Month: June 2008

AIR update Framework (beta), locating config file

When using the Adobe AIR Update Framework for the first time, you will be stepping through the associated documentation. You will probably initially decide to use a configuration XML file to govern the update process. The documentation presents the following line to inform the framework of the location of your config file:

Point the configurationFile property to the location of that file: as in the following ActionScript:
appUpdater.configurationFile = new File("cfg/updateConfig.xml");

If you are familiar with the File class, you will see that this is likely to generate a run-time-error, especially when testing in adl…

ArgumentError: Error #2004: One of the parameters is invalid.
at Error$/throwError()
at flash.filesystem::File/set nativePath()
at flash.filesystem::File()

If you are like me, you’ll probably want to place the updateConfig.xml file within the application directory next to the *-app.xml file. If so, the line of code you need can be written:

appUpdater.configurationFile = new File( File.applicationDirectory.resolvePath( "updateConfig.xml" ).nativePath );

or more compactly, using the “app:/” url scheme:

appUpdater.configurationFile = new File( "app:/updateConfig.xml" );

Posted by creacog in AIR, Flex, Flex 3, 0 comments

more mvc with lfpug

Over the past few months I’ve been getting my head around the likes of Cairngorm, PureMVC and better use of design patterns in general. So looking forward to tonight’s LFPUG to see what the Slide Framework For Flex adds to the mix. The other stuff on large datasets looks pretty good too!

Posted by creacog in ActionScript, Adobe, AIR, Flex, Flex 2, Flex 3, Flex Builder, User Groups, 0 comments

Flex and AIR updates

A little while ago I got around to building my version of an alert tool sampler, using it as an exercise to learn Cairngorm. (The documentation for which I have found particularly poor with the exception of a few gems such as David Tucker’s excellent Cairngorm ‘Getting started’ tutorials.)

Typically AIR developers will all want to take advantage of the Update capability, but in it’s original form requires some work. Rich Tretola’s UpdateManager did the job, but I wanted more programmatic control, interception of events and a slightly different UI work-flow, and set about creating my own.  Just as that phase of the work is completed, I find Adobe’s Update Framework on labs which although beta, does a much better job. I wish it was there a week ago.

Also, I just took the opportunity to update to AIR 1.1. Unfortunately updating Flex to use the new AIR is a little messy (in that it requires manually copying some files rather than running an installer) and means moving to the 3.0.2 stable build of the Flex SDK. However it is not difficult and the instructions to follow are here.

Posted by creacog in Adobe, AIR, Flex 3, Flex Builder, 1 comment

CS4 betas

I’m not usually one for echoing release announcements. Herewith one minor exception. With the arrival of a number CS4 betas on labs I was please to see “Subversion integration” being a new feature of DreamWeaver CS4. After a history of making simple Zip snapshot backups, and more recently using subversion along with the “Cloak/Uncloak SCM directories” extention and client tools such as SvnX, and SCPlugin it will be interesting to see how well the integration has been done. Looking good from the description.

Update: Unfortunately looks like Subversion is only supported through a server in this release. I really need it to be able to use the “file:///” protocol to access repositories on my local system without having to set up a server. Here is my entry on the Dreamweaver Beta Forum, feel free to add to it if you have opinions one way or the other.

Posted by creacog in Adobe, CS4, DreamWeaver, Subversion, 4 comments