AIR 1.5 utilizes Flash Player 10, which is great for new features such as 3D capabilities and performance updates, but there are also many security drawback that Flash Player 10 brings to the table.

The particular drawback that almost made me pull my hair out, is that with AIR 1.5, you are no longer able to utilize drag-and-drop of files into your AIR application. I was almost ready to re-install Flash CS4, but I figured out an easy workaround so that you can use AIR 1.1 or AIR 1.5 for your projects.

(Please note that this is for Mac, if you are running Windows, this process may be different)

1. In Finder, navigate to: /Applications/Adobe Flash CS4/Common/Configuration/Players/
2. There, you will see a file named: AdobeAIR.xml
3. Make a duplicate of that file, and rename it to: AdobeAIR1_1.xml
4. Open up that file, and replace the text with this:

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
   <players>
     	<player id="AdobeAIR1_1" version="9" asversion="3">
   	    <name>Adobe AIR 1.1</name>
   	    <publishobject2 id="FLAir1_1" version="1.1" intversion="1.1"></publishobject2>
   	    <path platform="WIN">FLAir1_1.dll</path>
   	    <path platform="MAC">FLAir1_1.bundle</path>
   	    <playerDefinitionPath as2="$(UserConfig)/Classes/FP9;$(UserConfig)/Classes/FP8;$(UserConfig)/Classes/FP7" as3="$(AppConfig)/ActionScript 3.0/AIR1.1/airglobal.swc" />
   
   	    <feature name="mobileDebug" supported="true" />
   	    <feature name="apolloPublish" supported="true" />
   	    <feature name="apolloTestMovie" supported="force"/>
   	    <feature name="apolloDebugMovie" supported="true"/>
   	    <feature name="apolloPackaging" supported="true"/>
   	    <feature name="publish_localPlaybackSecurity" supported="false" />
   	    <feature name="publish_hardwareAcceleration" 	supported="true" />
   	  </player>
   </players>
   

5. Save that file.
6. Restart Flash if it is currently running.
7. That’s it!

NOTE: If you have already built your AIR application using 1.5, you will need to edit your application.xml and change the xml namespace from “http://ns.adobe.com/air/application/1.5″ to “http://ns.adobe.com/air/application/1.1″

Hopefully this will help anyone that also experiences limited functionality while using or upgrading to AIR 1.5

Happy drag-and-dropping!

Over the past few years, I have been using Wordpress for small projects and blogs. As projects go by, I see myself giving more and more projects the Wordpress stamp, then adding various plugins or extensions to suit the project’s needs. Even if a site doesn’t have a blog, it’s still a great lightweight tool for making URL-friendly sites that can be easily managed through a crisp admin interface.

When I decide what to build a project on, I run through the usual list of platforms I use, and Wordpress always seem to be the one. It’s so easy to setup, and if there is something that it can’t do out of the box, there is almost most definitely a plugin. And in that rare occasion that no plugin is available, or a plugin isn’t quite as extensible as you need it to be, there’s always room to write your own!

Here are some plugins that I find myself using time and time again:

Cforms - A super customizable form builder generally for making contact forms, but can be used for virtually any form you can think of.

NextGEN Gallery - The ultimate when it comes to photo galleries. I’ve never seen an easier way to upload photos, and with a directory scanner, slideshows, and thickbox all pre-packaged with the plugin, there is almost no configuration needed.

Register Plus - Want your site to be members only? Not a problem Register Plus can take care of this with ease. It includes custom registration page creation that includes CAPTCHA, invitation codes, and user-generated passwords. There is also a user moderation page, so you can moderate who can and cannot become a member.

Of course the list could go on, but these are the top ones that I use on a lot of projects. There always some instances where Wordpress is just completely out of the question, but those cases are becoming more scarce as more plugins are released. So if you haven’t taken a whack at using Wordpress, learn PHP (the right way) and you’ll find that it is a lot more than just your run-of-the-mill blogging engine.

After a couple weeks of brainstorming, planning, drawing, and coding, we are finally up. We give you, Ripeworks, a small freelance team in southeast Michigan. The team is led by Mike Kruk, followed by a few online teammates to help out with our process. We offer loads of different web services, so be sure to shoot us an email, or give us a call if you are planning your next project on the web.

We have been around since 2004, but up until now have we come up with a good process, and this slick website. On that note, we are still making changes, and fixing some tweaks on our new site, so please be patient with that, and have a poke around. Let us know what you think!