Cross-platform Development in The Books Store

Write programs using familiar workflows, deliver rich applications for Web or desktop, and integrate with a variety of application servers using ColdFusion, PHP, and others-all with the new Flex Builder 3 toolkit and the comprehensive tutorials in this packed reference. You'll learn the basics of Flex 3, then quickly start using MXML, ActionScript, CSS, and other tools to create applications that can run on any browser or operating system.

• Install and learn how to use Flex Builder 3
• Explore MXML, ActionScript 3, and the anatomy of a Flex application
• Lay out Flex controls and containers, and use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to create look and feel
• Incorporate Advanced List controls, Flex charting components, and data entry forms
• Integrate your Flex applications with a variety of application servers
• Create cross-operating system desktop applications with Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR)

Covers version 1.5 of Adobe AIR

Written to help you hit the ground running, this book teaches you how to build state-of-the-art rich desktop applications on the breakthrough Adobe AIR platform.

Stacy Tyler Young, Michael Givens, and Dimitrios Gianninas illustrate the power of this technology through practical application examples based on the official 1.5 release of Adobe AIR. You’ll discover how Adobe AIR helps you solve problems you just couldn’t solve before by extending the reach of your web applications onto users’ desktops. Building on your existing knowledge of Adobe Flex, HTML, JavaScript, and Ajax software, you’ll master the powerful Adobe AIR platform--moving quickly from task-oriented examples to larger-scale, real-world projects. The authors don’t just cover coding--they help you maximize your effectiveness throughout the entire development lifecycle via design patterns, frameworks, build process, continuous integration, and automated testing.

If you’re ready to build the next generation of rich hybrid desktop applications, Adobe AIR is the development platform you’ve been searching for...and this is the book you need to kick-start new projects using this exciting new technology.

Detailed information on how to...

• Install and configure your Adobe AIR development environment
• Build the next generation web/desktop hybrid applications to run on Adobe AIR
• Add new desktop capabilities to your web applications such as native windows, local file I/O, and client-side databases
• Create HTML/Adobe Flex mash-up applications
• Push data to Adobe AIR clients using BlazeDS, an open source Java remoting and messaging technology
• Package, distribute, and update Adobe AIR applications
• Work with display objects in 3D space by leveraging Adobe Flash Player 10
• Build Adobe AIR applications using common frameworks like Cairngorm
• Create automated builds using Apache Ant, complete with FlexUnit testing strategies
• Create a peer-to-peer photo-sharing application by combining Adobe AIR and Java

Part I       Getting Started with Adobe AIR

1         Introduction to Adobe AIR 9

2         Setting Up the Development Environment 15

3         Creating an Adobe AIR Application 29

4         Debugging Adobe AIR Applications 51

Part II       Building Adobe AIR Applications

5         Working with Windows 67

6         Working with Screens 89

7         Working with Files and Directories 101

8         Understanding the Drag-and-Drop API 115

9         Working with Copy and Paste 129

10       Working with Native Menus 159

11       Adding User Notifications 177

12       Working with Local Databases 189

13       Understanding Networking and Local Connections 213

14       Working with Adobe Flex AIR Components 251

Part III       Securing Adobe AIR Applications

15       Understanding Security Sandboxes 263

16       Using the Encrypted Local Store 273

Part IV       Deploying Adobe AIR Applications

17       Distributing Adobe AIR Applications 283

18       Updating Adobe AIR Applications 309

Part V       Architecting Adobe AIR Applications

19       Introduction to Frameworks and Design Patterns 321

20       Building Adobe AIR Applications Using the Cairngorm Microarchitecture 335

Part VI       Agile Development with Adobe AIR

21       Creating a Build Process 359

22       Incorporating Unit Testing 373

23       Continuous Integration with Adobe AIR 393

Part VII       Real-World Projects

24       Contact Manager with Integrated Yahoo! Maps 411

25       Peer-to-Peer Photo Sharing Using Adobe AIR, Bonjour, and Java 421

26       Building a Video Distribution System 427

Part VIII       Adobe AIR 1.5 and Adobe Flash 10 Extras

27       Using Adobe Flash 10 Features in Adobe AIR 439

Appendices

A        Adobe AIR Resources for Developers 451

B        Adobe AIR API Reference Poster (Downloadable) 455

C        Downloading Source Code for Adobe AIR Programming Unleashed 457

Index 463

Cross-Platform Development in C++ is the definitive guide to developing portable C/C++ application code that will run natively on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux/Unix platforms without compromising functionality, usability, or quality.

Long-time Mozilla and Netscape developer Syd Logan systematically addresses all the technical and management challenges associated with software portability from planning and design through coding, testing, and deployment. Drawing on his extensive experience with cross-platform development, Logan thoroughly covers issues ranging from the use of native APIs to the latest strategies for portable GUI development. Along the way, he demonstrates how to achieve feature parity while avoiding the problems inherent to traditional cross-platform development approaches.

This book will be an indispensable resource for every software professional and technical manager who is building new cross-platform software, porting existing C/C++ software, or planning software that may someday require cross-platform support.

Throughout the book, Logan illuminates his techniques with realistic scenarios and extensive, downloadable code examples, including a complete cross-platform GUI toolkit based on Mozilla’s XUL that you can download, modify, and learn from. Coverage includes 

• Policies and procedures used by Netscape, enabling them to ship Web browsers to millions of users on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux
• Delivering functionality and interfaces that are consistent on all platforms
• Understanding key similarities and differences among leading platform-specific GUI APIs, including Win32/.NET, Cocoa, and Gtk+
• Determining when and when not to use native IDEs and how to limit their impact on portability
• Leveraging standards-based APIs, including POSIX and STL
• Avoiding hidden portability pitfalls associated with floating point, char types, data serialization, and types in C++
• Utilizing platform abstraction libraries such as the Netscape Portable Runtime (NSPR)
• Establishing an effective cross-platform bug reporting and tracking system
• Creating builds for multiple platforms and detecting build failures across platforms when they occur
• Understanding the native runtime environment and its impact on installation
• Utilizing wxWidgets to create multi-platform GUI applications from a single code base
• Thoroughly testing application portability
• Understanding cross-platform GUI toolkit design with Trixul

Write Portable Code explains how to:

Programmers who avoid becoming married to a specific development environment or target platform greatly expand the target market for their software products. Whether you design cross-platform software from the ground up or have to move large amounts of code from one platform to another, the information contained in Write Portable Code will help you achieve your goals and grow as a programmer.

TOC
Preface
Introduction Chapter 1: Preparing for Portability Chapter 2: ANSI C/C++ Chapter 3: Techniques for Portability Chapter 4: Editing and Source Control Chapter 5: Processor Differences Chapter 6: Floating Point Chapter 7: Preprocessor Chapter 8: Compiler Quirks Chapter 9: User Interaction Chapter 10: Networking Chapter 11: Operating Systems Chapter 12: Dynamic Libraries Chapter 13: Security and Permissions Chapter 14: File Systems Chapter 15: Scalability and Portability Chapter 16: Portability and Data Chapter 17: Internationalization and Localization Chapter 18: Scripting Languages Chapter 19: Cross-platform Libraries and Toolkits
Appendix A: POSH Appendix B: The Simple Audio Library Appendix C: The Rules for Portability References

In addition, the book explains why standard libraries are not standard enough, and covers the nuances between compilers, debuggers, and operating systems. Throughout the book, how-to guidelines are provided for using the same code to handle different hardware specifications without change for ported games, or those being build to work cross-platform from the ground up. It helps senior and lead programmers determine where the platform-specific features should start and end, and provides methods for achieving this. It also includes support for those using middleware by demonstrating how to write code that will run identically on different machines, despite the platform making use of the same APIs. Because this book teaches the methods, not the API, it scales well for future platforms and empowers you to create your own designs. • BuildTools – Jam, the cross-platform build tool covered in Chapter 11 as an alternative to Makefiles • Graphics – OpenGL, GLUT, and Microsoft DirectX SDK • Utility Libraries – STLport, Boost, POSIX threads for Windows, and PLib • Scripting – Lua, source for the Lua interpreter and Lua compiler, and the basic Lua core required by both

The no-nonsense approach and right-on-target examples help distinguish this text. The book begins by making a case for cross-platform development. (Qt shows that Java is not the only game in town in this regard.) A later section on good GUI design and some hints for better portability help make this title a good way to learn GUI programming from the ground up.

Short, clear examples show off the basics, starting with a "Hello World" application. Emphasis is on using the Qt APIs effectively rather than getting bogged down in C++ syntax. Since GUI programming is a strength, the author covers the built-in "widgets" available in Qt in excellent detail, including fancier controls like tables and new dial components. The Qt library is also a general-purpose application framework, and there's coverage here for file APIs, collections, and late-breaking support for XML processing.

The basics are augmented here with short sections showing particular APIs at work. Most readers will likely find the material on Qt's SQL Module for database programming indispensable. A section on custom controls is also a standout and more advanced readers will learn how to using OpenGL calls in Qt as well as how to interoperate with Perl modules.

The book closes with sections that will benefit the less experienced Qt developer, including how to use Visual C++ 6 to let you build Qt executables, and how to take advantage of Qt's Designer tool to simplify designing forms and components visually.