activeWindow:NativeWindow  [read-only]

Returns the application window that is currently active. If the active desktop window does not belong to this application, activeWindow returns null.

applicationDescriptor:XML  [read-only]

The contents of the application descriptor file for this AIR application. The application descriptor file includes application settings.

ActionScript 3.0 code in SWF files supports E4X syntax for for working with XML data. However in HTML-based AIR applications, you will want to convert the XML value of this property to a DOMParser object, using the parseFromString() method of a DOMParser object.

Example

applicationID:String  [read-only]

The application ID of this application.

The value of this ID is set in the application descriptor file.

autoExit:Boolean  [read-write]

Specifies whether the application should automatically terminate when all windows have been closed.

When autoExit is true, which is the default, the application will terminate when all windows have been closed. Both exiting and exit events will be dispatched. When autoExit is false, you must call NativeApplication.nativeApplication.exit() to terminate the application.

icon:InteractiveIcon  [read-only]

The application icon.

Use NativeApplication.supportsDockIcon and NativeApplication.supportsSystemTrayIcon to determine the icon object type. The type will be one of the subclasses of InteractiveIcon. On Mac OS X, NativeApplication.icon will be an object of type DockIcon. On Windows, NativeApplication.icon will be an object of type SystemTrayIcon.

The icon object is automatically created, but is not initialized with image data. On some operating systems, such as Mac OS X, a default image is supplied, on others, such as Windows, the icon is not displayed unless image data is assigned to the icon. To assign an icon image, set the icon.bitmaps property with an array containing at least one BitmapData object. If more than one BitmapData object is included in the array, then the operating system will choose the image closest in size to the icon's display dimensions, scaling the image if necessary.

See also

idleThreshold:int  [read-write]

Specifies how many seconds must elapse without keyboard or mouse input before a presenceChange event is dispatched.

By default, the idleThreshold is 300 seconds (5 minutes).

See also

menu:NativeMenu  [read-write]

The application menu.

To provide a menu for an application, create a NativeMenu object, along with associated NativeMenuItems and event handlers, and assign it to this menu property.

Application menus are supported when NativeApplication.nativeApplication.supportsMenu is true. Not all operating systems support application menus. For example, application menus are supported on Mac OS X, but not on Windows. Assigning a NativeMenu object to this property when NativeApplication.nativeApplication.supportsMenu is false is allowed, but does nothing.

Note: On Mac OS X, the menu property references the operating-system-supplied default application menu. You can modify the the existing menu structure by adding and removing items, submenus, and by adding event listeners.

See also

nativeApplication:NativeApplication  [read-only]

Obtains the singleton instance of the NativeApplication class.

Throws

Error — if accessed by content outside the application security sandbox.

openedWindows:Array  [read-only]

Lists the NativeWindows that are currently opened by the application.

publisherID:String  [read-only]

The publisher ID of this application.

The value of this ID is set in the application's publisherid file, which is generated at install time from the certificate chain used to sign the application.

runtimePatchLevel:uint  [read-only]

The patch level of the AIR runtime.

runtimeVersion:String  [read-only]

The version number of the AIR runtime.

startAtLogin:Boolean  [read-write]

Specifies whether this application will automatically launch whenever the current user logs in.

The startAtLogin property reflects the status of the operating-system defined mechanism for designating that an application should start automatically when a user logs in. The user can change the status manually using the operating system user interface. This property will reflect the current status whether or not the status was last changed by the AIR application or the operating system.

Throws

	IllegalOperationError — on Windows when another application with the same name (but with a different path to the executable) is already set to launch when this user logs in.
	IllegalOperationError — if this application is not installed, which may be the case when launched by the AIR Debug Launcher (ADL).

supportsDockIcon:Boolean  [read-only]

Specifies whether AIR supports application dock icons on the current operating system. When true, the NativeApplication.icon property will be of type, DockIcon.

Mac OS X and various Linux user interfaces provide an application "dock" containing icons for running or frequently used applications.

See also

supportsMenu:Boolean  [read-only]

Specifies whether the current operating system supports a global application menu bar.

When true, the NativeApplication.menu property can be used to define (or access) a native application menu.

See also

supportsSystemTrayIcon:Boolean  [read-only]

Specifies whether AIR supports system tray icons on the current operating system. When true, the NativeApplication.icon property will be of type, SystemTrayIcon.

On Microsoft Windows, the system tray region of the task bar is officially called the Notification Area.

See also

timeSinceLastUserInput:int  [read-only]

Returns the time, in seconds, since the last mouse or keyboard input.

See also

function activate(window:NativeWindow = null):void

Activates this application.

Under circumstances determined by the operating system, this method will not activate an application. Most operating systems restrict the ability of an application to activate itself to prevent it from accidentally or maliciously making it impossible for a user to use other applications.

If this application is activated, then the specified window will be activated and brought to the desktop foreground, that is, in front of the windows of other applications that may be open. (If the window parameter is null, then a visible window is chosen.)

activateApplication() has no effect if the application has no visible windows.

Parameters

window:NativeWindow (default = null) — the NativeWindow to activate along with the application.

function addEventListener(type:String, listener:Function, useCapture:Boolean = false, priority:int = 0, useWeakReference:Boolean = false):void

Registers an event listener object with an EventDispatcher object so that the listener receives notification of an event.

JavaScript code in the AIR runtime uses this method to register event listeners for events defined by the AIR APIs. For other JavaScript events (such as the onload event of the DOM body object, you can use standard event handling techniques, as you would for content running in the browser.

After you successfully register an event listener, you cannot change its priority through additional calls to addEventListener(). To change a listener's priority, you must first call removeListener(). Then you can register the listener again with the new priority level.

Keep in mind that after the listener is registered, subsequent calls to addEventListener() with a different type or useCapture value result in the creation of a separate listener registration.

If you no longer need an event listener, remove it by calling removeEventListener(), or memory problems could result. Objects with registered event listeners are not automatically removed from memory because the garbage collector does not remove objects that still have references.

Copying an EventDispatcher instance does not copy the event listeners attached to it. (If your newly created node needs an event listener, you must attach the listener after creating the node). However, if you move an EventDispatcher instance, the event listeners attached to it move along with it.

Parameters

	type:String — The type of event.
	listener:Function — The listener function that processes the event. This function must accept an Event object as its only parameter and must return nothing . The function can have any name.
	useCapture:Boolean (default = false) — This parameter applies to display objects in the ActionScript 3.0 display list architecture, used by SWF content.
	priority:int (default = 0) — The priority level of the event listener. The priority is designated by a signed 32-bit integer. The higher the number, the higher the priority. All listeners with priority n are processed before listeners of priority n-1. If two or more listeners share the same priority, they are processed in the order in which they were added. The default priority is 0.
	useWeakReference:Boolean (default = false) — Determines whether the reference to the listener is strong or weak. A strong reference (the default) prevents your listener from being garbage-collected. A weak reference does not. Class-level member functions are not subject to garbage collection, so you can set useWeakReference to true for class-level member functions without subjecting them to garbage collection. If you set useWeakReference to true for a listener that is a nested inner function, the function will be garbge-collected and no longer persistent. If you create references to the inner function (save it in another variable) then it is not garbage-collected and stays persistent.

function clear():Boolean

Invokes an internal delete command on the focused display object.

This function call will be ignored if the component does not implement the command. Only display objects descending from the TextField or the HTMLLoader classes currently implement this commands.

Returns

Boolean — true if the command succeeds.

function copy():Boolean

Invokes an internal copy command on the focused display object.

This function call will be ignored if the component does not implement the command. Only display objects descending from the TextField or the HTMLLoader classes currently implement this commands.

Returns

Boolean

function cut():Boolean

Invokes an internal cut command on the focused display object.

This function call will be ignored if the component does not implement the command. Only display objects descending from the TextField or the HTMLLoader classes currently implement this commands.

Returns

Boolean — true if the command succeeds.

function dispatchEvent(event:Event):Boolean

Dispatches an event into the event flow. The event target is the EventDispatcher object upon which the dispatchEvent() method is called.

Parameters

event:Event — The Event object that is dispatched into the event flow. If the event is being redispatched, a clone of the event is created automatically. After an event is dispatched, its target property cannot be changed, so you must create a new copy of the event for redispatching to work.

Returns

Boolean — A value of true if the event was successfully dispatched. A value of false indicates failure or that preventDefault() was called on the event.

function exit(errorCode:int = 0):void

Terminates this application.

The call to the exit() method will return; the shutdown sequence does not begin until the currently executing code (such as a current event handler) has completed. Pending asynchronous operations are cancelled and may or may not complete.

Note that an exiting event will not be dispatched. If an exiting event is required by application logic, call NativeApplication.nativeApplication.dispatchEvent(), passing in an Event object of type exiting. Likewise, closing and close events will not be not dispatched before application windows are closed. If windows should be notified before your application exits, you can dispatch closing events for each open window. If a window close event is required, call the window's close() method before exiting.

Parameters

errorCode:int (default = 0) — The exit code reported to the operating system when this application exits.

function getDefaultApplication(extension:String):String

Gets the default application for opening files with the specified extension.

Note: This method can only be used with file types declared in the fileTypes statement of the application descriptor.

Parameters

extension:String — A String containing the extension of the file type of interest (without the ".").

Returns

String — The path of the default application.

Throws

Error — if the extension parameter does not contain one of the file extensions declared in the application descriptor.

function isSetAsDefaultApplication(extension:String):Boolean

Specifies whether this application is currently the default application for opening files with the specified extension.

Parameters

extension:String — A String containing the extension of the file type of interest (without the ".").

Returns

Boolean — true if this application is the default.

Throws

Error — if the extension parameter does not contain one of the file extensions declared in the application descriptor.

function paste():Boolean

Invokes an internal paste command on the focused display object.

This function call will be ignored if the component does not implement the command. Only display objects descending from the TextField or the HTMLLoader classes currently implement this commands.

Returns

Boolean — true if the command succeeds.

function redo():Boolean

Invokes an internal redo command on the focused display object.

This function call will be ignored if the component does not implement the command. Only display objects descending from the TextField or the HTMLLoader classes currently implement this commands.

Returns

Boolean — true if the command succeeds.

function removeAsDefaultApplication(extension:String):void

Removes this application as the default for opening files with the specified extension.

Note: This method can only be used with file types listed in the fileTypes statement in the application descriptor.

Parameters

extension:String — A String containing the extension of the file type of interest (without the ".").

Throws

Error — if the extension parameter does not contain one of the file extensions declared in the application descriptor.

function removeEventListener(type:String, listener:Function, useCapture:Boolean = false):void

Parameters

	type:String
	listener:Function
	useCapture:Boolean (default = false)

function selectAll():Boolean

Invokes an internal selectAll command on the focused display object.

This function call will be ignored if the component does not implement the command. Only display objects descending from the TextField or the HTMLLoader classes currently implement this commands.

Returns

Boolean — true if the command succeeds.

function setAsDefaultApplication(extension:String):void

Sets this application as the default application for opening files with the specified extension.

Note: This method can only be used with file types declared in the fileTypes statement in the application descriptor.

Parameters

extension:String — A String containing the extension of the file type of interest (without the ".").

Throws

Error — if the extension parameter does not contain one of the file extensions declared in the application descriptor.

function undo():Boolean

Invokes an internal undo command on the focused display object.

This function call will be ignored if the component does not implement the command. Only display objects descending from the TextField or the HTMLLoader classes currently implement this commands.

Returns

Boolean — true if the command succeeds.

Event Object Type: flash.events.Event
Event.type property = flash.events.Event.ACTIVATE

Dispatched when this application becomes the active desktop application.

The Event.ACTIVATE constant defines the value of the type property of an activate event object.

Note: This event does not go through a "capture phase" and is dispatched directly to the target, whether the target is on the display list or not.

This event has the following properties:

Property	Value
bubbles	false
cancelable	false; there is no default behavior to cancel.
currentTarget	The object that is actively processing the Event object with an event listener.
target	Any DisplayObject instance with a listener registered for the ACTIVATE event.

Event Object Type: flash.events.Event
Event.type property = flash.events.Event.DEACTIVATE

Dispatched when the desktop focus is switched to a different application.

The Event.DEACTIVATE constant defines the value of the type property of a deactivate event object.

Note: This event does not go through a "capture phase" and is dispatched directly to the target, whether the target is on the display list or not.

This event has the following properties:

Property	Value
bubbles	false
cancelable	false; there is no default behavior to cancel.
currentTarget	The object that is actively processing the Event object with an event listener.
target	Any DisplayObject instance with a listener registered for the DEACTIVATE event.

Event Object Type: flash.events.Event
Event.type property = flash.events.Event.EXITING

Dispatched when the application's exit sequence is started.

The exiting event is dispatched when application exit is initiated by the operating system, for example, when a user issues the Cmd-Q key sequence on Mac OS X, or when autoExit=true and the last application window is closed. Canceling this event will prevent the application from exiting.

Note: Calling the NativeApplication.exit() method does not cause an exiting event to be dispatched. Applications that wish to warn components of an impending exit should dispatch the exiting event before calling exit

The Event.EXITING constant defines the value of the type property of a exiting event object.

This event has the following properties:

Property	Value
bubbles	false
cancelable	true; canceling this event object stops the exit operation.
currentTarget	The NativeApplication object.
target	The NativeApplication object.

Event Object Type: flash.events.InvokeEvent
InvokeEvent.type property = flash.events.InvokeEvent.INVOKE

Dispatched when an application is invoked. When an application is invoked a second time, another instance of the application is not started. Instead, the first instance receives an additional invoke event. It is the responsibility of the application to handle subsequent invoke events appropriately.

Note: All invoke events are queued. When a listener for this event is registered, it will receive all events in the queue as well as any new events. Queued events may be delivered before or after any new invoke events.

The constant defines the value of the type property of an InvokeEvent event object.

The InvokeEvent object has the following properties:

Properties	Values
arguments	the array of string arguments passed during this invocation.
currentDirectory	a object representing the directory that should be used to resolve any relative paths in the arguments array.
bubbles	No.
cancelable	false; There is no default behavior to cancel.
currentTarget	Indicates the object that is actively processing this InvokeEvent object with an event listener.
target	Always the object.

Event Object Type: flash.events.Event
Event.type property = flash.events.Event.NETWORK_CHANGE

Dispatched when either a new network connection becomes available or an existing network connection is lost.

A networkChange event does not necessarily mean that the host computer has gone online or offline; it may just be transitioning from one type of connection to another. Applications can use this event to help optimize the task of monitoring remote resource availability. The dispatch of a networkChange event is often a good time to verify the availability of any remote resources.

Note: There may be a short delay between a network change and the delivery of this event.

The Event.NETWORK_CHANGE constant defines the value of the type property of a networkChange event object.

This event has the following properties:

Property	Value
bubbles	false
cancelable	false; there is no default behavior to cancel.
currentTarget	The object that is actively processing the Event object with an event listener.
target	The NativeApplication object.

Event Object Type: flash.events.Event
Event.type property = flash.events.Event.USER_IDLE

Dispatched when the user has been idle for the period of time specified by the idleThreshold property. The amount of time that the user has been idle can be determined from the timeSinceLastUserInput property.

The Event.USER_IDLE constant defines the value of the type property of a userIdle event object.

This event has the following properties:

Property	Value
bubbles	false
cancelable	false; there is no default behavior to cancel.
target	The NativeApplication object.

See also

Event Object Type: flash.events.Event
Event.type property = flash.events.Event.USER_PRESENT

Dispatched when the operating system detects mouse or keyboard after an idle period. The period of time that is considered idle is configurable with the idleThreshold property. The amount of time that the user has been idle can be determined from the timeSinceLastUserInput property.

The Event.USER_PRESENT constant defines the value of the type property of a userPresent event object.

This event has the following properties:

Property	Value
bubbles	false
cancelable	false; there is no default behavior to cancel.
target	The NativeApplication object.

See also