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to learn about some of the new possibilities. If you see one that you would like to use, send Adobe a feature request, preferably with a use case so that it can be added to the AIR runtime, by going to https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform.

For example, having an API to access contacts would open a lot of possibilities:

Packaging External Resources

If your application has a lot of art, you may want to keep the art external to the application and load it at runtime. In the AIR for Android settings, if you are using Flash Professional, add the resources to the “Included files” list at the bottom of the General tab.

In Flash Builder, create a directory called assets in the scr folder, and place your art in it. Right-click on your project and select Properties. Then select ActionScript Build Packaging→Google Android→Package Contents and select the assets folder if it is not already selected.

If you are using the command line, list the files or the containing folders at the end of the command line:

AIR-sdk-path/bin/adt -package -target apk -storetype pkcs12

-keystore yourCertificate.p12 hello.apk Main-app.xml Main.swf

image.jpg movie.flv data.xml

Another way to handle external files is to store them on the SD card and access them via File Access. You cannot remove files included at the time of installation because it would make the application invalid. You can, however, copy them to the SD card. This is the approach you would use if you want to modify them during the life of the application. We will cover this method in Chapter 6.

Signing Your Application with a Certificate

All applications must be signed before being updated to the Android Market. This enables consumers to identify and establish trust with a developer. The developer signs the certificate using a private key. The private key is different from the one you used during development. Typically, a key generally using ADT is only good for five years.

To create a suitable key in Flash Professional, go to File→AIR Android settings→Deployment→Certificate and fill out every field. The publisher name will appear in the Android Market as you enter it. As before, make a note of the password, since you will need it when you compile your application. Choose Type 2048-RSA, Google’s recommended type.

The certificate must be valid for 25 years. The system only checks the certificate’s expiration date upon installation. If the certificate expires afterward, the application will continue working.

To create a suitable key using AIR ADT and the command line, use the following code, making sure to put your name and country in quotes:

AIR-sdk-path/bin/adt -certificate -cn "FirstName LastName" -c "US"

-validityPeriod 25 2048-RSA myCertificate.p12 myPassword

More information on this is available on the Android developer website, at http://developer.android.com/guide/publishing/app-signing.html.

When/if you later upgrade your application, you must use the same certificate, so keep it in a safe place.

Versioning

Versioning gives you the opportunity to submit fixes and updates to your application. A version number consists of three digits separated by dots, as in 1.0.0, referred to as major.minor.build. Set the version number in Flash Professional in the Settings window. In Flash Builder, open the application descriptor and change the version number in the XML.

For debugging purposes, you can check the version number at runtime from the applicationDescriptor of the NativeApplication.nativeApplication that is an XML object:

import flash.desktop.NativeApplication;

var applicationDescription:XML =

NativeApplication.nativeApplication.applicationDescriptor;

var ns:Namespace = applicationDescription.namespace();

// http://ns.adobe.com/air/application/2.6

var currentVersion:String = applicationDescription.ns::versionNumber;

// 1.0.0

The update to an application appears on the Android Market quickly.

As mentioned earlier in this chapter, the update can be accomplished