Building Adobe AIR Applications

Chapter 1: About Adobe AIR
Adobe® AIR® is a multi-operating system, multi-screen runtime that allows you to leverage your web development
skills to build and deploy rich Internet applications (RIAs) to the desktop and mobile devices. Desktop, television, and
mobile AIR applications can be built with ActionScript 3.0 using Adobe® Flex and Adobe® Flash® (SWF based).
Desktop AIR applications can also be built with HTML, JavaScript®, and Ajax (HTML based).
You can find more information about getting started with and using Adobe AIR at the Adobe AIR Developer
Connection (http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/).
AIR enables you to work in familiar environments, to leverage the tools and approaches you find most comfortable.
By supporting Flash, Flex, HTML, JavaScript, and Ajax, you can build the best possible experience that meets your
needs.
For example, applications can be developed using one or a combination of the following technologies:
Flash / Flex / ActionScript
HTML / JavaScript / CSS / Ajax
Users interact with AIR applications in the same way that they interact with native applications. The runtime is
installed once on the user's computer or device, and then AIR applications are installed and run just like any other
desktop application. (On iOS, a separate AIR runtime is not installed; each iOS AIR app is a stand-alone application.)
The runtime provides a consistent cross-operating system platform and framework for deploying applications and
therefore eliminates cross-browser testing by ensuring consistent functionality and interactions across desktops.
Instead of developing for a specific operating system, you target the runtime, which has the following benefits:
Applications developed for AIR run across multiple operating systems without any additional work by you. The
runtime ensures consistent and predictable presentation and interactions across all the operating systems
supported by AIR.
Applications can be built faster by enabling you to leverage existing web technologies and design patterns. You can
extend web-based applications to the desktop without learning traditional desktop development technologies or
the complexity of native code.
Application development is easier than using lower-level languages such as C and C++. You do not need to manage
the complex, low-level APIs specific to each operating system.
When developing applications for AIR, you can leverage a rich set of frameworks and APIs:
APIs specific to AIR provided by the runtime and the AIR framework
ActionScript APIs used in SWF files and Flex framework (as well as other ActionScript based libraries and
frameworks)
HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
Most Ajax frameworks
Native extensions for Adobe AIR, which provide ActionScript APIs that provide you access to platform-specific
functionality programmed in native code. Native extensions can also provide access to legacy native code, and
native code that provides higher performance.
Last updated 7/8/2013
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