correct use of the companion app

[William]

Hi, I was trying to deploy a sample app to my iPhone using the companion app.
What I did was the following:
1. Use QR Reader for iPhone (version 4.2) to scan the code
2. The above will try to access an URL starting with icenium://... and with returns with a web search query result
     Is the Companion App supposed to be triggered at this stage?
3. I use 3 fingers on the Companion App. It will "download package" but nothing pop up after that.

Please advise if I may have used the companion app in the wrong manner.

[Iva Koevska]

Hi William,

You are following the right workflow but, it seems that you might be encountering any of a number of possible issues.

• You've mentioned that you're using iOS 4.2 and you need iOS 5.0 or later to run the AppBuilder companion app.
• You might need to use another QR code scanner as some readers are known to not process the URL properly - try RedLaser.
• After scanning the "icenium://..." code, the QR reader should identify it as a URL and prompt you to open it. Alternatively, you should be able to tap the URL and confirm that you want to open it.
• After confirming that you want to open the URL, the companion app should launch automatically and load your project.
• You can use the three finger refresh to get changes to a project that has already been loaded and is currently running in the AppBuilder companion app. Since you have not been able to load your project yet, you are running the default project that comes pre-loaded in the app and hence you will not get any updates to it with the three-finger refresh.

Regards,
Iva Koevska
Telerik

[William]

Hello Iva,

thanks for your reply. It's the QR reader app that broke the process.
RedLaser works well and I can now load my app onto the companion app.

The companion app should have a built-in QR reader.
That would have minimised any confusion.

Is this the correct way for do LiveSync?
1. Save amended code.
2. Click Synchronise <project> with Cloud.
3. Do 3-finger refresh at device.  

Is there a way to do auto-synchronization somehow?

[Iva Koevska]

Hi William,

In the Visual Studio extension, this is precisely what you need to do. Unfortunately, at this point, there is no built-in option to have your changes synchronized automatically. You can, however, create a macro or use another tool to automate the process. This is up to you. Alternatively, you can develop with the in-browser client or the Windows client. In both those clients, once you click Save, you can go ahead and refresh with three fingers on the device.

You might find the companion app related documentation handy, as it lists the typical workflows for the various deployments, explains LiveSync, and lists current limitations. The most relevant articles are grouped here and here.

Regards,
Iva Koevska
Telerik