Genero Mobile Development Client for Android

Perform the following steps, to install the GMA front-end from the archive:

1. Setup the Java SDK and Android SDK environment for GMA.
2. Get the GMA package (fjs-gma-*.zip) from the download site.
3. Unzip the archive, containing an APK ready to install.
4. Plug your device via USB cable to the computer.
5. Install the GMA front-end APK with the gmabuildtool command with the test option.

$ . ~/genero/devel/fgl/mobile/java-1.8.env 
$ . ~/genero/devel/fgl/mobile/android-sdk.env 
$ mkdir /tmp/gma
$ cd /tmp/gma
$ unzip ~/Download/fjs-gma-4.00.03-build202201041615-allos.zip 
Archive:  ~/Download/fjs-gma-4.00.03-build202201041615-allos.zip
  ...
  inflating: fjs-gma-4.00.03-build202201041615.apk
  ...
$ gmabuildtool test --test-apk ./fjs-gma-4.00.03-build202201041615.apk
...

On the development machine, define the FGLSERVER environment variable with the IP address of the device. For example, if the GMA is running on a device with IP address 10.0.11.188 and listening on port 6400:

FGLSERVER=10.0.11.188:0

adb forward tcp:localhost_port tcp:gma_device_port

For example:

adb forward tcp:6400 tcp:6400

Then specify the localhost IP address in the FGLSERVER environment variable, with the TCP port offset 0 to get 6400+0=6400:

FGLSERVER=127.0.0.1:0

If the TCP port 6400 is already in use on your local computer, forward another localhost port to the TCP port 6400 the GMA is listening to on the emulator:

adb forward tcp:6402 tcp:6400

You can then connect to the GMA client with following setting (6400+2=6402):

FGLSERVER=127.0.0.1:2

To access the front-end, tap on the Genero icon in the device's Apps listing. You are taken to the front page as shown in Figure 1.

In the Notifications section of the page, you get details of the VM connection and debug ports. The GMA front-end has a port open (default is 6400) listening for an incoming Genero virtual machine (VM) connection from a server. You do not need to place GMA in listen mode.

VM connection

If the physical device has internet access, you are given the IP address and the TCP port offset number in the message "Waiting incoming connection on:device-ip-address:0". Port offset 0 indicates port 6400 is offset at index 0 (6400+0=6400).

The IP address and the port offset is the value you need to set for the GUI server (FGLSERVER on the server side) when configuring to run your app on a server for display on the device. For details, see Configure FGLSERVER and run the app and Debugging a mobile app.

VM connection with emulator

When working with an emulator, or when the physical device has no internet connection, you need to forward the device listening port (6400) to the host computer running the application. For details, see TCP port forwarding for GMA on emulator.

Access debug

If you need to access debug information, you will need to forward the debug services port (6480) to access the debug interface web page. For more information, see Access GMA front-end information for debugging.

Table 2 describes options provided in the Settings page, and the functions they allow you perform.

Table 2. Settings options

Option	Description
Genero Mobile debug service	The option enables or disables debugging services. The option is enabled by default. When an application is executing on an Android™ device, you can view debug information, such as the AUI tree, VM logs, Android™ logs, and so on, from a browser on a computer that the physical device is connected to by USB. If using the emulator, you can view debug information in the browser of the host computer. For more information on using debug services, see Access GMA front-end information for debugging.
Record logcat	The option enables or disables the setting to write Android system logs to file. Log recording is disabled by default. You can view the logs on the debug interface web page, and you can download the log files from its Logs > Logcat logs page. For more information, see Access GMA front-end information for debugging. If you need to see more details in the logs, select the Enable log verbosity option.
FGL services	The option is enabled by default. The GMA front-end can use FGL services such as the debugger.
Clear cookies	Tap the option to clear cookies that may have been generated by applications using WebView and web components. A message is displayed when the cookies are cleared.
Clear cache	Tap the option to clear the cache.
Manage allowed certificates	Select the setting to manage certificates. Applications that you run on the GMA front-end via URL connections to GAS, or applications with runOnServer calls to remote server, may store certificates. In the dialog window that pops up, you can use a swipe gesture to remove a certificate or you can use the CLEAR ALL option to remove all certificates.

1. Connect your Android device to your computer using the USB port.
2. From your computer, access the internal SD card using a file browser.

   To navigate directories on your device, use MTP (media device) mode instead of Charging . Set this under Settings > Storage > USB computer connection (found by accessing the three-dot menu in the upper right corner of your device).

3. Place the compiled app files (42m, 42f, 42r, xcf, and so on) into the GeneroApps directory.

   Apps must be compiled with the version of DVM installed on the GMA front-end. Check the Details tab in the About page (accessible from the client home page ) if in doubt. Look for the vm entry ending in vm...fgl.version.

   The path to GeneroApps can be found at ../Android/data/com.fourjs.gma/files/GeneroApps. This path can be in the Internal storage directory or the sdcard directory, depending on your device preference. The default path is Internal storage.

   You can drag & drop files into the directory using your computer's file explorer, or if you are using the adb command tool, use the push feature:

   adb push myMain.42m /Internal storage/Android/data/com.fourjs.gma/files/GeneroApps

4. To run an application on your device, tap Browse Local applications. This brings you to the GeneroApps directory.
5. Tap on a program file (42r) or a program configuration file (xcf) to start the app.
   • An app executable file (42r) launches the app with the default settings.
   • An app configuration file (xcf) launches the app according to the contents of this configuration file.
     In an app configuration (xcf) file, you can set app parameters, set environment variables, and so on.

     Important:

     An application configuration file is only required when you have specific configuration needs to set, such as parameters/arguments for the app or environment variables.

     Creating an app configuration file is detailed in the Genero Application Server User Guide.

1. Forward the required ports from the device to the machine where you want the information displayed. Typically, you forward the device listening port (6400) and the debug services port (6480). For details, see Debugging an app running on an Android device emulator.

2. Launch your browser and enter the IP address of the device and the port 6480. If using the emulator, you can enter localhost:6480. The debug interface web page is displayed.

Figure 3 shows an example of the debug page. The AUI tree for the application currently running on the device is shown in the frame on the top right. Other frames below it display output from the Android and VM logs. The frame on the left hand side displays information about the GMA front-end installation.

Table 3 describes the interface pages and the functions that will assist you in debugging and testing the application running on the device.

Table 3. Debug interface web pages

Page/Menu	Description
AUI tree	The AUI tree page displays the content of the Abstract User Interface tree of the current application in a browser tab, where you can inspect its properties.
Applications	The Applications page allows you to enter the URL of an application to run. For example, you can run applications from a GAS on a remote server.
Toggle debug grid	The Toggle debug grid page displays the contents of the AUI tree in grid view instead of tree view. Grid view is not available with universal rendering. A message is displayed when universal rendering is detected.
Logs	The Logs menu has the following options for viewing the VM and Android logs to help with debugging the current application. The Console menu opens a tab displaying all communication threads between the DVM and the GMA front-end. The STDOUT/STDERR menu opens a tab to view messages being displayed to the standard out and standard error by DVMs started by the application. The Logcat stream menu opens a tab to display a continuous stream of messages the Android system is displaying to the standard out, including any errors that are being thrown into your stack traces by the current application. The Logcat logs menu opens a tab to display a list of Android system log files. If you not see any files listed, check that the setting Record logcat is enabled in the GMA front-end Settings. Clicking on a file in the list, opens a dialog prompting you to open it or save it to your computer.
Hprof tools	The Heap/CPU Profiling (Hprof) tool menu gives you the option to: Create dumps of the memory heap and CPU to help with debugging the states of all the monitors and threads. When you select this option, a dialog window is displayed for you to save the dump file (.hprof) to your machine. View dump of dump files you have already saved. Clicking on a file in the list, opens a dialog prompting you to open it with an appropriate application.