Invoke a BBM Channel Within Your App

A BBM Channel is a great way to promote your application. But did you also know that your application is a great way to promote your BBM Channel? The beta release of BBM Channels has added support allowing you to invoke a BBM Channel card within your application. If the user isn’t subscribed to your channel they’ll have the option to subscribe. If they’re already a subscriber, the channel will be opened. It’s all done within a card in your application, so users never have to leave your app and will get the BlackBerry peek experience they’re already used to.

So how is it done? Here are the invocation parameters you’ll need to use to invoke your Channel, replacing the PIN in the URI with your BBM Channel’s PIN:

Invoke Target ID:  sys.bbm.channels.card.previewer

Invoke Action ID: bb.action.OPENBBMCHANNEL

URI:  bbmc:C00011F49

Here’s a QML code sample that invokes the BlackBerry Jam Channel.

InvokeActionItem {
    title: "BlackBerry Jam Channel"
    query {
        invokeTargetId: "sys.bbm.channels.card.previewer"
        invokeActionId: "bb.action.OPENBBMCHANNEL"
        uri: "bbmc:C00011F49"
    }
}

We’re excited to see how BlackBerry developers will use this new ability to invoke a BBM Channel. Let us know your ideas in the comments below!