Adobe AIR article

Uploading files to a server from an Adobe AIR application

Adobe AIR provides developers with a cross-platform API to the file system. This capability enables Adobe AIR applications to read, write, and manipulate local files on the user's computer. This brings about a capability that is destined to usher in a new age of Internet-based applications that go far beyond what has ever been possible in strictly browser-based web applications.

Combining the capabilities of an Adobe AIR application (where you can access and manipulate local file data) with the capabilities of an Internet-based application (where you can access and manage files on a remote file server or content management system) brings about exciting possibilities.

The traditional model in a web-based application where users need to transport a file from their desktops to the application server involves the legacy HTML input element with its type attribute set to file. This creates a browse button interface that upon encountering a click event opens a dialog box enabling the user to select a file. Upon a form submission, the file is uploaded to a remote script on a remote server.

The end user, however, receives no feedback as to the amount of the file size that has been uploaded versus the amount remaining to be uploaded. Adobe AIR offers an extensive and elaborate framework for file uploads that provides a much richer user experience.

In this article, I'll explore different scenarios in which files are uploaded from a user's desktop to a remote application server.

Requirements

In order to make the most of this article, you need the following software and files:

Adobe Flex Builder 3 (includes the Flex 3 SDK)

• Try
• Buy

Adobe AIR

• Download

Prerequisite knowledge

In order to utilize these scenarios, you will need to have a basic or better understanding of Adobe AIR, Flex Builder 3, and ActionScript 3.0.

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