Adobe AIR: Create - Modify - Reuse (Programmer to Programmer)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 457 pages
• Published by: Wrox April 28, 2008
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0470182075
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0470182079
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Weighs: 1.6 pounds

Product Description
Apollo Instant Results guides readers through building Rich Internet Applications with Adobe's new Apollo platform via 12 fully implemented Apollo applications. Each project begins with a discussion of architecture and design, followed by code implementation and thorough explanation. Projects build upon APIs and concepts presented in the previous projects and provide readers with practical hands-on knowledge of Apollo application design and development. Applications with source code include:

• RSS Reader
• Music Player
• Image Gallery and Editor
• Calendar and Scheduling Manager
• Weblog Editor

plus 7 more! Complete source code included on CD ROM.

Back Cover Copy
Adobe AIR: Create - Modify - Reuse

Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) revolutionizes the way Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) are deployed. AIR supports two primary technologies, Flash and HTML/Ajax, in order to make desktop development something that every web developer can do. This book shows you how to set up a practical development environment and then walks you through eleven fully implemented AIR applications with source code that you can use as they currently exist or customize.

Each project begins by providing a discussion of architecture and design, followed by code implementation. You'll get hands-on knowledge of AIR application design and development that you can then use to build dynamic RIAs.

What you will learn from this book

• 
  
  How to communicate with the computer file system
• 
  
  Techniques for using and customizing the native windowing API
• 
  
  How to read from and locate mp3 files on a local machine to assemble a music library
• 
  
  Ways to interact with HTML and JavaScript® content within a Flex-based application
• 
  
  How to use the native drag-and-drop API for opening and saving image files
• 
  
  How to play H.264- and FLV-encoded video
• 
  
  Techniques for restyling an HTML page off the Internet locally
• 
  
  How to communicate with a local database and expand upon occasional connectivity

Who this book is for
This book is for developers who use web technologies (Flash, Flex 3, HTML, JavaScript, Ajax, etc.) to build and deploy RIAs and are interested in learning a new platform.

Create - Modify - Reuse guides are packed with unique, ready-to-use projects that are perfect for the busy programmer. The projects are created with minimal set-up and can be modified, enhanced, and reused in real-world situations.

Reader Reviews
The attraction of this book is the collection of 11 extended examples. Each is a case study in how to use AIR to code desktop applications. There is a slight irony here in the trajectory taken by Adobe. Its original products, and probably still its main revenue sources, were for desktop usages. Think Postscript and PDF. But the rise of the Web caused it to develop Flash for web applications. Now here, we come back to the desktop. The book's examples involve Java as the programming language. Extensive usage is also made of XML and HTML. You are encouraged to use the examples as a basis for modification for your own needs. The examples are verbose, but luckily you can also get these from the accompanying website. The examples do vary in their complexity. You may want to pay especial attention to the Map application. This involves accessing a SQL database that comes with AIR. The code shows how to make the necessary tables. If you have in mind a "serious" application with lots of data, then often you'll need a SQL database for it. The example here shows that this can be straightforward.