Unwired Platform incorporates the Eclipse-based Sybase Unwired WorkSpace development environment, which provides an extensive set of tools that simplifies and abstracts back-end system connections, and provides a uniform view of transactional objects.
Unwired WorkSpace facilitates back-end data source connection, mobile business object development, and Workflow application development. In addition, the Unwired WorkSpace development environment supports code generation from the mobile data models in device-specific languages (Objective-C for iOS, Java for BlackBerry, and such) which is then used to build the device application in the respective platform provided IDE. The generated code is built upon the Unwired client libraries integrated part of the server, which combine to support reliable transmission of data and transactions, security of data while in transit or on device, sending notifications when data changes occur in the backend application, consistent interface on all platforms, all of which abstract developers from forementioned mobility related complexities.
From the development environment, connect to heterogeneous enterprise data sources, such as SAP JCo, JDBC, RESTful Web services, and Web services, then use the connections to discover and model the data and transactions. The connections visible in the development environment streamline development by simplifying and abstracting back-end system connections, providing a uniform view of transactional objects.
Based on the connections to the back-end systems, developers create mobile business objects (MBOs) to model the back-end business data. An MBO defines object data models with the back-end EIS connections and includes attributes, operations and relationships that allow filtered data sets to be synchronized to the mobile device.
Developers perform MBO code generation and use this MBO model code along with the user interface code that users write in a native integrated development environment (IDE). This makes the code available to transition from the Unwired WorkSpace MBO development tool to the fully extensible and open development environment provided for device platforms from third-party vendors. Device applications are more complex than workflows and require larger data sets that need to be synchronized with and managed on the device.
Developers use the Mobile Workflow Forms Editor to develop mobile workflow packages using a Hybrid Web container development strategy. From the development interface, generate the workflow package that contains the workflows and container files.
Mobile workflow development takes a simple business process such as a sales order or vacation request, and breaks it down to decision points. A workflow form is developed for each decision point. The forms are generated as a workflow package that is deployed to Unwired Server and the container on the mobile device. Mobile device users can enter the decision point response, such as "approved" or "not approved," and the response is transported to the back-end data source, allowing the business process to continue or complete.