Presentation given at FITC Amsterdam 2012. AIR has been the cross device platform to deploy interactive applications. This session shows you how you can extend the default capabilities and add native interaction and performance to your applications.

1. BEEFING UP AIR
Native extensions in AIR 3.0

2. @WOUTER
• Wouter Verweirder
• blog.aboutme.be
• Lecturer @ HOWEST
• Partner @ Happy Banana
• AS3NUI / AIRKinect

4. SESSION OVERVIEW
1. What is a native extension
2. Build a native extension
1. Hello World
2. Working with AS Objects
3. Threading / Communication
4. What about Android
3. Use a native extension
4. AIRKinect extension
5. Q & (hopefully) A

5. WHAT IS A NATIVE
EXTENSION?
• Extend the features of the AIR runtime !
• For TV, Mobile, Desktop

6. WHAT IS A NATIVE
EXTENSION?

7. WHAT IS A NATIVE
EXTENSION?
Flex
ActionScript
extension
AIR AS3 AS3
...
DLL JAR
OS

8. ANE FILE STRUCTURE
library.swf catalog.xml
extension.xml
library.swf library.swf
...
ext.dll ext.jar

9. ANE FILE STRUCTURE
REGULAR SWC FILE

10. ANE FILE STRUCTURE
ANE FILE

11. WHY?
• access native platform specific code libraries
• Re-use legacy native code
• Increase performance (native performance / threading)

12. WRITING AN EXTENSION
• ActionScript: ExtensionContext class
• Native:
•C entry point on Windows, OSX, iOS (& Android)
• Java entry point on Android

13. WRITING AN EXTENSION
adt ane file

14. 1. Create ExtensionContext object
2. Look up link with native code in XML

15. 3. Link the context initializer
4. Link the native functions in the context initializer

16. 5. Call a method in native code

17. extension initializer
context initializer
function calls & events
context finalizer
extension finalizer

18. Demo Hello World

19. WORKING WITH AS OBJECTS
• Construct new AS3 Objects
• Get AS3 Object Type
• Get / Set properties of AS3 Objects
• Call AS3 Object methods

20. WORKING WITH AS OBJECTS
SIMPLE DATA TYPES

21. WORKING WITH AS OBJECTS
AS CLASS INSTANCES

22. WORKING WITH AS OBJECTS
EXAMPLE:

23. ARRAY / VECTOR METHODS

24. BYTEARRAY / BITMAPDATA
acquire
memory access No other API methods are allowed here
release

25. BYTEARRAY / BITMAPDATA

26. BYTEARRAY / BITMAPDATA
EXAMPLE:

27. Demo ByteArray Access

28. THREADING
• Is allowed in the native extension :-)
• NO FRE API calls allowed outside the main thread
• except for: FREDispatchStatusEventAsync

29. THREADING

30. Demo Threading

31. WHAT ABOUT ANDROID ?
• C API for Windows, OSX & iOS
• Java Wrapper for Android:
• com.adobe.fre.FREExtension
create instance of...
• com.adobe.fre.FREContext
returns collection of...
• com.adobe.fre.FREFunction

32. WHAT ABOUT ANDROID ?
EXAMPLE:

33. WHAT ABOUT ANDROID ?
EXAMPLE:

34. WHAT ABOUT ANDROID ?
EXAMPLE:

35. Demo Mobile UDP extension

36. PACKAGING AN ANE
library.swf catalog.xml
extension.xml
library.swf library.swf
...
ext.dll ext.jar

37. PACKAGING AN ANE
1.Compile SWC of your AS3 code
2.Unzip SWC file, get library.swf file
3.Put swc, library.swf, extension.xml & native builds (dll, ...) in one
directory
4.Run adt command

38. PACKAGING AN ANE
adt -package -storetype pkcs12 -storepass
p@ssw0rd -keystore key.p12 -tsa none -
target ane HelloWorldExtension.ane
extension.xml -swc helloworldas.swc -
platform MacOS-x86 library.swf
HelloWorld.framework -platform Windows-
x86 library.swf HelloWorld.dll
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/air/build/
WS789ea67d3e73a8b22388411123785d839c-8000.html

39. BUILDING APPS WITH ANE’S

40. BUILDING APPS WITH ANE’S

41. BUILDING APPS WITH ANE’S

42. AIRKINECT
• Native extension to use the Kinect in your AIR apps
• Current version: 1.7.1
• Full skeleton Data
• Camera Streams: RGB & Depth
• Point Cloud info

43. Created By Tim Camerlinckx - http://vimeo.com/34614887

44. Created By Yannick Van der Goten - http://vimeo.com/34563640

45. Created By Laurents Laire - http://vimeo.com/34264122

46. Created By Simon Pertz - http://vimeo.com/34681243

47. AIRKINECT 2.0
• Simplified API
• New features:
• Skeleton Joint Rotations
• User center-of-mass
• Point Cloud Regions
• IR Camera Stream

48. Time for some Kinect coding!

49. Questions
(and hopefully some answers...)

50. Thank you!
@wouter
http://blog.aboutme.be
http://www.as3nui.com
http://www.happy-banana.be