Cordova Windows Phone 8.1 Builds Now Available

[PaulF_IntelCorp]

This thread is closed but available as a readable historical reference. 
Please start a new thread if you have a specific question.

The procedure described below is obsolete, please use the Windows Phone 8 build tile on the Build tab.

---- do not use, obsolete ----

On July 28, 2015 we enabled an Early Access build system for Windows Phone 8.1 Cordova apps. Despite the reference to "Early Access," this build option is not limited to use with the Intel XDK Early Access edition; it can be used with any current version of the Intel XDK.

Our build system does not currently provide a Windows Phone package that can be submitted to the Windows Phone store. We are working on resolving this issue. Once resolved we will update this forum post and send a tweet to the Intel XDK. Company policy does not allow us to provide an expected date of resolution.

This release requires some extra steps to perform a build, because there is no Build Settings UI on the Projects tab in the current releases of the Intel XDK to support building a Windows Phone 8.1 Cordova app and there is no corresponding build tile on the Build tab. A future release of the Intel XDK will provide these missing features.

Building a Windows Phone 8.1 Cordova application with the current release of the Intel XDK involves the following basic steps (please read the detailed steps, further below, before you attempt to perform a build for Windows Phone 8.1):

1. Create an xdk.config.wp81.xml file.
2. Locate that xdk.config.wp81.xml file in your “source” directory.
3. Instruct the Intel XDK to perform a Windows 8 build.

If you want to then perform a Windows 8 build:

1. Remove (or rename) the xdk.config.wp81.xml file from your “source” directory.
2. Instruct the Intel XDK to perform a Windows 8 build.

NOTE: we are using the presence of the xdk.config.wp81.xml file to tell the build system “I want to build for Windows Phone 8.1” instead of saying “I want to build for Windows 8” (which is what you normally get when you push the Windows 8 build tile on the Build tab). So you must remove the xdk.config.wp81.xml file from your “source” directory if you want to perform a Windows 8 build. Universal Windows builds are not currently supported, they will be available in a future version of the Intel XDK.

A detailed explanation of the steps required to build a Windows Phone 8.1 package follows:

1. Use the Windows 8 Build Settings section of the Projects tab to set your build options. Be sure to include your Windows Phone publisher ID in the Publisher ID field, do not use your Windows publisher ID.

   Dashboard -> Account settings, Microsoft provides you with three publisher IDs. When building Windows Phone 8.1 apps, be sure to use the Windows Phone publisher ID in the XDK's project settings page. When building Windows apps, be sure to use the Windows publisher ID instead.
   

2. IMPORTANT: Switch to the Test tab and push the green > button (PUSH FILES). This will force the Intel XDK to update the intelxdk.config.windows8.xml build file, in your project's root directory, so it includes any updates you made to the Build Settings section of the Projects tab.
    
3. Use the Develop tab (or your favorite editor) to copy the contents of the intelxdk.config.windows8.xml located in your project’s root directory into a file named xdk.config.wp81.xml located in your project’s source directory (normally named “www”). Note that the Windows Phone 8.1 config file does not have an “intel” prefix like the automatically generated config.*.xml build files located in your project root directory.
    
4. Select the Build tab and push the Windows 8 build tile. Instead of building a Windows 8 Cordova application, the build server will build a Windows Phone 8.1 Cordova application. IMPORTANT: push the “Upload Project” button, do not push the “Use Existing” button.

To build a Windows 8 Cordova application:

1. Remove or rename the xdk.config.wp81.xml file located in your source directory.
    
2. Push the Windows 8 build tile, just as you normally would do, to build a Windows 8 Cordova app.
    
3. IMPORTANT: push the “Upload Project” button, do not push the “Use Existing” button, when you start the Windows 8 build. Failing to push “Upload Project” will cause the build server to use the previously uploaded source bundle that contains the special xdk.config.wp81.xml file and signals the build server to perform a Windows Phone 8.1 build.

You can verify that you built a Windows Phone 8.1 Cordova app by checking the last line of the detailed build log. If you find --phone in that last line it means you have built for Windows Phone 8.1 If you see --win in that list line you have built a Windows 8 Cordova application.

Watch for a future Intel XDK release with build configuration screens that will directly support Windows Phone 8.1 Cordova apps.

Thanks,

--the Intel XDK Team

[Konstantin_R_]

Paul, thank you for your attention to my question. I try use Pro version, because only this cordova plugin support WP8.1 on XDK ( Admob (old) and (Basic) from Featured Plugin - not support WP8.1 ) I succesfully build and deploy and my app and this is test project on Lumia 720, but ads not show. I hope when Intel XDK will officially support build WP8.1, then problem with admob will be resolved, as this is the only way to monetize a free app on WP.

Thank you.

[Bhavya_A_]

@ Paul,

We can't publish our app in window phone store for windows phone 8.1 with current working version of intel xdk. 

We have to wait for the new version for intel xdk.

Thanks

Bhavya

[PaulF_IntelCorp]

Bhavya -- we are still working out some issues that prevent Windows Phone builds from being published in the Windows Phone store. It is not the XDK that is causing the problem, but our build system. So as soon as the issues are worked on in the build system you should be able to build and publish. We'll update the sticky note regarding Windows Phone builds when that is fixed.

[Bhavya_A_]

@Paul,

Thank you so much for your reply.Is there any way by which we install the windows 8.1 app without publishing it on the store using intel XDK build ?

Thanks ,

Bhavya

[PaulF_IntelCorp]

Yes, you can install built apps onto devices. One of my colleagues just published an article yesterday covering how to do that to a USB-connected Windows Phone: https://software.intel.com/en-us/xdk/articles/side-loading-win-phone-apps