How can I detect and invoke a local installation of an AIR runtime user in a specific AIR application?

Question

I am writing a program with an AIR interface, but the background code is written in another language (Python, in this case). Since AIR cannot call other executables, the relation should be the other way around, with Python starting the AIR subprocess. How can I find a custom AIR runtime? I would like to be able to do this on Mac, Windows and Linux.

(Ironically, it would be very simple if I could package the AIR debugging runtime, but the license agreement requires the user to load the normal runtime and run the installer.)

Answer 1

First, you can get (free) licenses to redistribute the installed AIR runtime:

Cm:

http://www.mikechambers.com/blog/2008/04/07/redistributing-the-adobe-air-runtime-installer/

and

http://www.adobe.com/products/air/runtime_distribution1.html#license

As for launching an AIR application, you can run it like any other native application (since an AIR application is only a native application after installing it).

As for determining where the user installed the application, at least on Windows, I believe that you can get information programmatically from the registry based on the AIR application you want to run.

Finally, you can find proof of concept here:

http://www.mikechambers.com/blog/2008/01/17/commandproxy-net-air-integration-proof-of-concept/

and

http://www.mikechambers.com/blog/2008/01/22/commandproxy-its-cool-but-is-it-a-good-idea/

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