help find problem lines easier. If you are building a file and there is an error, it might reference a line number. So showing the line numbers will make it easier to go to. You can add a bookmark to where you might be adding something or where Support might have you add something. This can make it easy to find where you added something. You can enter a short description of what you are adding for future reference.

• Tip #6 - Never remove any code from the file! If there is something in the code you are not going to use, it is better to comment it out using <!--   --> than to remove it. It is much easier to comment something out and then, if you need to re-use it laster, all you need to do is un-comment it out. But if you remove it, it will be harder to re-add it and remember how it was exactly set up. So if you are not going to use something, comment it out!
• Tip #7 - Once you have opened Eclipse, you will need to manually start up the embedded server. It does not start up automatically.
• Tip #8 - When previewing your work, use the Ctrl-Shft-J will bring up the Chrome Browser Console, which can be useful in troubleshooting.
• Tip #9 - Know what type of devices you are using. If everyone is going to be using the same type of device, say all IOS devices, then it is easy - you only need 1 build server. But, if you are going to have multiple device types, like Android and IOS or Windows and Android, or Android, IOS and Windows, then you will need to have a build server for each of those device types.

So those are some basic tips when getting started with configuring your Anywhere files. I hope this will help you get around easier when configuring your Mobile solution, be it on Maximo or TRIRIGA. And remember tip #1 and #2 - ALWAYS back up your files! Save early and save often!