IOS development environment, certificates and authorization files

I. Introduction of Members
1. Certification (certificate)
Certificate is the qualification of computer development certification, each developer account has a set, divided into two kinds:
1) Developer Certification (development certificate)
Install on the PC to provide permissions: The developer tests the device for real-world testing.
Copies can be generated for multiple computers to be installed;
2) Distribution Certification (release certificate)
Install on your PC to provide permission to publish iOS programs: Developers can make beta and release programs.
Cannot generate a copy, only the computer that configures the certificate can be used; (the copy is introduced in the following keychain)

2. Provisioning profile (Authorization document)
Authorization files are authorized for devices such as ipod Touch, IPad, iphone, the udid of the device and the app ID of the program, even if the authorized device can install or debug the bundle identifier program that corresponds to the app ID recorded in the authorization file.
The developer account will choose the app ID when creating the authorization file (add the app ID in the developer account, select a single) and Udid (add up to 100, multi-select in the developer account under devices).
The authorization file is divided into two types, corresponding to the corresponding certificate use:
1) Developer Provisioning profile (Development authorization file)
When used on a computer with a development certificate or copy, the developer chooses the authorization file to install the program to a device in the authorization file record through the computer, which can be tested on the real machine.
Note: Make sure that the computer has permissions to debug, that is, the development certificate or copy is installed, the bundle identifier of the program in the development tool and the app ID of the selected authorization file are consistent; The udid of the device that connects the debugs is recorded in the selected authorization file.
2) Distribution Provisioning profile (Release authorization file)
The beta and release programs are made on the computer that has the certificate issued (that is, the computer that configures the certificate).
The release is the program file that is published to the App Store, and the developer account chooses the store option when creating the authorization file, choose the app Id, no need to select Udid;
The beta version is the program files that the tester can sync to the device before it is released, select Adhoc when creating the authorization file for the developer account, select the app ID and Udid, and only the selected Udid device may install the program that is made from that authorization file.
3. Keychain (Development key)
If the certificate is successfully installed, keychain will be generated under the certificate, and the copy of the certificate mentioned above is the computer that is configured with the certificate to export keychain (that is. p12 file) to the other machine, so that the other machines get the certificate corresponding permissions. Developer certification can make copies keychain distributed to other computers to be installed so that they can be tested on the real machine.

Note: Distribution certification can only be used by computers that have a certificate configured, so even if the export export keychain is installed on another computer, it is not possible for other computers to have certificate permissions.

Overview of the IOS development and deployment process

The following table provides a quick list of steps for the IOS development process, how to obtain the required certificates, and the prerequisites for each step.

For more information about each of these steps, see Prepare for building, debugging, or deploying an IOS application.

Step number	Steps	Position	Prerequisite
1.	Join the Apple developer program.	Apple Developer Site	No
2.	Registers a unique Device identifier (UDID) for an IOS device.	IOS Configuration Portal	Apple developer ID (1th Step)
3.	Generate a Certificate signing request (CSR) file (*.certsigningrequest).	In Mac OS, use the Keychain Access program In Windows, use OpenSSL	No
4.	Generate IOS Developer/distribution Certificate (*.cer).	IOS Configuration Portal	Apple developer ID (1th Step) CSR file (step 3rd)
5.	Convert IOS Developer/distribution certificate to P12 format. (Post AppStore Use this to identify which company or person you are, Includes development and release of two versions)	In Mac OS, use the Keychain Access program In Windows, use OpenSSL	Apple developer ID (1th Step) IOS Developer/Distribution Certificate (4th step)
6.	generates the application ID. (labeled two different applications)	IOS Configuration portal	Apple developer ID (1th Step)
7.	Build configuration profile (*.mobileprovision) contains a set of data Information that binds developers and devices to a recognized IOS on Team, and enables devices for testing it Contains a set of IOS development certificates, several device IDs, and an application  id, and it must be installed on every device that you want to run your application on the other hand, the release profile may contain device data Information, It is based on whether you want to create an app package for a particular device's special release or pass over Apple app store . Apple only accepts applications created with the  app Store distribution profile for , but with   The	IOS Configuration portal	Apple Developer ID (1th) UDID (2nd Step) of the IOS device Application ID (6th step)
8.	Build the application.	Flash Builder	Apple developer ID (1th Step) P12 Developer/Distribution Certificate (step 5th) Application ID (6th step)
9.	Deploy the application.	Itunes	Configuration profile (step 7th) Application Package (step 8th)

Before you build, debug, or deploy an IOS application

Before you build an iOS app using Flash Builder and deploy it on an iOS device or before you submit to the Apple App Store, perform the following steps:

2. Join the Apple IOS developer program.

   You can sign in or create an Apple ID with an existing Apple ID. The Apple Developer Registration Wizard will guide you through the necessary steps.

4. Registers the device's unique device identifier (UDID).

   This step applies only if you are deploying your application to an IOS device other than the Apple App Store. If you want to deploy applications on multiple IOS devices, register the UDID for each device.

   Get UDID for your IOS device

   1. Connect your IOS device to your development computer and start iTunes. The attached IOS device will appear under the Devices section in ITunes.

   2. Click the device name to display a summary of your IOS device.

   3. On the Summary tab, click Serial number to display the 40-character UDID for your IOS device. You can use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + C (Windows) or Cmd+c (MAC) to copy the UDID from ITunes.

   UDID of registered devices

   Sign in to the IOS configuration portal with your Apple ID and register the UDID for that device.

6. Generate a Certificate signing request (CSR) file (*.certsigningrequest).

   A CSR will be generated to obtain the IOS Developer/distribution certificate. You can generate a CSR by using Keychain access on your Mac or OpenSSL on Windows. When you generate a CSR, you only need to provide a user name and email address, and you don't need to provide any information about the application or device.

   Generating a CSR creates a public key, a private key, and a *.certsigningrequest file. The public key is included in the CSR and the private key is used to sign the request.

   For more information about generating a CSR, see Generate a Certificate signing request.

8. Generate the iOS developer certificate or the iOS distribution certificate (*.cer) as needed.

   note:  The developer certificate is required to deploy the application to the device. To deploy an application to the Apple app Store, you need to distribute the certificate.

   Generate IOS Developer certificate

   1. Sign in  ios Configure the portal with your Apple ID, and then select the Development tab.

   2. Click Request a certificate, and then browse to the CSR file that you generated and saved on your computer (step 3rd).

   3. Select the CSR file and click Submit.

   4. On the Certificates page, click Download.

   5. To save the downloaded file (*.developer_identity.cer).

   Generate IOS Distribution certificate

   1. Sign in to  ios with Apple ID Configure the Portal, and then select the Distribution tab

   2. Click please Certificate, and then browse to the CSR file that you generated and saved (3rd step) on your computer.

   3. Select the CSR file and click Submit.

   4. On the Certificates page, click Download.

   5. To save the downloaded file (*.distribution_identity.cer).

10. Convert the iOS Developer certificate or iOS distribution certificate to the P12 file format (*.P12).

    Convert the iOS Developer certificate or iOS distribution certificate to the P12 format so that Flash Builder can digitally sign the iOS app. Converting to P12 format causes the IOS Developer/distribution certificate to be combined with the associated private key in one file.

    Note: If you use AIR Debug Launcher (ADL) to test an application on the desktop, you do not need to convert the IOS Developer/distribution certificate to the P12 format.

    Use Keychain access on your Mac or OpenSSL on Windows to generate a personal information exchange (*.P12) file. For more information, see Convert a developer certificate to a P12 file.

12. Build the application ID by doing the following:

    1. Sign in to the IOS configuration portal with your Apple ID.

    2. Go to the Application ID page, and then click New Application ID.

    3. In the Administration tab, enter a description for the application, generate a new bundle seed ID, and enter the bundle identifier.

       Each application has a unique application ID, which you can specify in the application descriptor XML file. The application ID contains an Apple-supplied 10-character "bundle seed ID" and a "bundle identifier" suffix that you specify. The bundle identifier that you specify must match the application ID in the application descriptor file. For example, if the application ID is com.mydomain.*, the ID in the application descriptor file must start with Com.mydomain.

       Important: The wildcard bundle identifiers help you develop and test IOS applications, but cannot be used to deploy applications to the Apple app Store.

14. Generate a developer configuration profile or distribution configuration profile (*.mobileprovision).

    Note: The developer configuration profile is required to deploy the application to the device. To deploy an application to the Apple app Store, you need to distribute the configuration profile. Use the distribution configuration profile to sign the application.

    Generate a developer configuration profile

    1. Sign in to the IOS configuration portal with your Apple ID.

    2. Go to Certificates > configuration, and then click New Profile.

    3. Enter a profile name, select the IOS developer certificate, the application ID, and the UDID where you want to install the application.

    4. Click Submit.

    5. Download the generated Developer Configuration profile (*.mobileprovision) and save it on your computer.

    Generate Distribution Configuration profile

    1. Sign in to the IOS configuration portal with your Apple ID.

    2. Go to Certificates > configuration, and then click New Profile.

    3. Enter a profile name and select the IOS distribution certificate and application ID. If you want to test your application before deployment, specify the UDID of the device in which you want to perform the test.

    4. Click Submit.

    5. Download the generated configuration profile (*.mobileprovision) and save it on your computer.

Files selected when you test, debug, or install an IOS application

To run, debug, or install an application that is tested on an IOS device, select the following file in the Run/Debug Configuration dialog box:

• IOS Developer Certificate in P12 format (5th step)

• Application descriptor XML file containing the application ID (6th step)

• Developer Configuration Profiles (7th step)

For more information, see Debug an app on an Apple iOS device and install an app on an Apple iOS device.

Files selected when you deploy an application to the Apple app Store

To deploy the application to the Apple App Store, select package type as the final release package for the Apple App Store in the Export Release version dialog box, and then select the following files:

• IOS distribution Certificate in P12 format (5th step)

• Application descriptor XML file with Application ID (6th step) Note: You cannot use the wildcard application ID when submitting an application to the Apple app Store.

• Distribution Configuration profile (step 7th)

IOS development environment, certificates and authorization files