Getting Started with MMS

Version 1.0 / 25 June 2003

1. Overview
2. What You Should Already Know
3. What You Will Need
4. Where To Begin
5. Where to Go Next
6. Related Materials

1. Overview

This document provides developers with an introduction to using Multimedia Message Service (MMS) technology. First, you will download, install, and configure the development tools necessary for creating and testing a sample MMS Java™ application, and then you will learn how to:

Create an MMS message using the MMS Java Library
Use the Multimedia Messaging Service Centre (MMSC) External Application Interface (EAIF) emulator to send that message
Use another instance of the MMSC EAIF emulator to receive the message
View the received message in the Series 60 CA SDK for Symbian OS, Nokia Edition

Section 2 describes what you should already know and provides links to more information. At the end of this guide is a list of several basic documents that describe how to start building your service, what aspects should be considered, and how to continue.

Download the whole Getting Started with MMS package (guides and tools included)

2. What You Should Already Know

This document is intended for developers who are experienced with wireless technologies such as GSM and WAP. You can download more information about GSM, including GSM specifications, and about WAP technology from the following Web sites:

Nokia also provides documents that contain additional helpful information about WAP technology and multimedia messaging. The following documents can be downloaded from the Documents section of the Forum Nokia Web site:

Introduction to WAP over GPRS provides an introduction to WAP technology
Nokia Multimedia Messaging White Paper provides a general overview about the MMS market and services.

3. What You Will Need

Before we begin, you will need to download all of the necessary tools. Registered members of Forum Nokia can download all of the tools from the Tools and SDK section of the Forum Nokia Web site, with the exception of Java 2 SDK Standard Edition v1.3.1_02, which is available for download from Sun's Web site:

Java 2 SDK Standard Edition v1.3.1_02
MMS Java Library version 1.1
Sample MMS Creation - 2-Slide Message with SMIL Part
MMSC EAIF Emulator
Series 60 Content Authoring SDK 1.0 for Symbian OS, Nokia edition

4. Where to Begin

In the exercise depicted in Figure 1, two instances of the MMSC EAIF emulator are used. The first instance emulates an MMSC sending a message to a terminating application that we are testing. But instead of an application, we put another MMSC EAIF emulator at the receiving end. It listens to the proper port, and emulates an MMSC EAIF waiting for input from an originating application.

Figure 1: Example integration of several Nokia MMS tools

Download and install the tools.

Install the Java 2 SDK Standard Edition v1.3.1_02, which you should have already downloaded from the Sun Web site. Set your CLASSPATH to include the jdk1.3.1_02jrelib directory and the PATH to include the jdk1.3.1_02bin directory. Next, go to the Forum Nokia Web site, sign in, then go to http://forum.nokia.com/tools, Messaging Tools, and download the following tools if necessary:

MMS Java Library version 1.1 (380 kB)
This Zip file unzips by default into the "MMS Java Library" directory structure.
Sample MMS Creation - 2-Slide Message with SMIL Part (9 kB)
Extract all files from this Zip file into any directory where you can compile and run Java applications, using the MMS Java Library version 1.1.
MMSC EAIF Emulator (1.37 MB)
This Zip file unzips by default into "MMSC EAIF Emulator" directory structure.
Series 60 Content Authoring SDK 1.0 for Symbian OS, Nokia edition (23 MB)
For this Zip file, execute setup.exe.

Configure your environment by following these steps:

Add <<<MMS Java Library install path>>> /mmslibrarydir/mmslibrary/MMSLibrary.jar to your CLASSPATH (For more details, see the "Nokia MMS Java Library v1.1.pdf" from the documents directory of the MMS Java Library).
Make two copies of the entire MMSC EAIF emulator directory. Name one of the copies "Sending_TestTA" and the other "Receiving_TestOA". You can name the files whatever you want, but the suggestion is based on the idea that the "sending" copy will be used to test Terminating Applications (TA), for example. Naming the directories logically should help you remember which copy is for what purpose.
In Receiving_TestOAbincomnokiaeaifem edit the eaifem.properties file (MMSIN property) By default it will be: MMSIN=C:\Symbian\6.1\Series60\Epoc32\Wins\c\mmsin (Note the use of backslash before colons and backslashes.) Depending on which emulator you use, this should be made to point to ...Series_60_Content_Authoring_SDK_1_0_for_Symbian
_OSEpoc32Winscmmsin. Remember to add extra backslashes before colons and backslashes.
In Sending_TestTAbincomnokiaeaifem, edit the eaifem.properties file (port and TA_ADDR properties) to be as follows:
port=7000
TA_ADDR=http://localhost:8189

Now it's time to run the example:

Compile SampleMMSCreation.java, then run SampleMMSCreation.class. You should get Sample.mms as output.
Copy this file to Sending_TestTAbinTemplates.
In the same directory create Sample.txt, whose content can be, for example, one line: "A Nokia Sample." For more details on how the Sample.txt can be used, see the EAIF emulator documentation.
Start the terminal emulator.
Start Sending and Receiving EAIF emulators by running the appropriate startup.bat files in the bin directories.
For the Sending_TestTA emulator, select Application->Terminating. For Receiving_TestOA emulator, select Application->Originating.
Now use the Sending_TestTA emulator to send the Sample MMS. Green lights should appear in both EAIF emulators, and the terminal emulator should display the message content.

This sample is intended to help you get started. At this point, take the time to read some additional documents to understand the way the tools work, to troubleshoot as necessary, and build your own example application.

If you experience problems while developing your application, you can participate in an active conversation on Forum Nokia discussion boards. You can also search for answers from previous discussions. Questions are best answered when addressed under the appropriate subclass.

5. Where to Go Next

Now that you have written a sample application with MMS, it is time to investigate more advanced information on the subject.

This document, available for download from the Forum Nokia Web site, provides a good foundation for understanding the basics of MMS and how to continue from there:

How to create MMS services

This document gives you a practical point of view of MMS tools and how to work with them. The document guides you with a step-by-step example how to create, send, and receive a message using MMS tools offered by Forum Nokia. The document also briefly explains what each MMS tool can be used for:

Getting Started with MMS Tools