Configuring apps by modifying the app definition file

An application definition file is an XML file that defines the user interface and data resources of a Maximo Anywhere mobile app. As a developer, you can modify an application definition XML file to perform configurations that are not supported by the Anywhere Administration application.

Structure of application definition files

The <app> XML element is the root element of an application definition file. The <app> element has three child elements that define the basic structure of the application definition.

<ui> element: Contains the specifications for the views in the mobile app, including views for the work list, record details, lookups, and dialog boxes.

<data> element: Contains the specifications for the data resources that are used by the app, including work list, lookup, and system resources.

<messages> element: Contains messages that are displayed on the user interface and recorded in the app log.

Before you modify an application definition file, create a backup of the original file. After you modify an application definition file, you must build and deploy the app. Depending on the type of change, the updated app is delivered to users as a new app version or as a direct update:

If the change includes new or updated native code, you must deploy the app as a new app version. For example, when you enable the map view or bar code scans, native code is added to the app during the build process. Users must download and install the new app version from the server.
If the change includes updated web resources, you can deploy the app without changing the app version. Users can accept the change as a direct update of the app version that is installed on their devices.

The application definition file includes a requiredRole attribute that specifies which user group in the provider application is authorized to use the application. This attribute references one of the predefined user groups that are deployed during installation to the provider application environment. At run time, only users that belong to the specified user group can log in to the app.

For example, the requiredRole attribute in the application definition file for the Technician app references the ANYWHERE_TECHNICIAN security group in Maximo® Asset Management. Only users that belong to the ANYWHERE_TECHNICIAN security group can log in to the Technician app.

The application definition file for each mobile app is called app.xml and is located in the application root directory.

Table 1. Directories for the app.xml files
App	Directory
IBM® Maximo Asset Auditor app	`install_home`\Anywhere\MaximoAnywhere\apps\AssetAudit\artifact
IBM Maximo Asset Manager app	`install_home`\Anywhere\MaximoAnywhere\apps\AssetDataManager\artifact
IBM Maximo Inspector app	`install_home`\Anywhere\MaximoAnywhere\apps\Inspection\artifact
IBM Maximo Issues Returns app	`install_home`\Anywhere\MaximoAnywhere\apps\IssuesReturns\artifact
IBM Maximo Cycle Counts app	`install_home`\Anywhere\MaximoAnywhere\apps\PhysicalCount\artifact
IBM Maximo Service Requestor app	`install_home`\Anywhere\MaximoAnywhere\apps\ServiceRequest\artifact
IBM Maximo Transfers Receipts app	`install_home`\Anywhere\MaximoAnywhere\apps\Transfers\artifact
IBM Maximo Supervisor app	`install_home`\Anywhere\MaximoAnywhere\apps\WorkApproval\artifact
IBM Maximo Technician app	`install_home`\Anywhere\MaximoAnywhere\apps\WorkExecution\artifact