Last update : August 1, 2012

jar/jad 2 cod/alx

BlackBerry uses .cod and .alx files to deploy Java applications from the PC desktop (BB Desktop Manager) to a BlackBerry device. These files are generated automatically by the BlackBerry JDE or by the Eclipse BlackBerry plugin.

.alx is an XML-based BlackBerry application descriptor which can be generated by hand. An example for the Java application FirstApp.cod is shown below :

<loader version="1.0">
    <application id="FirstApp">
        <name >
        </name>
        <description >
        </description>
        <version >
        </version>
        <vendor >
        </vendor>
        <copyright >
            Copyright (c) 2010
        </copyright>
        <fileset Java="1.5">
            <directory >
                MyFolder
            </directory>
            <files >
                FirstApp.cod
            </files>
        </fileset>
    </application>
</loader>

To download a BlackBerry application over the air to a BlackBerry device, a standard .jad file is used to describe the application. The .jad file is selected from the browser to load the .cod file. If the BlackBerry service to download standard MIDlets is enabled,  the Mobile Data Service feature of the BES provides a built-in transcoder that converts .jar files into .cod files.

Brandon Dante Swift developped an offline conversion tool from .jar/.jad files to .cod/.alx files (JAR2ALX). The free version 1.5.1 is available at the website Brandon Swift Creations. The pro version 1.5 is now also available free of charge. Brandon developed another useful tool that makes capturing your Blackberry’s screen to an avi video as easy as a click of a button (PC program BeVi with usb connection). Donations are appreciated for all three programs.