10 | Chapter 1: Introduction to the Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR)
PDF functionality requires that Adobe Reader version 8.1. be
installed on the user’s computer. If Adobe Reader 8.1 is
installed, then Adobe AIR applications will be able to take
full advantage of all of the features that reader also exposes
when running within a web browser.
HTML
HTML was originally designed as a document technology,
and today it provides rich and robust control over content
and text layout and styling. HTML can be used as a docu-
ment technology within Adobe AIR—both within an existing
HTML application as well as within a Flash-based applica-
tion.
What Does an Adobe AIR Application Contain?
Now that we know what technologies are available to appli-
cations running on top of the Adobe Integrated Runtime (see
Figure 1-1), let’s look at how those technologies can be com-
bined to build an Adobe AIR application.
Applications can consist of the following combinations of
technologies:
- HTML/JavaScript only
- HTML/JavaScript-based with Flash content
- Flash only (including Flex)
- Flash-based with HTML content
- All combinations can leverage PDF content
TIP
Flash content within HTML is not implemented in the
public beta of Adobe AIR, although it will be available in
the 1.0 release.