I recently attended the WritersUA conference in Portland, Oregon. During the conference, I sat in on a couple of sessions about Adobe AIR. It was at one of these sessions that Adobe introduced the RoboHelp Packager for Adobe AIR.
The RoboHelp Packager for Adobe AIR allows RoboHelp developers to convert existing WebHelp files generated using Adobe RoboHelp to an Adobe AIR application.
As the name implies, the RoboHelp Packager for Adobe AIR packages WebHelp files generated using Adobe RoboHelp versions 6 or 7 and packages them into an Adobe AIR file. Using the same single-file output as Microsoft HTML Help (where a single CHM file is created), a single Adobe AIR Application file is created.
What is Adobe AIR? Good question. According to Adobe, "Adobe AIR is a cross-operating system runtime that enables you to use your existing HTML/Ajax, Flex, or Flash Web development skills and tools to build and deploy rich Internet applications to the desktop.
"Adobe AIR applications support native desktop integration, including clipboard and drag-and-drop support, local file IO, system notification, and more."
Impact on Business
According to Adobe, "Adobe AIR offers an exciting new way for a business to engage customers with innovative, branded desktop applications, without requiring changes to existing technology, people, or processes."
Impact on Developers
"The Adobe AIR runtime lets developers use proven web technologies to build rich Internet applications that deploy to the desktop and run across operating systems," said Adobe.
Overview of RoboHelp Packager for Adobe AIR:
- Generate a single distributable file similar to a CHM file.
- Unlike a CHM file, Adobe AIR Help files will work on all platforms and operating systems (CHM files will only work under the Windows operating system).
- Users can add comments, in addition to using other advanced features such as Breadcrumbs, Mini TOC and Security (Digital Signatures).
- When you install the packager with Adobe RoboHelp 7 already installed on your PC, it gets added as a tool in the Toolbox Pod. The installer also creates a shortcut for launching this tool on your desktop.
Note: You must install the Java Runtime Engine version 6 and Adobe AIR Runtime before installing the tool. Links for both can be found here.
Click here to learn more about Adobe AIR.
Click here to learn more about RoboHelp Packager for Adobe AIR or to download the Packager from Adobe Labs.
Want to learn more about RoboHelp? Click here.