Launching external application without NativeProcess

over 1 year ago malczak actionscript, air comments

Recently, I have been working on AIR version of my annotation tool - http://szoter.com. In online version, user can take a screenshot of entire screen, directly from flex application. I have achieved that with use of a small Java applet (read about that in one of my previous posts 'Flex and Java applets').
In AIR version of that application I came across serious limitation, to use NativeProcess class, application has to work in an extended-desktop profile.
But finally I have found the solution. I have even used it in desktop version of szoter (see it and test it at http://szoter.com/air). The solution is very easy, all You have to do is to use openWithDefaultApplication method of the File class. This method opens the file in the default application, that is, using application registered by the operating system to open this type of file. There are plenty of file types that cannot be opened using this method - including windows exe files, shell scripts, java jar's etc. But there is one 'technology' that can be used (at least on Windows and MacOSX), which is Java Web Start. JNPL files are, by default, opened with Java on both Windows and MacOSX systems, and are also accepted by openWithDefaultApplication method. This does not work on Linux, I think.

How To use this approach ?

1. I. compile your Java application, and include it in air package
2. II. dynamically create JNLP file, in any directory other than File.applicationDirectory
3. III. launch Your Java application using File.openWithDefaultApplication

In my humble opinion, the idea of 'extended-desktop' is a one big mistake.

@Adobe:

please... 
add NativeProcess functionality to AIR 
or at least dont treat my method as a bug !

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