AIR

The first book to completely demystify leading-edge component development with the Adobe Flex 3 platform - How to build components for Flex and AIR applications using ActionScript 3.0 and Adobe's powerful MXML user interface markup language - Covers expert techniques most books ignore, including component metadata, error handling, documentation, and creating Flex components in Flash using the Flex Component Kit - By Mike Jones, world-renowned Flex development consultant and speaker Summary Adobe Flex 3 offers a powerful new framework that web developers can use to quickly produce richer, more immersive, higher-value solutions. To help developers build the most powerful next-generation web applications, Adobe structured the Flex framework around components, and allowed developers to extend Flex's capabilities with their own components. However, few Flex developers know how to create these custom components. Developing Flex Components is the first book to completely demystify that process. Renowned Flex developer and speaker Mike Jones begins by presenting a quick overview of Flex and Flex Builder aimed at ActionScript 3.0 Flash developers. Jones explains the anatomy of a Flex component, including both visual and non-visual components, and introduces the components that come with the Flex framework. Next, one step at a time, he walks through building new Flex components that leverage the platform's powerful capabilities and can be incorporated into both Flex and AIR applications. Jones covers topics that are rarely addressed in Flex books, including component metadata, events and error handling, data binding, skinning, styling, and creating Flex components in Flash using the Flex Component Kit. He also presents a full chapter on writing and maintaining component documentation, as well as an appendix of additional resources for Flex component developers.

Covers version 1.5 of Adobe AIR

Written to help you hit the ground running, this book teaches you how to build state-of-the-art rich desktop applications on the breakthrough Adobe AIR platform.

Stacy Tyler Young, Michael Givens, and Dimitrios Gianninas illustrate the power of this technology through practical application examples based on the official 1.5 release of Adobe AIR. You’ll discover how Adobe AIR helps you solve problems you just couldn’t solve before by extending the reach of your web applications onto users’ desktops. Building on your existing knowledge of Adobe Flex, HTML, JavaScript, and Ajax software, you’ll master the powerful Adobe AIR platform--moving quickly from task-oriented examples to larger-scale, real-world projects. The authors don’t just cover coding--they help you maximize your effectiveness throughout the entire development lifecycle via design patterns, frameworks, build process, continuous integration, and automated testing.

If you’re ready to build the next generation of rich hybrid desktop applications, Adobe AIR is the development platform you’ve been searching for...and this is the book you need to kick-start new projects using this exciting new technology.

Detailed information on how to...

• Install and configure your Adobe AIR development environment
• Build the next generation web/desktop hybrid applications to run on Adobe AIR
• Add new desktop capabilities to your web applications such as native windows, local file I/O, and client-side databases
• Create HTML/Adobe Flex mash-up applications
• Push data to Adobe AIR clients using BlazeDS, an open source Java remoting and messaging technology
• Package, distribute, and update Adobe AIR applications
• Work with display objects in 3D space by leveraging Adobe Flash Player 10
• Build Adobe AIR applications using common frameworks like Cairngorm
• Create automated builds using Apache Ant, complete with FlexUnit testing strategies
• Create a peer-to-peer photo-sharing application by combining Adobe AIR and Java

Part I       Getting Started with Adobe AIR

1         Introduction to Adobe AIR 9

2         Setting Up the Development Environment 15

3         Creating an Adobe AIR Application 29

4         Debugging Adobe AIR Applications 51

Part II       Building Adobe AIR Applications

5         Working with Windows 67

6         Working with Screens 89

7         Working with Files and Directories 101

8         Understanding the Drag-and-Drop API 115

9         Working with Copy and Paste 129

10       Working with Native Menus 159

11       Adding User Notifications 177

12       Working with Local Databases 189

13       Understanding Networking and Local Connections 213

14       Working with Adobe Flex AIR Components 251

Part III       Securing Adobe AIR Applications

15       Understanding Security Sandboxes 263

16       Using the Encrypted Local Store 273

Part IV       Deploying Adobe AIR Applications

17       Distributing Adobe AIR Applications 283

18       Updating Adobe AIR Applications 309

Part V       Architecting Adobe AIR Applications

19       Introduction to Frameworks and Design Patterns 321

20       Building Adobe AIR Applications Using the Cairngorm Microarchitecture 335

Part VI       Agile Development with Adobe AIR

21       Creating a Build Process 359

22       Incorporating Unit Testing 373

23       Continuous Integration with Adobe AIR 393

Part VII       Real-World Projects

24       Contact Manager with Integrated Yahoo! Maps 411

25       Peer-to-Peer Photo Sharing Using Adobe AIR, Bonjour, and Java 421

26       Building a Video Distribution System 427

Part VIII       Adobe AIR 1.5 and Adobe Flash 10 Extras

27       Using Adobe Flash 10 Features in Adobe AIR 439

Appendices

A        Adobe AIR Resources for Developers 451

B        Adobe AIR API Reference Poster (Downloadable) 455

C        Downloading Source Code for Adobe AIR Programming Unleashed 457

Index 463

Covers version 1.5 of Adobe AIR

Written to help you hit the ground running, this book teaches you how to build state-of-the-art rich desktop applications on the breakthrough Adobe AIR platform.

Stacy Tyler Young, Michael Givens, and Dimitrios Gianninas illustrate the power of this technology through practical application examples based on the official 1.5 release of Adobe AIR. You’ll discover how Adobe AIR helps you solve problems you just couldn’t solve before by extending the reach of your web applications onto users’ desktops. Building on your existing knowledge of Adobe Flex, HTML, JavaScript, and Ajax software, you’ll master the powerful Adobe AIR platform--moving quickly from task-oriented examples to larger-scale, real-world projects. The authors don’t just cover coding--they help you maximize your effectiveness throughout the entire development lifecycle via design patterns, frameworks, build process, continuous integration, and automated testing.

If you’re ready to build the next generation of rich hybrid desktop applications, Adobe AIR is the development platform you’ve been searching for...and this is the book you need to kick-start new projects using this exciting new technology.

Detailed information on how to...

• Install and configure your Adobe AIR development environment
• Build the next generation web/desktop hybrid applications to run on Adobe AIR
• Add new desktop capabilities to your web applications such as native windows, local file I/O, and client-side databases
• Create HTML/Adobe Flex mash-up applications
• Push data to Adobe AIR clients using BlazeDS, an open source Java remoting and messaging technology
• Package, distribute, and update Adobe AIR applications
• Work with display objects in 3D space by leveraging Adobe Flash Player 10
• Build Adobe AIR applications using common frameworks like Cairngorm
• Create automated builds using Apache Ant, complete with FlexUnit testing strategies
• Create a peer-to-peer photo-sharing application by combining Adobe AIR and Java

Part I       Getting Started with Adobe AIR

1         Introduction to Adobe AIR 9

2         Setting Up the Development Environment 15

3         Creating an Adobe AIR Application 29

4         Debugging Adobe AIR Applications 51

Part II       Building Adobe AIR Applications

5         Working with Windows 67

6         Working with Screens 89

7         Working with Files and Directories 101

8         Understanding the Drag-and-Drop API 115

9         Working with Copy and Paste 129

10       Working with Native Menus 159

11       Adding User Notifications 177

12       Working with Local Databases 189

13       Understanding Networking and Local Connections 213

14       Working with Adobe Flex AIR Components 251

Part III       Securing Adobe AIR Applications

15       Understanding Security Sandboxes 263

16       Using the Encrypted Local Store 273

Part IV       Deploying Adobe AIR Applications

17       Distributing Adobe AIR Applications 283

18       Updating Adobe AIR Applications 309

Part V       Architecting Adobe AIR Applications

19       Introduction to Frameworks and Design Patterns 321

20       Building Adobe AIR Applications Using the Cairngorm Microarchitecture 335

Part VI       Agile Development with Adobe AIR

21       Creating a Build Process 359

22       Incorporating Unit Testing 373

23       Continuous Integration with Adobe AIR 393

Part VII       Real-World Projects

24       Contact Manager with Integrated Yahoo! Maps 411

25       Peer-to-Peer Photo Sharing Using Adobe AIR, Bonjour, and Java 421

26       Building a Video Distribution System 427

Part VIII       Adobe AIR 1.5 and Adobe Flash 10 Extras

27       Using Adobe Flash 10 Features in Adobe AIR 439

Appendices

A        Adobe AIR Resources for Developers 451

B        Adobe AIR API Reference Poster (Downloadable) 455

C        Downloading Source Code for Adobe AIR Programming Unleashed 457

Index 463

The first book to completely demystify leading-edge component development with the Adobe Flex 3 platform - How to build components for Flex and AIR applications using ActionScript 3.0 and Adobe's powerful MXML user interface markup language - Covers expert techniques most books ignore, including component metadata, error handling, documentation, and creating Flex components in Flash using the Flex Component Kit - By Mike Jones, world-renowned Flex development consultant and speaker Summary Adobe Flex 3 offers a powerful new framework that web developers can use to quickly produce richer, more immersive, higher-value solutions. To help developers build the most powerful next-generation web applications, Adobe structured the Flex framework around components, and allowed developers to extend Flex's capabilities with their own components. However, few Flex developers know how to create these custom components. Developing Flex Components is the first book to completely demystify that process. Renowned Flex developer and speaker Mike Jones begins by presenting a quick overview of Flex and Flex Builder aimed at ActionScript 3.0 Flash developers. Jones explains the anatomy of a Flex component, including both visual and non-visual components, and introduces the components that come with the Flex framework. Next, one step at a time, he walks through building new Flex components that leverage the platform's powerful capabilities and can be incorporated into both Flex and AIR applications. Jones covers topics that are rarely addressed in Flex books, including component metadata, events and error handling, data binding, skinning, styling, and creating Flex components in Flash using the Flex Component Kit. He also presents a full chapter on writing and maintaining component documentation, as well as an appendix of additional resources for Flex component developers.

• Embrace the Flash Platform and learn how to build desktop applications using the AIR SDK alongside Flash CS4.
• Understand and use the ActionScript 3.0 AIR APIs.
• Create applications that interact with any operating system to create, read, and write local files.
• Write applications that can run both online and offline, automatically checking for Internet connectivity.
• Build AIR applications that communicate with a local SQLite database.

We all know what a great tool Flash is for creating dynamic, engaging web content, and Adobe's latest CS4 release just makes it even better. Among the great new features is the ability to take all the power of Flash for the Web and put in on the desktop using AIR. AIR capability is built right into the Flash CS4 IDE, which means you can start writing desktop applications right away.

This book not only covers the essentials of using Flash with AIR (and AIR with Flash), but also shows you how to extend application functionality in new ways. once you've got Flash on the desktop, you're no longer constrained by the limitations of running inside a web browser. You'll have access to the local desktop file system, and AIR adds SQLite functionality for native database support. And just as Flash animations have a consistent look and feel across browsers, AIR allows you to create applications that work consistently across operating systems—Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux.

For any Flash developer who wants to go from the Web to the desktop (and who doesn't?), this book is required reading. It not only tells you how to do it, but is full of practical, easy-to-follow examples that will have you building desktop AIR applications with Flash in no time. Expanding your existing Flash skills with the Essential Guide to Flash CS4 AIR Development will make you an even more potent and indispensable force on any development team!

Summary of Contents

1. Introducing Adobe AIR
2. Introducing Flash CS4
3. Building Your First AIR Application
4. Setting AIR Application Properties
5. Working with the Window APIs and the Screen Class
6. Creating Menus for Flash Applications
7. Accessing the File System
8. Working with the operating System
9. Adding Rich Media: PDF, Video, and Audio Files
10. Working with HTML Content
11. Monitoring network Connectivity
12. SQLite Programming in Flash CS4
13. Packaging, Distributing, and Installing AIR Applications

Covers version 1.5 of Adobe AIR

Written to help you hit the ground running, this book teaches you how to build state-of-the-art rich desktop applications on the breakthrough Adobe AIR platform.

Stacy Tyler Young, Michael Givens, and Dimitrios Gianninas illustrate the power of this technology through practical application examples based on the official 1.5 release of Adobe AIR. You’ll discover how Adobe AIR helps you solve problems you just couldn’t solve before by extending the reach of your web applications onto users’ desktops. Building on your existing knowledge of Adobe Flex, HTML, JavaScript, and Ajax software, you’ll master the powerful Adobe AIR platform--moving quickly from task-oriented examples to larger-scale, real-world projects. The authors don’t just cover coding--they help you maximize your effectiveness throughout the entire development lifecycle via design patterns, frameworks, build process, continuous integration, and automated testing.

If you’re ready to build the next generation of rich hybrid desktop applications, Adobe AIR is the development platform you’ve been searching for...and this is the book you need to kick-start new projects using this exciting new technology.

Detailed information on how to...

• Install and configure your Adobe AIR development environment
• Build the next generation web/desktop hybrid applications to run on Adobe AIR
• Add new desktop capabilities to your web applications such as native windows, local file I/O, and client-side databases
• Create HTML/Adobe Flex mash-up applications
• Push data to Adobe AIR clients using BlazeDS, an open source Java remoting and messaging technology
• Package, distribute, and update Adobe AIR applications
• Work with display objects in 3D space by leveraging Adobe Flash Player 10
• Build Adobe AIR applications using common frameworks like Cairngorm
• Create automated builds using Apache Ant, complete with FlexUnit testing strategies
• Create a peer-to-peer photo-sharing application by combining Adobe AIR and Java

Part I       Getting Started with Adobe AIR

1         Introduction to Adobe AIR 9

2         Setting Up the Development Environment 15

3         Creating an Adobe AIR Application 29

4         Debugging Adobe AIR Applications 51

Part II       Building Adobe AIR Applications

5         Working with Windows 67

6         Working with Screens 89

7         Working with Files and Directories 101

8         Understanding the Drag-and-Drop API 115

9         Working with Copy and Paste 129

10       Working with Native Menus 159

11       Adding User Notifications 177

12       Working with Local Databases 189

13       Understanding Networking and Local Connections 213

14       Working with Adobe Flex AIR Components 251

Part III       Securing Adobe AIR Applications

15       Understanding Security Sandboxes 263

16       Using the Encrypted Local Store 273

Part IV       Deploying Adobe AIR Applications

17       Distributing Adobe AIR Applications 283

18       Updating Adobe AIR Applications 309

Part V       Architecting Adobe AIR Applications

19       Introduction to Frameworks and Design Patterns 321

20       Building Adobe AIR Applications Using the Cairngorm Microarchitecture 335

Part VI       Agile Development with Adobe AIR

21       Creating a Build Process 359

22       Incorporating Unit Testing 373

23       Continuous Integration with Adobe AIR 393

Part VII       Real-World Projects

24       Contact Manager with Integrated Yahoo! Maps 411

25       Peer-to-Peer Photo Sharing Using Adobe AIR, Bonjour, and Java 421

26       Building a Video Distribution System 427

Part VIII       Adobe AIR 1.5 and Adobe Flash 10 Extras

27       Using Adobe Flash 10 Features in Adobe AIR 439

Appendices

A        Adobe AIR Resources for Developers 451

B        Adobe AIR API Reference Poster (Downloadable) 455

C        Downloading Source Code for Adobe AIR Programming Unleashed 457

Index 463