Generate or write a Genero Mobile app

With Genero Mobile, you can create the app by manually writing the code, generating the code, or a combination of both.

The app is written using the Genero Business Development Language (BDL), regardless of whether it is generated from Business Application Modeling (BAM) diagrams or coded by hand. The same code base is used to run the same app on the different devices.

You do not write an iOS app or an Android™ app. You write a single mobile app that can be deployed to the disparate devices.

You are not editing your code on the device. You develop and debug your app using the Genero Studio IDE, running your app within your development environment but viewing your app on your preferred iOS or Android device.

When your app is complete, you can package your app and deploy it to your users.

Coding options

Once you have a specification for your app, you must decide the best approach to building it. With Genero Mobile, you have some options. The Genero Mobile IDE, Genero Studio, supports all of these options.
  1. Write the app code: Build your app from scratch writing the code in BDL.
  2. Generate the app code: Use BAM to visually model your app, generate the code from the models, and customize the generated code as needed.
  3. Mix generated and manually written code:
    • Call generated code from your own hand-written code. (Generated database functions and generated forms, for example.)
    • Call your own code modules from a generated app. (Special libraries, for example.)

Using the Business Application Modeler (BAM) to generate code

BAM allows you to visually model your app and generates the code from the design models. You focus on the models, BAM handles the coding.
  • Model the database: The database meta-schema centralizes all of the meta-data.
  • Model the app flow: The flow of the app is modeled including the forms and relationships between the forms.
  • Model the interface: Simple mobile and more complex forms are easily generated to include Create, Read, Update, and/or Delete functionality. Easily interface with mobile peripherals such as contacts, maps, and camera.
  • Add custom logic, or call your own code modules, from within special areas in the generated code (called points and blocks) that preserve your custom logic even when the app is regenerated.
  • Debug and run the program from Genero Studio to your mobile device.

Genero Studio manages your development of generated apps with a specific project type. This project type includes the build rules for generating the code. See Quick Start: Generating a mobile app.

Manually writing the app

With this classic approach, you write all of the code manually.

The project can be organized, written, and debugged in Genero Studio. The user interface can be visually designed or written manually.

Genero Studio manages your manual development with a specific project type. This project type does not include the build rules for generating code.