What am I missing in publishing for AIR?

[BuzzyToo]

I have developed, published, and sold many thousands of Flash files that have been enthusiastically received and highly praised. In trying to make the switch to AIR, I publish as before - but that results in a group of files. Even after a great deal of research, I have not discovered how I distribute this group of files so that my customers can use them on any platform - much less on all platforms as claimed.

No doubt, I am missing something that allows this group to be converted to a single file for distribution.

Would someone please help me with some plain English that might result in an AIR epiphany?

[xs2bas2]

What platform are you trying to publish for? iOS/Android/desktop?

What files are in that group of files? While building for iOS/Android some files and folders are written, but in the end there must be an .ipa- or .apk-file.

When developing for mobile devices you need certificates te publish.

Perhaps you should have a look here: https://gamua.com/starling/  ... that's what you need for serious mobile development in AIR and gives you a start with some example projects.

[BuzzyToo]

Thanks for the reply! Right now I am working toward Windows and Mac (desktop). Eventually, I will get to mobile apps as well. I am using Flash Animate CC and publish for all three options (installer, AIR, and embed). I would prefer not to use the embed option because of the size of the download.

Of course, I can open the swf file with Flash Player, but that is what I am trying to move away from.

Here are the files in the Installer and AIR publishing options:

Files in the installer publish:

Application file

SWF file

XML Document

Files in the .air publish:

Installer package file

SWF file

XML file

I am using a Thawte signature, and that part seems to work OK.

Thanks again

AG

[yachts9999]

If you are developing for AIR for Desktop, when publishing from Animiate you will end up with a single installer file (.air). The .swf and .xml files will be compiled into the .air file as will any other files you wish to be added such as launch images.

You can include files in the Deployment tab of the AIR for Desktop settigns panel.

[BuzzyToo]

Thanks, yachts9999. I understand that, but my problem is how to put this material in the hands of my customers. I can easily make that entire bundle f files available to them, but then I have to give instructions on how to open the app. I am accustomed to providing them with one file to click on to open the app.

Thanks again!

[yachts9999 · Accepted solution]

OK maybe I'm missing something here but I just distribute the one .air file via email to my users who just double click the file to launch the app.

If the Adobe AIR Runtime is not installed on their system (required to run .air desktop apps), they will get a notification to download the runtime first.

[BuzzyToo]

OOOHHH!  I can tell that I am getting close to understanding this thing.

You are the techie that I have been looking for.

I tried emailing it to myself and it worked. Gave me the install query, etc. THANK YOU!! I had thought that I could not separate the files in that group.

My folks have over 300 distinct instructional videos in their subscription. I am wondering if there is a way to avoid that installation process with each of those videos. Any suggestions?

Thank you SO MUCH!!

[yachts9999]

Well you certainly don't want to have to create 300 separate .air files and send them out individually!

I would suggest you structure your AIR app in such a way that it acts just as a vehicle to download and play requested videos on demand. You would store the videos on a remote server and users make calls to the server from your AIR app as required. That way you only need distribute the app "Player" and updating videos would just require updating the video on the server.

One caveat is that connections to a remote server from AIR apps must be secure (over https not http) so your web server will need to have a SSL certificate. This is called App Transport Security (ATS). I think there may still be a workaround for this if you don't install a certificate but my server does so I no longer use this technique. See the answer given for this post but note it is over two years old now.

AIR 20.0.0.233 URLMonitor broken with iOS 9 ?

[BuzzyToo]

Thanks again!!  I continue to learn from you! I appreciate your use of English to assist in my understanding.

So the AIR app is a Table of Contents - of sorts. Then what I actually load onto the server is the 300+ SWF files?

No problem about the server. I have been using that sort of secure server for years.

Many thanks!!

[yachts9999]

Yes the app is just a table of contents. It could of course get its list of contents on startup from a remote database. That way you wouldn't have to issue a new app each time the TOC changed.

All the swfs would be hosted on the server as you have understood. I have to say I don't load external swfs in my apps (just images and videos) so I'm not up to date with any issues regarding loading of remotely hosted swfs but I doubt it is a problem.

[BuzzyToo]

TERRIFIC!  That is what I do now, and they run with the Flash Player extension in the browser, but I need to move away from that. Would the SWFs automatically use the AIR runtime?

One of the issues I have with some of my folks (public schools) is that the bandwidth is challenged by overuse. So I offer a download option and actually encourage everyone to download everything as a backup for internet outage. That brings up the question of playing on-board SWF files. I have had no luck finding a way for a local SWF to use the AIR runtime.

Can that be done?

Thanks again!!

[yachts9999]

"Would the SWFs automatically use the AIR runtime?"

No I don't think a local swf will launch into and use AIR by default. It would probably try and load in a browser but I cannot be sure as I have Adobe Animate installed which comes with the desktop version of the Flash Player browser plugin and so launches into that.

Regarding downloading the remote files for offline viewing, you may be able to do this as there is the File class in AS3 which enables AIR apps to interact with the local file system and so download and store them locally. You could then get your AIR app to test for an internet connection and if one is not available, it could load up the locally stored version.

However I'm sensing that you're thinking along the lines of downloading the remote content through the app, storing the content somewhere locally and then accessing that content directly at a later stage by double clicking it. I may be wrong but I think it would be a better user experience to have the app handle the playing of the content whether it comes from the local file system or from the remote server.

[BuzzyToo]

Thanks again for the great help!  You have helped me to break a logjam in my thinking.

In a public school setting, a useful internet connection is not always a simple binary issue. Some schools have excellent tech departments, good internet services, and ample bandwidth for whatever comes along.  Others place those sort of "luxuries" at the outer edge of the budget. They may have a great connection but bandwidth that is adequate most of the time. That means my customers cannot depend on our material running at the indicated speed, which is critical to maintaining the tempo required by the rhythmic animation.

That is too many words to say that I prefer everything happening from the remote server, but alternatives are necessary. So

[BuzzyToo]

Thanks again for the great help!  You have helped me to break a logjam in my thinking.

In a public school setting, a useful internet connection is not always a simple binary issue. Some schools have excellent tech departments, good internet services, and ample bandwidth for whatever comes along.  Others place those sort of "luxuries" at the outer edge of the budget. They may have a great connection but bandwidth that is adequate most of the time. That means my customers cannot depend on our material running at the indicated speed, which is critical to maintaining the tempo required by the rhythmic animation.

That is too many words to say that I prefer everything happening from the remote server, but alternatives are necessary.

Since you send your app by email, they open it from their computer, and it updates from your website. Then it calls the selected content into a browser window???

[BuzzyToo]

Thanks again.  I have to say that I feel like I am bugging the hell out of you, and I am sorry about that.

I am getting really close to what I need. These seem to be my options:

1. Upload the SWF files for each instructional unit. When I call them through the AIR app, they play in the browser using the Flash Player extension.
2. Upload the AIR files for each instructional unit. When I call them through the AIR app, they go through the install process and use the AIR runtime to play on the desktop independent of the AIR app.

As I mentioned, I am trying to get away from the Flash Player, so the first option is less attractive but much faster.

The second option has obvious security advantages, but the install process is cumbersome.

Is there a way to get the SWFs to run within the AIR app without installing another app? I have tried to find the code for that, but I come up short each time.

All the best!!

[yachts9999]

Of the two options you have put forward, only the second one is at all realistic. Flash in the browser is now effectively dead as the Flash Player plugin, while still being developed no longer has any meaningful support in the major browsers. Also we have been discussing Adobe AIR, not Flash and the three options available with that runtime are:

AIR for iOS

AIR for Android

AIR for Desktop

For your purposes, at this time we are looking at AIR for Desktop.

If you want to load a remote file such asa .swf into your desktop AIR app, I would look at the URLLoader class to achieve this. You should not be opening a remote file in a browser and relying on the Flash Player plugin to be both installed and allowed to run. This is unlikely to succeed and as the prevalence of the Flash Player plugin diminishes, it will become even more unlikely.

So look at the URLLoader class to load the remote content and then as mentioned previously, the File class to save the content locally if required. I understand what you say about less than perfect internet connections but as you cannot send out all the material in a single app via email (would there even be enough bandwidth/size allowance to receive the file?), you will have to go the remote route.

I don't do contract work anymore after some 20 years of first Flash and the ActionScript development, so I can't help you there but if you start playing around with the two classes I mentioned, I'm sure it won't be long before you have something working which would show you the way.

URLLoader - Adobe ActionScript® 3 (AS3 ) API Reference

File - Adobe ActionScript® 3 (AS3 ) API Reference

[BuzzyToo]

Thanks again!

I could not agree with you more about the Flash Player. I am trying to avoid it completely. That is what has caused me to move to the AIR runtime as the default.

I also agree with the remote option being the best one. As I mentioned in one of my notes, I will probably include a ZIP file as part of their subscription so they can install from their own computer if they wish - or if they lose the connection.

I will check those links and see what I can do. I don't expect to find anything I haven't already tried, but I will try again. It has to be just a few lines of code that I continue to screw up somehow.

Thanks so much for sticking with me on this.

AG

[BuzzyToo]

I'm so close!

Would you do some contract work for me by writing the code needed to load AND unload an online SWF onto a local AIR app?

My app opens an online SWF, but it used the browser and the Flash Player to do so. I would like to send you a simplified version of the app and provide access to a server-based swf. !

I am sure that we could negotiate a price that you would be fair to both of us.

Thanks!

[BuzzyToo]

Do you find yourself wishing that you could make the AIR files you send have a different icon?

That is a pretty ugly manilla folder that comes from my publish settings.