Accessing AIR API from loaded SWFs

Question

I am relatively new to AIR development and I can't get my head a round a little issue. I have an AIR application created in Flash CS5 that is just a shell that loads modules on demand, those modules are just SWF.
I would like to access the AIR API directly from the classes of those SWF but of course they don't compile because in the publish settings they are just exported for Flash player 10 and don't see the AIR API. I tried adding airglobal.swc to the library hoping it would sort out the compiling problem but it doesn't and it generates many errors.
I use to develop with MDM ZInc and I would just import the MDM SWC in any classes that would want access the MDM API, I am unsure how to proceed with AIR.
Any help would be appreciated.
Calwen

Answer 1

Hi Calwen,
here is basic sample how you could achieve that. Note: I'm using mxml syntax and components - but the *KEY* is api use of LoaderContext - not what real components are used to model UI.
Say I have host:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<s:WindowedApplication xmlns:fx="http://ns.adobe.com/mxml/2009"
                            xmlns:s="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/spark"
                            xmlns:mx="library://ns.adobe.com/flex/mx"
                            creationComplete="creationCompleteHandler(event)">
     <fx:Script>
          <![CDATA[
               import mx.events.FlexEvent;
               protected function creationCompleteHandler(event:FlexEvent):void
                    var loaderContext:LoaderContext = new LoaderContext();
                    loaderContext.allowCodeImport = true;
                    swfLoader.loaderContext = loaderContext;
                    swfLoader.load("app:/MyLoadedApp.swf");
          ]]>
     </fx:Script>
     <s:SWFLoader id="swfLoader" width="100%" height="100%"/>
</s:WindowedApplication>
MyLoadedApp is not created with air SDK at all - it is just flash.display.Sprite movie clip created with any compatible Flash compiler:
package
     import flash.display.Sprite;
     import flash.events.*;
     import flash.text.TextField;
     import flash.utils.getDefinitionByName;
     public class MyLoadedApp extends Sprite
          public function MyLoadedApp()
               addEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, initApp);
          protected function initApp(addedToStageEvent:Event):void
               removeEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, initApp);
               var clazz:Class = flash.utils.getDefinitionByName("flash.filesystem.File") as Class;
               if(clazz)
                    // we could read documents directory (File.documentsDirectory) using class access
                    var directory:Object = clazz.documentsDirectory;
                    try
                         // and we could show browse dialog (now we are using instance - not class)
                         directory.addEventListener(Event.SELECT, directorySelectedHandler);
                         directory.browseForDirectory("Please select directory");
                    } catch (error:Error)
                         // handle error
                         var errorText:TextField = new TextField();
                         errorText.autoSize = "left";
                         errorText.text = error.message;
                         addChild(errorText);
          protected function directorySelectedHandler(selectEvent:Event):void
               var directory:Object = selectEvent.target;
               var files:Array = directory.getDirectoryListing();
               var resultsTextField:TextField = new TextField();
               resultsTextField.autoSize = "left";
               resultsTextField.multiline = true;
               resultsTextField.appendText(selectEvent.type+":\n");
               for(var i:uint = 0; i < files.length; i++)
                    resultsTextField.appendText(files[i].name+"\n");
               addChild(resultsTextField);
This is not safe at all and loaded module can do everything I think (we talk about local modules from app storage, like in Zinc, right?)
kind regards,
Peter