Adobe AIR - no System.exec()??

This is weird - according to the Adobe AIR JavaScript docs, applications can access the local filesystem, clipboard, and network, but doesn't let you shell out and invoke another process!!! Why bother with that restriction? That's like making sure the cash register is all locked up tight - and then keeping the money in a jar sitting on a nearby counter top.

(I want to write a little app that will invoke Ant. Do I have to write my own Adobe AIR to do this? Or should I wait for the Prism Project? If I do write my own as per this earlier post, I think I'll call it "Eclipse DIRT", roughly based on the GWTShell.)

1 comment:

Scott said...

I was also looking for a way to exec system calls using Air. I think the reason for not having it is because it not all platforms use the same system command. By creating a system call it could potentially break the cross platform compatibility. You may be able to get use a script to launch you air app and another program scripted in Python, PHP or some other language, and have them both read/write to a text file to communicate with each other. PHP and Python can execute system processes.