This article is based on the earlier tutorial about AIR Beta + Flex Builder, but is updated for the latest release of AIR (1.5.1).
The primary changes are:
1. Use AIR 1.5.1 SDK instead of AIR Beta SDK
2. Use Flex SDK 3.3 instead of Flex SDK 3.1
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Some changes are required to get Flex Builder to use the latest AIR SDK for Linux. This is a step-by-step guide to get things up and running.
1. Ensure that you have Sun JRE >= 1.5 in your PATH (This can be verified with "java -version")
2. Install Eclipse (cpp or java) >= 3.3 to $HOME/eclipse
- Download Eclipse IDE 3.4 from http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/ (if you do not already have Eclipse >= 3.3)
- Update: Use Eclipse IDE 3.3 (instead of 3.4), to enable the mxml editor (syntax highlighting and more) (from http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/packages/release/europa/winter)
- cd ~
- tar zxvf ./eclipse-cpp-ganymede-SR2-linux-gtk.tar.gz
- This extracts eclipse under ~/eclipse
3. Install Flex Builder alpha 4 Eclipse plugin
- Download the Flex Builder installer from http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/flexbuilder_linux.html and launch it
- chmod +x ~/flexbuilder_linux_install_a4_081408.bin
- ~/flexbuilder_linux_install_a4_081408.bin
- Choose $HOME/eclipse as the "Existing Eclipse Folder":
- Choose "Proceed with caution" if prompted
4. Install Flex SDK 3.3
- Download Flex SDK 3.3 from http://opensource.adobe.com/wiki/display/flexsdk/Download+Flex+3
- Choose Build 3.3.0.4852, Adobe Flex SDK dated Feb 5, 2009
- Unzip it to a new folder ("3.3") under ~/Adobe_Flex_Builder_Linux/sdks:
- cd ~/Adobe_Flex_Builder_Linux/sdks
- mkdir 3.3
- cd 3.3
- unzip ~/flex_sdk_3.3.zip
5. Install AIR 1.5.1 SDK under Flex SDK 3.3
- Download Adobe AIR 1.5.1 SDK from http://www.adobe.com/products/air/tools/sdk/ to $HOME
- Untar it to the folder created above
- cd ~/Adobe_Flex_Builder_Linux/sdks/3.3
- tar jxvf ~/air_1.5_sdk.tbz2
- Rename bin/adl to bin/adl_lin and bin/adt to bin/adt_lin (These are what Flex Builder expects)
- cd bin
- mv adl adl_lin
- mv adt adt_lin
6. Set the newly installed SDK as default
- Launch eclipse
- ~/eclipse/eclipse
- Window -> Preferences -> Flex -> Installed Flex SDKs
- Click on Add
- Select ~/Adobe_Flex_Builder_Linux/sdks/3.3 as the "Flex SDK location". Click OK.
- Choose "Flex 3.3" as the active SDK by selecting its checkbox. Click OK.
We're done!
To verify that the setup is correct:
1. Create a new AIR application
- Create a new Flex Builder project (through File -> New)
- Choose a project name, choose "Desktop application (runs in Adobe AIR)" as the application type. Click Finish.
- If you see the message "Could not open the editor: Assertion failed", right-click on the .mxml file in the Flex Navigator panel and select Open with > Text Editor. You can then edit the mxml file, though without syntax highlighting and other features of the mxml editor.
2. Edit the new application's .mxml file
- Change the line:
<mx:WindowedApplication xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml" layout="absolute">
to
<mx:WindowedApplication xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml" layout="absolute" title="{NativeApplication.nativeApplication.runtimeVersion}">
3. Run the application (Ctrl-F11)
4. The application's window will show up. Check the title of the window. It should be "1.5.1.8210" (latest AIR SDK) if everything was set up correctly.
The application can be packaged as a .air file through File -> Export -> Flex Builder -> Release Build.
