Written by members of the Apollo product team, this is the official guide to the Alpha release of Adobe Apollo, the new cross platform desktop runtime from Adobe Labs. Apollo for Adobe Flex Developers Pocket Guide explains how to build and deploy Flash-based Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) to the desktop using Adobe's Flex framework. This book describes concisely how Apollo works, and offers numerous examples for those who want to start building RIAs for the desktop right away. Why put RIAs on the desktop? They're already supposed to offer the responsiveness of desktop programs. Unfortunately, web browsers were designed to deliver and display HTML-based documents, not applications. The conflict between document- and application-focused functionality creates several problems when deploying applications via the browser. Adobe Apollo gives you the best of both worlds -- the web development model and true desktop functionality. This pocket guide explains how to:

• Set up your development environment

• Create your first application

• Use the File I/O API

• Use HTML within Flex-based Apollo applications

• Use the included Apollo mini-cookbook for common tasks

The book also includes a guide to Apollo packages, classes, and command-line tools. Once you understand the basics of building a Flex-based Apollo application, this pocket guide makes an ideal reference for tackling specific problems. Adobe Developer Library is a co-publishing partnership between O'Reilly Media and Adobe Systems, Inc. and is designed to produce the number one information resources for developers who use Adobe technologies. Created in 2006, the Adobe Developer Library is the official source for comprehensive learning solutions to help developers create expressive and interactive web applications that can reach virtually anyone on any platform. With top-notch books and innovative online resources covering the latest in rich Internet application development, the Adobe Developer Library offers expert training and in-depth resources, straight from the source.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 4 Ratings

Good quick-start guide for building Flash-based RIA's with Apollo - 2007-05-04
Reviewer Rating:
This book is a good overview of what is involved building applications that use the Adobe Flex Framework with the cross-platform desktop runtime, Apollo. The book assumes that the reader has experience creating Flash-based applications using Flex and ActionScript 3.0, and that you want to leverage that experience and move on to deploying applications with Apollo. It is a good basic introduction to get you started, not an in-depth guide by any means.

1. Introduction to Apollo - Explains the difference between the Apollo runtime and Apollo applications, the capabilities and the limits of Apollo, and the basic structure of Apollo applications.
A Short History of Web Applications
Problems with Delivering Applications Via the Browser
Introducing the Apollo Runtime
Primary Apollo Technologies

2. Getting Started with Apollo Development - Discusses how to initialize your development environment and begin building Apollo applications that use the Flex framework. It shows you where to get the resources necessary for Apollo application development and goes through the details of writing and deploying a Hello World application.
Installing the Apollo Alpha 1 Runtime
What You Need in Order to Develop Apollo Applications
Building a Sample Apollo Application
Next Steps

3. Using HTML Within Flex-Based Apollo Applications - Describes how Apollo gives developers a new means of integrating HTML rendering into their desktop applications. Included are some basic applications that demonstrate how to write HTML-enabled Apollo applications.
HTML Support in Apollo
Using the Flex HTML Component
Using the HTMLControl Class
Script Bridging: Communicating Between ActionScript and JavaScript

4. Using the File System API - Discusses the various aspects of the Apollo file I/O API that enables applications to have a great deal of freedom in dealing with the files and directories of the user's computer. There are quite a few code snippets in this chapter that serve as simple examples.
Security Model
Accessing Files and Directories
Asynchronous and Synchronous Versions of Methods
Reading Directory Contents
Getting File Information
Copying and Moving Files and Directories
Creating Files and Directories
Deleting Files and Directories
Reading and Writing Files

5. Apollo Mini-Cookbook - O'Reilly, famous for its cookbook series, provides a mini cookbook of solutions to common problems in Apollo applications and includes working MXML code. Recipes include those for reading and writing text from a string, encoding data into PNG or JPEG format and writing it to the file system, and working with the Windowing API.
Working with the File System
Working with HTML
Using the Windowing API

Apollo Packages and Classes
Apollo Command-Line Tools

Actually you can find this book freely available online. Just type "Adobe Apollo for Flex developers pocket guide" without the quotes into Google. It should be the top address.

For the early-adopter .airHead - 2007-03-31
Reviewer Rating:

Adobe's Apollo, in the just-released alpha runtime, is the latest entry in the world of "Rich Internet Application" frameworks.

Advocates of RIA frameworks often weaken their arguments for the Web-aware desktop by disparaging browser-based applications beyond the credible. The universe of browser-based applications continues to expand for very good reasons.

Give the authors, all members of the Apollo product team, plenty of credit for their relaxed approach in this guide. Their introductory chapter sticks to a positive case for their approach rather than attack the weaknesses of current Web apps.

Chapters 2 and 3 outline setting up the environment and move quickly to working with the HTML rendering engine. Following chapters deal with the security model and the file system and windowing APIs.

The weakness of the book is that it is Flex-centric in its "hello world" examples. The book reflects the state of the Apollo alpha. The book itself is clear and easy to follow.

"Quick and Dirty" Overview - 2007-06-08
Reviewer Rating:
If you've been developing Flex, chances are good you've heard a little something about Apollo. This book provides a great overview -- I came away with an excellent understanding of Apollo's "whats" and "hows" within a half hour of picking up this book.

Pretty good though out of date. - 2007-07-16
Reviewer Rating:
A worthwhile read, but it's already out of date (as it itself warns). Some of the things I tried didn't work because of deprecation. Easy to follow though. Glad I read it.

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