my first air project!

[ratboy]

I decided to make my 1st air project, which is a simple drag and drop list maker. where i want to list the url/path for any file that gets dragged in!!

my code:

import flash.desktop.NativeDragManager;
import flash.events.NativeDragEvent;
import flash.desktop.ClipboardFormats;

this.addEventListener(NativeDragEvent.NATIVE_DRAG_DROP, onDragDrop);

function onDragDrop(e:NativeDragEvent):void
{
    var myURL:Object = e.clipboard.getData(ClipboardFormats.FILE_LIST_FORMAT);
    
    
    urlList.text = myURL[0].url;

} 

the problem i have is that i cant seem to see the published file for testing, i get an xml and a swf but no airi files????

i'm a noob at this

rat

[gobbles]

need to select "Project" - > "Release build" ... if you are in Eclipse or Flex Builder .. but you don't say

[ratboy]

i'm using flash CS3.

[Mo1010427]

Ratboy,

I'm not sure how to go about it using Flash CS3, I can tell you I've published AIR files using FlashDevelop. Something you might want to look into. As far as I know it only runs on PC, but it's an opensource program and really quite impressive.

If you were to go that route, you'd need FlashDevelop, Adobe Flash Player 10 with Active-X debug (I preferred the stand alone player version), and Adobe Flex SDK. All of which are free. Search the web, set things up, and develop.

One last thing about publishing AIR apps. From what I've read, you really should have a Authenticity Certificate if you're wanting to distribute the apps for any type of profit. If you don't have one, say from Veri-Sign, then you'd create your own. When a user goes to install said app, it says that the certificate was created by the user and is not authenticated and verified. Basically a "use at your own risk" type deal. The app works just fine, but most people don't like installing home-made things from complete strangers on the web, at least I don't.

Hope that helped some.

Mo

[Chris_Seahorn]

One last thing about publishing AIR apps. From what I've read, you really should have a Authenticity Certificate if you're wanting to distribute the apps for any type of profit. If you don't have one, say from Veri-Sign, then you'd create your own. When a user goes to install said app, it says that the certificate was created by the user and is not authenticated and verified. Basically a "use at your own risk" type deal. The app works just fine, but most people don't like installing home-made things from complete strangers on the web, at least I don't.

If you plop down 300 bucks for the certificate, about all it gets you is credit for publishing the app itself....it doesn't negate the things that scare the crap out of new users like the big red "X" that stands out letting them know the app has unrestricted access. Silliest damn installers IMO and some of us who use AIR had hoped they would tone this down a bit in later versions but lo and behold...it's still there to give nervous nellies reason to be nervous and possibly NOT install any AIR app. You cant possibly gauge how many users are turned off by that very distinct warning. The funny part is AIR has the least amount of "unrestricted access" of all SWF wrappers out there. In Zinc or SWF Studio or others we could seriously do some damage but in AIR we have more restrictions on "access" than their scary installers would lead to believe

If you are just making your first AIR app, I wouldn't be too concerned with the certificate just yet. If your creations are to be heavily commercialized you may want to spend the chin chin, if not and lets say you are just using your AIR skills to show what you can do or as fodder to get a site visit....take the lead from the vast majority of apps at the Adobe AIR marketplace itself and save your money . Very few plopped the 300 down. Now if it would get rid of that silly red X...maybe more would in fact scrape up the dough

[Mo1010427]

Chris,

I agree with you totally. I've never bought a certificate, so I wasn't sure what all it entailed and such. I did look at buying one, but the one I looked at from Veri-Sign was like $1,000 or $2,000! There was no way I was spending that much on some silly file to say my app is safe. The whole certificate thing, I think, is massively overpriced for what it is. By no means would I buy a cert for test apps, or even personal ones at that. I was just making sure Rat knew that screen appears when you go to install. Especially if he was wanting to, like you said, make them commercially available.

On another note, it was interesting to hear that Zinc and SWF Studio allow more access than AIR. I messed with Zinc only once along time ago. I didn't really understand how to make it work at the time, and haven't messed with it since. I might have to go back and take another look at it if you have more access and more control. Not that I'm out for doing damage, not my thing. I'm kinda wanting to try to make a Multimedia OS for an on-board computer control system for a car. Something to handle audio, engine specs and monitoring, as well as Nitrous flow controlling. Stuff like that. I thank you for that info.

Mo

[Chris_Seahorn]

Personally I use SWF Studio. AIR when a client absolutely requests it (and usually the AIR is not to be for public consumption) . Zinc not so much anymore. Although SWFS is windows only it's little benefit to me personally to use Zinc and AIR simply for the multiple OS support if our SWF cores are as insecure as babes in the woods. Gerbick and I did some tests recently trying to protect assets in AIR, Zinc and SWF Studio and Studio blew them away. I would guess the reason so many use AIR publicly as a means to get users to their "Home Page" as opposed to commercial sale is that AIR exports are seriously insecure. SWF Studio has an API to drool over....seriously. One of the creators is the Standalone Forum moderator here named "Northcode". Little tidbits like their "ssURLLoader" are simply off the hook.

As I recall I think it took Gerbs less than five minutes to crack AIR open like an egg.

[Mo1010427]

Hey Chris,

I don't mean to hijack Rats' post, I tried to PM you but it says that's not allowed. I had a few questions, if you wouldn't mind.

What do you mean by assets being unprotected? Are you meaning like variable information being sent to a server (i.e. Credit Card numbers)?

Also, what do you mean by AIR apps being a means to get users to their homepage? Is the AIR app nothing more than a glorified splash screen or something?

This is still fairly new territory to me as well, so forgive me for sounding a bit slow. I've used F8 with AS2 for quite sometime now, so I understand scripting and all. I've just started using AS3 with FlashDevelop about 5 months ago. But all the apps I've made were for my own use. So some of the practices and terminology I've never run into. Still trying to absorb as much as I can.

Thanks in advance
Mo

[Chris_Seahorn]

I'm saying it suffers the same fate as flash compiles always have...reverse engineering. It's hard to monetize an AIR app AND protect the logic.

The home page reference is in that a lot of design houses create AIR, publicly hand it out and hope it becomes an avenue to get users or prospective clients to their homepage to view other things they offer or do. Like a billboard of sorts. This is common even with other desktop apps made with all kinds of software.

Most of the AIR I create for profit is not for public consumption...like touchscreen kiosks (where the end user has no access to the .air file or means to access the OS) or private educational systems or similar. The AIR I give away I dont sweat reverse engineering of because I usually give away the logic (the source) so there is no need to decompile.

[Mo1010427]

Chris,

Thanks for explaining that for me. All this stuff is making more and more sense. I appreciate it.

Mo