Native Windows application + local file access

[PJ-AVT]

Hi,

I'm trying to figure out a way to create a native windows executable which runs without security prompts and has access to both it's own resources (i.e. read from sub-folder) and writing to local filesystem (i.e. Downloads or Documents) via user prompt.

Is this possible with AIR? I'm getting all confused with what is allowed and what methods are allowed with what (Flash, AIR, Javascript, etc.).

Do I need to get my app signed some special means to not bring up security prompts?

I do not want to create an installer, but a single .exe (and sub-folder) that user can distribute freely.

Think of 80-year-old grandma running the app and selecting pdfs in the app to save to Desktop... without network access.

Thanks,

PJ

[rewb0rn · Accepted solution]

Adobe Air on desktop has full file system capabilities that you would expect from any other development environment. I am not super confident with access levels on Windows for apps right now, but Air is not more restricted than any other process. Meaning I am sure users do not need to grant access for read / write on application directory and application storage directory, and surely will need the user to grant access to write to protected locations like C:\Program Files. I would guess you can also read files from any location that the user select from a browse dialog (you can trigger this from Air). I am not sure about writing, just go ahead and try it out. Again, Air will behave like any other coding language or environment in this case and is not restricted on it's own.

You will not need to buy an app signing certificate. These are only required if you want your installer to say "Verified Company: XXX". If you build an installer without a certificate, it will just say "Unkown Source" like you mostly will know from lots of other software that you download nowadays. The choice is up to you but I'd say you are absolutely fine without. And again, this is not specific to Air, the choice is the same for any other technology.

[tcorbet]

I am not sure why this question is shown as "Not Answered."  It seems to me that @rewb0rn did a very nice job of addressing your questions.  So perhaps it is just that you have not yet read his reply or, like me, you do not know how to flag a response as having answered your request for assistance.

In any case, I just happened to stumble upon this posting in my own quest to determine whether or not we will ever see AIR Beta 32, and since I am your 80-yr old grandma [well, actually, I'm a grandpa, and really only 78.5-yrs old, but that's about as close as I think you will get on this forum], I thought I would add some additional encouragement to your use of that facility/framework for your application.

Somewhere -- I can't locate now, but perhaps some other reader will -- there is a forum devoted to keeping Actionscript, the key language used for AIR development, alive just for such purposes as writing simple utilities which, in an earlier age, we would have undertaken in C, Java, Python, or other language of your choice.  Sure, I have cygwin on all of my development workstations, and can take advantage of that environment and its utilities to solve some rather-simple problem, but if I want to do as you want to do -- help others who want simple tools to have the familiar Windows [or MacOS, but thanks to the horrible handling of relationships between the Adobe and Apple founder-figures, that alternative has all but dried up] look-and-feel, I just open my favorite, open source IDE, open the unsurpassed on-line Actionscript documentation, and crank out a solution for grandma's desktop.

Yes, to confirm what @rewb0rn wrote, you will have complete control over the reading and writing of directories and files on any device available on your grandma's local computer, or others that might be network attached in her wifi-connected home.  Do give it a try.

[PJ-AVT]

Thank you both for your info, after doing some test, I've decided against AIR and went with Electron instead. All up and running now.

Thanks,

PJ

[rewb0rn]

tcorbet​: To help you with finding the information regarding the next Air SDK release: The Air SDK sees a major release every 3 months. Based on past releases and the 3 months cycle, we should see Air 32 Beta anytime soon now. (within the next days)