Adobe AIR for Dummies (ISBN - 0470390441)

364 Pages·2021·4.73 MB·English

Richard Wagner
Inventor and chief architect of the
JavaScript tool NetObjects ScriptBuilder

Learn to:
• Build rich Internet applications (RIAs)
that run on the desktop and access
Web services

• Create cross-platform apps that run on
both Windows and Mac

• Use AIR to access XML and RSS data

• Develop apps that run seamlessly
online and offline

Adobe

® AIR

™

Making Everything Easier!™

Visit the companion Web site at
www.dummies.com/go/adobeairfd
to find all the code used in this book

Open the book and find:

• Secrets for creating Internet-savvy
apps

• How to set the environment path
in Vista, Windows® XP, or Mac OS® X

• Tips for using HTML and CSS as
building blocks

• Ways to use Webkit extensions

• How to handle events in the HTML
DOM

• Ten terrific RIAs to check out

• How to add drag-and-drop
capability in Flex, Flash, and
HTML apps

• Advice for instant downloading
and auto-updating

Richard Wagner is an experienced Web designer and developer who
has written more than a dozen Web-related books. Previously, he was
vice president of product development for NetObjects, where he was the
inventor and chief architect of the award-winning JavaScript tool called
NetObjects ScriptBuilder.

$29.99 US / $32.99 CN / £19.99 UK

ISBN 978-0-470-39044-3

Programming/Software Development

Go to dummies.com®

for more!

Build full-fledged Web apps
with JavaScript, Flex, or HTML —
it’s a breath of fresh AIR

With Adobe AIR, you can create rich Internet applications
using Web technologies. They run on desktops and across
multiple operating systems, and they’re more than mere
wimpy widgets. This book gives you the scoop on AIR,
working with local file systems and databases, setting up
security, and all the stuff you need to know to create cool
AIR apps.

• Get out in the AIR — find out how to create AIR apps using Flex®,
Flash®, and HTML with Ajax

• Play in the sandbox — understand the AIR security model and
how application sandboxes protect your code and data

• Connect — learn about the database connectivity of Adobe AIR
and how to work with SQL when building database applications

• Banish bugs — see how to use the AIR Debug Launcher, the alert
command, and the AIR HTML Introspector to debug your apps

• Surf the AIRwaves — create apps for network connectivity,
monitor remote network services, and work with audio files

Adobe
® AIR

™

Wagner

Spine: .72”

01_196113-ffirs.qxp 12/12/08 10:46 PM Page ii

by Richard Wagner

Adobe

® AIR

™

FOR
DUMmIES

‰

Adobe® AIR™ For Dummies®

Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permit-
ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written
permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the
Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone].
Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at
http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the
Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything
Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/
or its affi liates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission.
Adobe and AIR are trademarks or registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. All other trade-
marks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any prod-
uct or vendor mentioned in this book.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO
REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF
THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITH-
OUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE
CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES
CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE
UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR
OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF
A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE
AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION
OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FUR-
THER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFOR-
MATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE.
FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE
CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care
Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may
not be available in electronic books.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2008942265

ISBN: 978-0-470-39044-3

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

About the Author

Richard Wagner is an experienced Web developer as well as
author of several Web-related books. These books include Building
Facebook Applications For Dummies, Professional iPhone and iPod
touch Programming, XSLT For Dummies, Creating Web Pages All-in-
One Desk Reference For Dummies, XML All-in-One Desk Reference
For Dummies, Web Design Before & After Makeovers, and JavaScript
Unleashed (1st, 2nd ed.). Richard was previously vice president
of product development at NetObjects. He was also inventor and
chief architect of the award-winning NetObjects ScriptBuilder. A
versatile author with a wide range of interests, he is also author of
The Expeditionary Man and The Myth of Happiness. His tech blog is
at subcreatif.richwagnerwords.com.

Dedication

To Kim and the J-boys

Author’s Acknowledgments

Thanks so much to all of the great folks on the Dummies team at
Wiley. Terrific job, as always. In particular, I would like to thank
Susan Christophersen for doing a terrific job managing the book
from cover to cover. Hats off also to Russ Mullen for his technical
prowess to ensure the accuracy of the code and technical details
of the book.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located
at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care
Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media
Development

Project and Copy Editor:
Susan Christophersen

Acquisitions Editor: Katie Feltman

Technical Editor: Russ Mullen

Editorial Manager: Jodi Jensen

Media Development Project Manager:
Laura Moss-Hollister

Media Development Assistant Project
Manager: Jenny Swisher

Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth

Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Cartoons: Rich Tennant
(www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Patrick Redmond

Layout and Graphics: Andrea Hornberger,
Christin Swinford, Ronald Terry,
Christine Williams, Erin Zeltner

Proofreaders: Melissa Bronnenberg,
Caitie Kelly, Penny L. Stuart

Indexer: Broccoli Information Management

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Contents at a Glance

Introduction ................................................................ 1

Part I: Airing It Out with Adobe AIR ............................. 5

Chapter 1: Getting Started with Adobe AIR ...................................................................7
Chapter 2: Building and Deploying Your First AIR Application
with HTML and JavaScript ...........................................................................................21
Chapter 3: The Air Feels Different: Building with Flex Builder and Flash ................39
Chapter 4: Exploring the Adobe AIR API .......................................................................55

Part II: AIR Application Design .................................. 75

Chapter 5: Using HTML and CSS as Building Blocks ..................................................77
Chapter 6: Anyone Listening? Working with Events ...................................................93
Chapter 7: Windows: Creating Native Application Shells .........................................101
Chapter 8: Working with Menus and Tray and Dock Icons ......................................129

Part III: Programming the Adobe AIR API ................. 161

Chapter 9: Don’t Be a Drag: Interacting with the Clipboard
and Drag-and-Drop ......................................................................................................163
Chapter 10: A New Developer Freedom: Working with the Local File System .......193
Chapter 11: From AIRhead to Datahead: Working with Databases .........................227
Chapter 12: Surfi ng the AIRwaves: Net Connectivity ................................................257
Chapter 13: Working with Audio ..................................................................................275
Chapter 14: Quick and Easy: Instant Downloading and Auto-Updating ..................285

Part IV: The Part of Tens .......................................... 301

Chapter 15: Ten Tips for Successful AIR Debugging .................................................303
Chapter 16: Ten Killer RIAs to Explore .......................................................................315

Index ...................................................................... 327