Samples for AIR

The Samples for AIR open source project, available at github,  offers sample APIs written using Blackberry Tablet OS SDK for Adobe AIR. APIs include common utilities and UI elements such as animated screen transitions, navigation menu, media component, search field, and download manager. A fully functional example application that demonstrates how to use the provided APIs is also provided.

Added Also check out the detailed note on How to Build and Install the Sample Application.

Sample Library

Navigation menu
A customizable navigation bar offers optional elements, such as tabbed browsing and search input field. Buttons that launch user options, help and return to home are also available. Clicking the help icon launches the browser to supplied URL.

Search field
A customizable search field allows users to type search text that filters words that match characters as they type.

Download Manager
The download manager is a utility that maintains a queue of tasks consisting of the source URL, destination file path and relevant meta-data. Tasks can be added, paused, resumed and removed from the persisted download manager queue. The UI must implement the controls to display pause/resume, stop, remove management controls and show status of downloads.

Clients are notified of the following state changes: pending, initializing, complete and failed. Active download progress is provided so clients may update the UI with the number of kb/MB downloaded.

The download manager will pause or resume downloads if events of the following nature are detected:

• WIFI reception loss and regain,
• File system space  full and available, or
• HTTP and FILE IO errors.

Media Playbar

A music player example shows how to invoke stop, play/pause and use volume media controls.

Screen animations

A screen transition utility takes source and destination screens and horizontally slides screens in and out of view.

Cache

Written for applications that download large quantities of images and keep them for extended periods of time, the file system assisted image cache API takes a URL and returns an image from the cache or remote server.

Scrolling Marquee field

A scrolling marquee field scrolls text from left to right. This is useful to fit long text strings in small spaces.

Back button

The UI back button has a customized skin.

Sample Application

The included sample is a fully functioning BlackBerry Playbook mobile application that can be deployed directly onto the Playbook. It demonstrates the use of various tablet APIs and components provided by Sample Library for Blackberry Tablet OS SDK for Adobe AIR, including the following:

• Navigation menu
• Screen animations
• Swipe down menu with options, help and browsing history
• Search field (entering text launches search results screen)
• Scrolling marquee field
• Media playback
• Download Manager
• An Options screen that demonstrates how to save, retrieve and display user options
• Help button that launches browser directed to URL
• Browsing history (see swipe down menu)
• Back button (see sample search results screen)

The sample application has several screens, accessible using navigation buttons. Each screen demonstrates a particular component, e. g marquee field, playing media and downloading files APIs.

Sample application with navigation bar and search input field

Sample application scrolling marquee screen

Media example with play, pause, stop and volume controls.

Sample application media screen.

Download manager

Sample application download manager screen. Add, pause and remove download tasks.

Search field

Search field with customizable image and background text.

Search results view with back button

Options screen shows how to store and retrieve user options from database.

Sample options screen

Swipe down menu with browse history, home, options and help buttons.

Swipe down to reveal the hidden menu and browsing history example.

Coming Monday, help downloading, building the Samples for AIR project and deploying to the BlackBerry Playbook.  Added post is now available

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