Download the AIR installer from Adobe.

Head to www.adobe.com/go/air/ (Figure 1.1). Click Download Adobe AIR Now, which takes you to the proper download area (Figure 1.2).

Figure 1.1. The home page for Adobe AIR.

Figure 1.2. The Adobe AIR download page, which also provides links to sample AIR applications.

Run the downloaded installer (Figure 1.3).

Figure 1.3. The Adobe AIR runtime installer.

On Windows, the name of the file is AdobeAIRInstaller.exe. Double-click that to run the installer.

On Mac OS X, the name of the downloaded file is AdobeAIR.dmg. Double-click that to mount the disk image (if it doesn’t mount automatically), and then double-click the installer found within the disk image (Figure 1.3).

Read and agree to the license (Figure 1.4).

Figure 1.4. To install the runtime, you first have to agree to the license.

The license is a legally binding document, so you should read it, have your lawyer look it over, see if it conflicts with any other agreement you’ve entered into, and so on. Or, you can just click I Agree. It’s really up to you.

When the installation is complete (Figure 1.5), click Finish.

Figure 1.5. Hooray! You can now install AIR applications.

Download an application from the Internet.

You can find a handful of applications on Adobe’s Web site (see www.adobe.com/devnet/air/flex/samples.html) and find more by searching the Web. For this example, I’ll install a playful application from Adobe called ScreenBoard. Note that the app file you’ll download is generally not operating-system-specific.

Double-click the downloaded file (Figure 1.6) to begin the installation process.

Figure 1.6. The ScreenBoard application, with its .air extension that indicates it uses the Adobe Integrated Runtime.

AIR applications use a .air extension and display a simple icon (it looks like a cardboard box).

When you install the very first AIR application, you’ll get a security warning about opening the Adobe AIR Application Installer for the first time (Figure 1.7). Click Open to proceed with the installation, and you won’t see this message again.

Figure 1.7. AIR applications are installed using the Adobe AIR Application Installer. On most systems, you’ll need to approve this application running the first time it is requested.

Read and pay attention to everything on the initial screen (Figure 1.8). Then click Install if you still want to install the application.

Figure 1.8. The installation process begins with detailed information about the application, its creator, and the security implications.

This installation screen is very important and worth looking at (more so than for most applications you might install). For starters, you’ll see the application’s publisher (the company or person who created it) and the name of the application. In the next chapter you’ll learn how to set these values when making your own program.

The installer also indicates what system access the program will have. It’s very important that AIR application creators, and the people who use the programs, are aware of the associated security issues. Adobe AIR allows Web developers to create desktop applications, which means that an AIR application can do damage to the user’s computer, something that could never happen with a standard Web site (with a few exceptions). The security issues are topics that are repeatedly addressed throughout this book and in Chapter 15, “Security Techniques,” in particular.

On the next screen (Figure 1.9) decide where the application should be installed and whether it should automatically be started after installation. Click Continue.

Figure 1.9. The installer allows the user to specify where the program should be located.

On Windows, the default is to install the application within the Program Files directory, just like any other application. Windows users are also given the option of creating a desktop shortcut to the application (Figure 1.10).

Figure 1.10. The Windows installer provides the option of adding a desktop shortcut for the new application.

On Mac OS X, the default is to install AIR programs within the Applications folder, just like any other application.

Some programs will also indicate where they think they should be installed. With the ScreenBoard example, its default option is to store it within a special AIR Examples folder (within the Applications or Program Files directories).

Ta-da! That’s it. No big deal. If you checked the corresponding box in the previous step (Figures 1.9 and 1.10), the application will start when the installation finishes.

Check the Start application after installation box during the installation process (Figures 1.9 and 1.10).

On Windows, use the desktop shortcut if one was created (Figure 1.12).

Figure 1.12. The shortcut to the ScreenBoard application, as found on the Windows desktop.

On Windows, use the Start menu (Figure 1.13).

Figure 1.13. AIR applications are listed among All Programs on the Windows Start menu.

On Mac OS X, double-click the application’s icon (most applications will be installed in the Applications folder by default) (Figure 1.14).

Figure 1.14. The ScreenBoard application on Mac OS X.

On Mac OS X, add the application to your Dock so it can be launched from there (Figure 1.15).

Figure 1.15. The ScreenBoard application is placed on the Dock.