AIR FileSystem - Full Local Access

[ImprisonedPride]

Here's a way to read/write anywhere on any local or mapped hard drive with AIR. (Coded for non-Flex):

import flash.filesystem.*;

var _drive:File = null;
var _stream:FileStream = null;
var _drives:Array = null;
var _localFile:File = null;

var _fileName:String = "C:\\testWrite.txt";

function doIt(fileName:String) {
     _drives = File.getRootDirectories();
     for (var i:int = 0; i< _drives.length; i++) {
          if (_drives[i].name == fileName.substring(0, 2)) {
               _drive = _drives[i];
          }
     }
     if (_drive != null) {
          _stream = new FileStream();
          _localFile = _drive.resolvePath(fileName);
          _stream.open(_localFile, FileMode.WRITE);
          _stream.writeUTFBytes("Hello world!");
          _stream.close();
     }
}

doIt(_fileName);

The idea here is simple. File.GetRootDirectories() returns an array of File objects (the root of each drive, mapped or otherwise). You then compare the name of the drive (C:, D:, E:, etc) to the first two characters of the fileName variable. If you find a match, you use that File object (_drive) to resolve the full path of the file you want to open. Hope it helps.

Please don't comment about the issue of security here. This only works in AIR so you should already be aware of the security risk involved (we've all known it was possible to get around the limitation, I'm just showing how it's done). What you do with it is your responsibility.

[sparkdemon]

This is not an issue. Adobe already knows about this. There are many tutorials from lynda.com etc which describe the above method to write anywhere on a file system. Also if you pay heed to the AIR application installer it says ""full system access"

[SourceSKyBoxer]

Thanks for nice code i have found RegistryModify by ya110, I have built awesome administratived air application like Zinc Application. Thanks for root drive like C:\ or D:\ because they installed Windows OS into different like C:, D: or X: . I build simple NativeProcess and NativeProcessStartupInfo with reg.exe from \\Windows\\System32\\reg.exe.

That is nice trick like ' or " before string like this "SOFTWARE\\MICROSOFT\\...." Now I know how does Adobe Air work. Thanks!