GREAT READ!

Adobe AIR In Action, by Jospeh Lott, Kathryn Rotondo, Samuel Ahn, and Ashley Atkins, is a great resource for those starting to learn the Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR). This book takes you from the absolute essentials, step-by-step with thoughtful screenshots to light your path to creating great AIR applications.

I was really impressed that the authors take you through everything you need or want to know in order to get up and running. For example, I have often avoided making a lot of configuration changes to the AIR app.xml file just because I did not have time to scurry around finding clear concise explanations of what effects my actions would have. Lott, et al. break it down thoroughly and completely in a section that took me about 5 minutes to fully understand all of the various settings of the config.xml file.

I am a visual learner and, in the past, spent hours looking at framework documentation ASDOCS only to realize that I didn't learn nearly what my time investment would have supported. I can say that the style of this book is very conducive to retention without "talking down" to the reader.

Coming from a Flex background, I enjoyed the many examples provided in Flex, but was especially interested in the step-by-step examples provided for people coming from a Flash CS3 background. As with all of the examples in the book, Adobe AIR In Action not only provides you with the "how" to do something, but background information on the "why" you do something (should you be interested in knowing the "why" that is).

There is an entire chapter devoted just to integrating your AIR application into your SQL database. The chapter is quite thorough, yet explained clearly and effectively.

My only criticism, if any, would have to be that I would have liked a little more in the way of network, and web service integration. Since the majority of AIR applications are distributed applications that call back to some form of data storage, I would have enjoyed a little more depth in different approaches of asynchronous server communication with your AIR application. However, the book does cover network monitoring for both HTTP and sockets.

I'm not trying to sell you anything. But I will say, that this is one of the better beginner level books I've read. Is it going to answer ALL of your questions? No. But it will give you a great head-start and sound foundational working knowledge of Adobe AIR.

The book is available through Amazon on the group bookstore here.


DESCRIPTION

Many technologies promise to put features of desktop applications on the Web; Adobe AIR, instead, brings the flexibility, convenience, and ease of Web development to the desktop. The AIR is a cross-platform runtime environment that allows Web developers to use their existing skills to start building applications for the desktop.

Adobe AIR in Action introduces AIR to developers familiar with Flash and Flex, showing them how to build solid AIR-driven desktop applications. Using examples, the expert authors walk web developers through the new topics they will need to develop AIR applications for the desktop.

Readers will learn the essential features of the AIR API with examples and code samples that they can use to get up and running in AIR quickly. The book shows how to create and customize native windows, as well as how to read and write files and folders on the local file system.

With Adobe AIR in Action, you'll find:

* An easy-to-follow tutorial approach
* Coverage of desktop and hybrid desktop/web application styles
* Clear instructions for Flex and Flash developers
* Every chapter walks readers through several code examples

Adobe AIR in Action also shows you how to set up and connect to a local database, detect network connectivity and connect to Web services, bridge ActionScript and JavaScript, and deploy and update their applications. Each chapter walks the user through several code examples that address the basics of how to work with the new APIs.

Web developers who read this book will be able to take instant advantage of the increased resources available to desktop applications. Sometimes-connected, web-enabled applications are gaining in popularity, and web developers of all stripes will want to add these skills to their toolbox.

This book assumes basic familiarity with Flex or Flash and ActionScript.
WHAT'S INSIDE:

* Create and customize native windows
* Read from and write to the file system
* Connect to local databases
* Detect network connectivity
* Work with video and audio
* Bridge JavaScript and ActionScript
* Deploy and update applications

About the Authors

Joey Lott has deep professional experience using Adobe technologies like Flex, Flash, and ActionScript. Joey is the author (or co-author) of ActionScript Cookbook, Programming Flash Communication Server, and the Flash 8 Cookbook and several other related books. With coauthor Sam Ahn, he is a partner and founder of The Morphic Group.

Kathryn Rotondo is a software developer at Schematic. She received a graduate certificate in software engineering from the Harvard Extension School and a certificate in Flash from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Sam Ahn has architected and built RIAs over the past seven years for clients including Pfizer, Wyeth, MINIUSA, and Puma. Along with co-author Joey Lott, he is a partner and founder of The Morphic Group, an interactive development company focusing on Flash/Flex application development.

Ashley Atkins is a senior software developer at Six Red Marbles, and has over six years of experience developing in ActionScript. His range of work extends from creating simple educational interactions to architecting and developing applications in Flex and AIR.