Installation Instructions for the Nokia Developer Suite and Series 60 SDKs---Error

The following instructions provide some helpful tips for installing the required software for development with Symbian OS / Series 60. They are based on using Microsoft Visual Studio .net 2003 and the Nokia Developer Suite.

General tips

  Do not use folder names with space characters - the build toolchain is mostly based on DOS applications and spaces will cause problems.

  The Nokia Developer Suite only works properly for the user who installed it.

  You’ll need a free account at Forum Nokia ( http://forum.nokia.com/ ) for the PC-specific (and free) activation of the Nokia Developer Suite - without registering, NDS will only work for 14 days.

Installation in the correct order

Install the tools in the exact order as specified below, otherwise it will not work:

1. Microsoft Visual Studio .net 2003

During installation, it will ask you if you want to set system path variables. Acitvate this option!

2. Active Perl

Same as above, you have to let the installation program set the path variable!

3. Symbian OS Series 60 SDK’s

Recommended installation directory: C:/Symbian/ (= default) Choose the SDK’s depending on your target platform, required compatibility and features. You can install as many SDKs as you want at the same time.

4. Nokia Developer Suite

Recommended installation directory: C:/Symbian/Tools/NDS/

5. NDS Online Help ( -> Dropdown-Box)

This is useful to have the help directly integrated in VS.net. The newer the SDK, the better and more extensive the help.

Projects

Register Nokia Developer Suite when you start VS.net. The activation number will instantly be sent to you per email. Also, you have to activate the SDKs that you installed (this step can also be done later through: “Project” -> “SDK Configuration Manager”).

Projects should be created in C:/Symbian/dev/ . Please note: Do not use space characters when specifying the project name (= project directory)! Also, projects always have to be created on the same drive where you installed the SDK.

To test if all tools have been installed correctly, create a new project in C:/Symbian/dev (eg. “HelloWorld”). Compile it. Next, open the .rss-file, click at any position in the file with the right mouse button. In the context menu you should see the entry Add Fragment...“. If you do and if you were able to compile the project, you’re ready to start developing!

Troubleshooting

Error Spawning CL.exe“ or a tool wasn’t found during installation.

Solution: Add the following three paths in Visual Studio at Tools“ -> Options“ -> Projects“ -> VC++ Directories“ -> Executable files“. The first directory helps against problems when Symbian OS tools are not found and has to be adapted depending on the version of the Series 60 SDK you installed.

C:/Symbian/7.0s/Series60_v20/Epoc32/tools
C:/Program Files/Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003/Vc7/bin
C:/Program Files/Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003/Common7/IDE

 

 

Add Fragment...“ isn’t visible in the context menu of a resource file.

Solution: Close VS.net and install NDS again using your current user, on top of the existing installation.
 

Instead of showing an error message, the emulator crashes with a fatal error when there is a problem in your own mobile application.

Solution: Always start the emulator with F5, not with Ctrl + F5.
 

One or more Series 60 SDKs are not visible in the “Enable/Disable SDKs” dialog of the NDS. Therefore, I am unable to use it/them.

Solution: Generally this should not happen if you stick to the installation order stated above. You have to install the NDS after the SDKs to prevent this problem. If it’s already too late or an SDK that was installed afterwards is not visible: Uninstall NDS and then reinstall it. A simpler solution is currently not known.
 

Error PRJ0019: A tool returned an error code from ’Performing Pre-Build Event...“.

Solution: Activate the Output“-window and scroll up a bit to see the exact reason for the error.
 

Exact reason is ERROR: RCMake failed: (Build AIF): [...]bmconv.exe failed with code 6“

Make sure that the name of your whole project directory does not contain any space characters. Check if the project was created on the same drive where the SDK resides. If those two tips didn’t help: Do a repair installation of the SDK.

Further Reading

An extensive course material that will help you with your first steps with Nokia’s Developer Suite is available at: http://developer.mopius.com/