Enter: ANT to the rescue!

By creating an ANT build script, you can alleviate all of the above concerns and stay super-flexible at the same time. Here’s a template that I’ve been using lately with great success:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> 
<project default="4. Package Application" name="[Your Flex Project Name]"> 
	<!-- Framework properties -->
	<property name="FLEX_HOME" value="[/path/to/your/flex/4.5/sdk]" /> 
	<property name="AIR_GLOBAL" value="${FLEX_HOME}/frameworks/libs/air/airglobal.swc" /> 
	<property name="ADL" value="${FLEX_HOME}/bin/adl" /> 
	<property name="ADT" value="${FLEX_HOME}/lib/adt.jar" /> 
	<property name="PFI" value="${FLEX_HOME}/lib/pfi.jar" /> 
	<property name="FLEX_TASKS" value="${FLEX_HOME}/ant/lib/flexTasks.jar" /> 
	<property name="LOCALE" value="en_US" /> 
 
	<!-- Project properties --> 
	<property name="project_root" value="[/path/to/your/flex/mobile/project]" /> 
	<property name="class_path" value="${project_root}/src" /> 
	<property name="lib_path" value="${project_root}/libs" />
	<property name="splash_path" value="${class_path}/Default.png" /> 
	<property name="app_name" value="[YourApp]" /> 
	<property name="app_root_dir" value="." /> 
	<property name="app_type" value="mxml" /> 
	<property name="assets_dir_name" value="[name_of_your_assets_dir]" />
	<property name="debug_mode" value="false" />
 
	<!-- Certificate properties --> 
	<property name="cert_loc" value="${app_root_dir}/[path/to/your/certs]" />
	<property name="ios_keystore" value="${cert_loc}/[your_cert_name].p12" /> 
	<property name="ios_pass" value="[your_cert_password]" />
	<property name="ios_provisioning" value="${cert_loc}/[your_provisioning_profile].mobileprovision" />
 
	<!-- Application properties -->
	<property name="swf_file" value="${app_name}.swf" /> 
	<property name="air_file" value="${app_name}.air" /> 
	<property name="ipa_file" value="${app_name}.ipa" /> 
	<property name="app_descriptor" value="${class_path}/${app_name}-app.xml" /> 
	<property name="main_class" value="${class_path}/${app_name}.${app_type}" />
	<property name="build_dir" location="${app_root_dir}/build" /> 
	<property name="debug_dir" location="${app_root_dir}/build/debug" /> 
	<property name="publish_dir" location="${app_root_dir}/build/deploy" /> 
	<property name="assets_dir" location="${class_path}/${assets_dir_name}" />
	<property name="output_loc" location="${publish_dir}/${swf_file}" />
 
	<!-- Use the Flex ANT tasks for easier compilation -->
	<taskdef name="mxmlc" classname="flex.ant.MxmlcTask" classpath="${FLEX_TASKS}"/>
 
	<!-- Clean existing directories --> 
	<target name="1. Cleanup Directories" description="clean up"> 
		<delete dir="${debug_dir}" /> 
		<delete dir="${publish_dir}" /> 
		<delete dir="${build_dir}" /> 
	</target> 
 
	<!-- Create required directories --> 
	<target name="2. Build New Directories" depends="1. Cleanup Directories"> 
		<mkdir dir="${build_dir}" /> 
		<mkdir dir="${debug_dir}" /> 
		<mkdir dir="${publish_dir}" /> 
	</target>
 
	<!-- Compile SWF to build-directory for packaging --> 
	<target name="3. Compile SWF" depends="2. Build New Directories"> 
		<mxmlc 
			file="${main_class}" 
			output="${output_loc}" 
			locale="${LOCALE}" 
			static-rsls="false" 
			accessible="false" 
			configname="airmobile" 
			debug="${debug_mode}" 
			failonerror="true" 
			fork="true" 
			maxmemory="512m">
			<source-path path-element="${class_path}"/>
			<compiler.library-path dir="${FLEX_HOME}/frameworks" append="true">
				<include name="libs/*" />
			</compiler.library-path>
			<library-path file="${FLEX_HOME}/frameworks/locale/${LOCALE}" append="true"/>
			<library-path dir="${lib_path}" includes="*.swc" append="true"/>
			<external-library-path file="${AIR_GLOBAL}" append="true"/>
		</mxmlc>
	</target>
 
	<!-- Package the application to an ipa file & save it in the publish directory --> 
	<target name="4. Package Application" depends="3. Compile SWF"> 
		<java jar="${ADT}" fork="true" failonerror="true"> 
			<arg value="-package"/>
			<arg value="-target"/>
			<arg value="ipa-test"/>
			<arg value="-provisioning-profile"/>
			<arg value="${ios_provisioning}"/>
 
      			<arg value="-storetype"/>
			<arg value="pkcs12"/>
			<arg value="-keystore"/>
			<arg value="${ios_keystore}"/>
			<arg value="-storepass"/>
			<arg value="${ios_pass}"/>
 
			<arg value="${ipa_file}"/>
			<arg value="${app_descriptor}"/>
			<arg value="${output_loc}"/>
 
			<arg value="-C" /> 
			<arg value="${class_path}"/>
			<arg value="${splash_path}"/>
 
			<arg value="-C" /> 
			<arg value="${class_path}"/>
			<arg value="${assets_dir}/icons/." /> 
		</java> 
	</target>
</project>

UPDATED 3/23/11: changed the Package Application target to use ADT vs PFI now that AIR 2.6 is official.

You should only have to modify the values wrapped in brackets [ ] to match your system setup. Once that’s done, you’ll need to tweak your application’s descriptor file (ie, myapp-app.xml) as follows:

#1 Modify the initialWindow’s content value to match the output path from your ANT script:

<content>[This value will be overwritten by Flash Builder in the output app.xml]</content>

becomes:

<content>/path/to/your/application.swf</content>

#2 Add the following iOS-required data, either before or after the Android data section:

<iPhone>
    <InfoAdditions><![CDATA[
<key>UIDeviceFamily</key>
<array>
<string>1</string>
<string>2</string>
</array>
]]></InfoAdditions>
    <requestedDisplayResolution>high</requestedDisplayResolution>
</iPhone>

After that, you should be able to compile your app using the ANT script without problem from any IDE that supports ANT or even from the CLI. This certainly isn’t the only way to accomplish this, it’s just my take on it. Feel free to hack away at it and share what you come up with.

If you should decide to bypass the template and build a script from scratch, here are a few caveats to remember:

• update your application descriptor to use the output SWF path from your ANT script instead of the default placeholder text provided by Adobe
• add the appropriate iOS tags to your descriptor
• modify the ANT template to point to your system specific config (SDK, project, certs)
• don’t forget to add your certificate’s password
• remember to load the airmobile-config.xml (configname=airmobile vs air)
• change ipa-test to ipa-app-store before publishing to the App Store.

Checkout some of the related resources for alternatives to tackling the same problem and just general information on developing AIR applications for iOS devices.

RELATED RESOURCES
http://www.ivanalvarez.com/2010/10/flex-4-in-ios-3/
http://www.terrenceryan.com/blog/post.cfm/compiling-flex-hero-apps-with-mxmlc-in-ant
http://blogs.adobe.com/cantrell/archives/2010/09/packager-for-iphone-refresher.html
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/air/build/WS901d38e593cd1bac1e63e3d128fc240122-7ff2.html
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/air/build/WSBE9908A0-8E3A-4329-8ABD-12F2A19AB5E9.html
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/as3/iphone/air_deviphoneapps.pdf

Dear Steve,

After reviewing your recent comments regarding Flash and the recent amendments to the Apple Developer TOS, I decided to share with you my response to a few of your positions. First, with regards to 3.3.1, Apple should only do QA based on app quality and NOT on app origin. Are we to seriously believe that an iPhone app built with Unity, Flash, etc. pails in comparison technologically to one built via Xcode? Are we to further believe that there are ABSOLUTELY NO poorly written Obj-C apps in the app store? If so, where are the benchmarks and metrics to support these claims?

Logical decisions are typically made based on data collection in some form or fashion. In the absence of such information, those “logical” decisions are eventually revealed to be more subjective in nature vs. being purely objective. Again, if there is data to support the claims against iPhone apps developed in Flash and compiled to *.ipa, please point us to that data.

Now, as to your assertion that Flash is the #1 reason Macs crash, again, we’d like to see empirical data that supports this claim. Having used apple desktop and laptop computers for more than a decade, I’d have to respectfully disagree with you. I’ve personally experienced kernel panics resulting from locked up processes with non-Flash applications (eg, iTunes, Safari, etc). To my knowledge, iTunes makes no use of Flash but yet it has caused my system to enter into a kernel panic on several occasions. Are we still to believe that Flash is the only big bad wolf lurking in the OSX forest? I seriously hope that’s not your intention. Will your position change when Adobe produces a Flash Player version that takes full advantage of hardware acceleration? I certainly hope so because then we’ll know that you’re truly the visionary tech leader that we all hope you to be.

Does this absolve the Flash development community from doing our part to improve the situation? NO!!! Unfortunately, many Flash apps are created by would-be developers that have no clue about memory management, garbage collection and the like. It is far too easy to create Flash apps that consume all of a browser’s memory, don’t close properly and eventually obstruct a user. But, I submit that this same fact holds true regardless of the language or platform used to create said applications. In other words, sloppy coding is the problem not the technology. This is from the perspective of a developer fluent in several languages including Obj-C and ActionScript.

I understand you have your business goals and a board of directors to please, but I implore you to work with Adobe rather than against them. Work with Google, Facebook and the like to make the future of technology truly open which benefits us all. Ultimately, we MUST support a free market economy in order to achieve this technological utopia, the results of which will be exponential growth that lasts for a millennium. Yes, it truly can be that explosive. The only thing standing in the way is our present day greed for money and power.

I sincerely hope that you soften your stance and work with the other technology leaders to usher us into that state of tech bliss…

P E A C E

Hasan

Having owned an iPhone since day one, I’ve always been frustrated at the lack of the Flash player on the device since it’s the actual web that you’re surfing with Safari and not a dumbed down version. A lot of sites broke on the iPhone because they were either full-flash sites or utilized Flash splash pages. Of course, these sites should all have HTML alternatives as fail-safes but the reality is that the majority don’t for whatever reason.

One good thing that Narayen highlights though is that both Adobe and Apple are working together on a solution. Should they prove successful in their efforts, it won’t be a moment too soon…:)