Developing Android Applications with Adobe AIR [15]
Conclusion
We have now concluded our introduction on tooling and have built a basic application. Most information from this point on will be tool-agnostic.
Chapter 4. Permissions, Certificates, and Installation
It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction.
—Pablo Picasso
As a mobile application developer, you are a retailer in a global virtual storefront. You can make applications that live in people’s pockets. This is exciting.
In Chapter 2, you created an application and installed it on your device. Now it is time to put the application out there for the world to see.
The first and most important consideration is the value of your application as a mobile experience. After that discussion, we will review the various files that compose your Android Package (APK) file, and discuss the process of becoming an official Android developer and putting an application in the Android Market. Finally, we will discuss how to make money from your hard work.
Why Mobile?
The mobile marketplace is a cruel world. Users often download an application on impulse, try it once, and may never open it again if their first impression is negative. You should aim for excellence and simplicity. Define your application in one sentence. Find your niche. Make it unique, if not in concept, then in execution.
Also, you should analyze mobile consumption. An application is often only used for a few minutes at a time. Tasks should be completed quickly or in incremental steps saved on the device. Whatever you do, do not attempt to replicate your existing website. Instead, adapt it for mobile or create a companion application.
The APK File
A variant of the JAR format used for compression and archival, APK is the file format used to distribute and install an Android mobile application. You can open an APK file using an archive tool such as WinZip or StuffIt Expander to see what is inside it. An APK file typically includes .swf and application.xml files containing assets, as well as a res folder which contains icons.
Creating the Application Icon
The default system icon is an Android-green icon. Icons need to be 36×36-, 48×48-, or 72×72-pixel PNG images. They are used for low-, medium-, and high-density screens, respectively.
You should make your icon stand out, while clearly identifying your application. Google provides guidelines on how to make icons, and provides a Photoshop template, at http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/ui_guidelines/icon_design.html.
In Flash Professional, go to File→AIR Android Settings→Icon and browse to the icons on your computer.
NOTE
If you use an icon of the wrong size in Flash Professional, the IDE will prompt you with a message that reads, “One of the specified icons do not have the correct dimensions.”
In Flash Builder, create a directory called icons in the src folder, and place your icons in it. Right-click on your project and select Properties. Then select ActionScript Build Packaging→Google Android→Package Contents and select the icons folder if it is not already selected.
In other tools, add a node to your application descriptor file as follows:
Alternatively, if you are using the command line, place all your icons in a folder called icons and add it to the end of your statement:
AIR-sdk-path/bin/adt -package -target apk -storetype pkcs12
-keystore yourCertificate.p12 hello.apk Main-app.xml Main.swf icons
Publish your application one last time. Change your application to release mode if it is in debug mode. In Flash Professional, select File→AIR Android settings. Under the Deployment tab, for “Android deployment type,” choose Release.
If you are publishing from the command line, verify that the target is apk:
AIR-sdk-path/bin/adt -package -target apk -storetype pkcs12
-keystore yourCertificate.p12 hello.apk Main-app.xml Main.swf
Choosing the Application Settings
The application descriptor contains application settings,