Develop Reference

Building AIR mobile project for multiple customers with gradleFX

I have a piece software that should delivered to many customers.
Each build should get a customized set of assets (icons , splash screen etc. ) and a bunch of config files, but also a different app id (eg. com.myself.myapp.customer1 ; com.myself.myapp.customer2 etc... )
Also I need builds for different OSes like Android, iOS , PlayBook.
The way I handled this up to now was:
I created a new Application.mxml for each customer, which opened the right locations and passed the files to the MainController.
This leaves it to me to pick the right assets, certificates and iOS-provisioning files to be packaged each time I need to compile, and I had to repeat this steps for each customer, which is very error-prone and , especially in case of iOS, extremely time-consuming.
So I need to get into automated building quickly...
I already downloaded and installed gradle/gradleFX, but I don't find the documentation very friendly to beginners in this subject.
Now the questions:
How do I have to convert the (Flash Builder- ) given project structure to conform the gradle conventions? Are there FB-plugins or tools I could use?
Can I use gradleFX to build for debug sessions as well? FB 4.7 has a lot of issues with that I really like to circumvent.
Can an ipa be "signed" and packaged with assets after it's principle compilation, so I don't have to wait 15 mins for each compile?
Many thanks

How do I have to convert the (Flash Builder- ) given project structure
to conform the gradle conventions? Are there FB-plugins or tools I
could use?
There is nothing to convert. Unless your project structure is extremely exotic, you should be able to configure GradleFx to work with it.
Note that by default GradleFx uses some Maven-style conventions: for instance, the default source folder will be src/main/actionscript. If you want to configure a typical FlashBuilder project you'll have to explicitly declare the source folder:
srcDirs = ['src']
As for FB plugins: there are none. But you can use an "external build tool" instead of FB's built-in configuration. IntelliJ IDEA has Gradle support, but nothing specifically for GradleFx. GradleFx itself has a flashbuilder plugin, but its purpose is to generate an FB-compatible project from a build script - I don't think that's what you're looking for.
Can I use gradleFX to build for debug sessions as well? FB 4.7 has a
lot of issues with that I really like to circumvent.
You can build a debug-enabled version of your application simply by setting the debug flag to true (as described in Adobe's mxmlc docs). GradleFx does not expose all compiler options in its API (there's just too many of them), however you can use the additionalCompilerOptions to define whatever additional compiler flags you require:
additionalCompilerOptions = ['-debug=true']
I don't know how you should tell FlashBuilder to hook up to the compiled swf for its debug session though :( Perhaps through the "external build tool" configuration.
Can an ipa be "signed" and packaged with assets after it's principle
compilation, so I don't have to wait 15 mins for each compile?
I know too little of mobile support to give you a meaningful answer here, but I can tell you that a major upgrade in this area is in the works right now and will be released soon. Perhaps you should ask this question on http://support.gradlefx.org/; #Slevinbe is very helpful and quick to answer.
I don't find the documentation very friendly to beginners in this
subject
If the docs don't work for you, perhaps the example projects might be more helpful. That said, you could help us make the docs better for beginners by telling us how we could improve them. Just start a discussion on support.gradlefx.org
Multiple outputs
One more thing: your main issue seems to be that you need to create multiple outputs from a single code base. This is one thing that GradleFx doesn't provide out-of-the-box (yet). However, there's a fairly unobtrusive workaround that I've described on my blog. If you find the basic concepts difficult to grasp, then I suggest you don't start with this part, but rather concentrate on getting a single project building first.

Android API from Go

I know that Go programs can be compiled for Android.
How can I use Android specific API, like getting GPS coordinates or opening a URL with the default browser, from within a Go program?

I'm afraid it's hardly possible at the moment. In the "Meet the Go Team" I/O sessions, the guys from the Go team stated that they have no plans to add Android support to Go.
What we have now is just a compiler for ARM architecture. Unfortunately, this is pretty much useless for real Android apps, though such programs can be launched from the command line on Android devices.
Most of the Android framework is written in Java, so to interact with it your code should be compiled to a *.so libary, that will be loaded and called via the JNI interface. And it's not possible with the current Go compiler (gc, not sure about the gccgo).
Maybe you will be able to make bindings to the Android NDK API with cgo, that would allow you to create applications in Go since API level 9 (Android 2.3)
UPD: You can now use JNI from Go and create java bindings automatically with golang.org/x/mobile package. In Go 1.4 it's still experimental, but there are plans to include it into Go 1.5 release. The package also provides bindings for GL, audio and user input (hopefully they would also add iOS support and that would be compatible for Android and iOS one day). Anyway this package is mostly oriented at writing games in Go, rather than using Go as a replacement for Java on Android.

Take a look at my answer to Android App from Go programming language. The goandroid project allows you to create Android apps in Go through the NDK.
(Disclaimer: I'm the author of goandroid)
Edit: As mentioned in the comments, Go 1.5 adds official support for Android apps in pure Go or as a mix of Java and Go. iOS is also expected to arrive in time for the final 1.5 release. See https://github.com/golang/mobile for more details.

GO 1.4 doc says, "Go 1.4 can build binaries for ARM processors running the Android operating system. It can also build a .so library that can be loaded by an Android application using the supporting packages in the mobile subrepository"
There is package app option in "golang.org/x/mobile/app" library that lets you write Apps for Android (and eventually, iOS).

Step 1: Create a platform independent GUI library using Golang that uses OpenGL to draw and an intelligent event and data-binding system to write the apps in. Any software using OpenGL is going to be more-or-less portable. Essentially, re-write Kivy in Golang.
Step 2: Create introspection/reflection based wrapper for using Java classes similar to PyJNIus (also a Kivy project).
Step 3: Lots more hard work, because there is a lot to do to get to the level of Kivy
Step 4: Profit

How to keep two versions of the same android app?

It's quite often that we see two versions of an android app: a paid version and a free version. I'm also developing an app that would like to release two versions. What is the best way to do this? Creating two projects and copying files in between does not seem to be the best way in my mind.

Use Library Project, as the official dev guide suggested:
If you have source code and resources that are common to multiple Android projects, you can move them to a library project so that it is easier to maintain across applications and versions. Here are some common scenarios in which you could make use of library projects:
If you are developing multiple related applications that use some of the same components, you move the redundant components out of their respective application projects and create a single, reuseable set of the same components in a library project.
If you are creating an application that exists in both free and paid versions. You move the part of the application that is common to both versions into a library project. The two dependent projects, with their different package names, will reference the library project and provide only the difference between the two application versions.

Update: This method is really only good for compiling with Eclipse, since Android Studio supports build flavors which can achieve exactly this.
While #yorkw's and #Nate's answers are both good, this is the method I use due to its simplicity. From the article:
com.example.myapp – Android Project Library - This is where my ENTIRE app lives. All the functionality for the FULL and LITE versions.
com.example.myapp.full - Android Application Project - This is a shell that contains graphics and resources needed for the full version only. Basically it’s a super lightweight shell.
com.example.myapp.lite - Android Application Project – This is another shell that contains nothing but graphics and resources needed for the lite version. Again, its a super lightweight shell.
I also keep a static variable IS_PRO in a library class which is set when the app launches. This should be used only for notifications, alerts, and so on (such as asking the user to upgrade to pro).
However, this method has one drawback: you must clean and rebuild any time the library or its resources are modified. Also be sure to read this post on sharing resources between a project and a library.

I would call this a FORK in development. Start a new App development, but have your common code coming from a common file location. Make your free based edits to the forked code, and try your best to keep that code completely separate.
I actually did this on an iPhone based app, I have a free version and 2 different payed versions (a single player only and a multi-player). I would do it the same way on Android.

U can use git for example.
Create branch "app_with_ads", and master will be your "paid" version.
Develop in master and merge periodically to another.
before publish u probably will have to change app package, or something else in Android\ Manifest.xml

Here's a little blog tutorial about doing this.
Basically a howto for building a Full and Lite version of the same app, using a library project to accomplish code reuse between the two versions.

Multiple Projects one Source

We have a program that we wish to deploy across multiple devices.
Standalone Captive AIR
Web based flash app
iOS app
Android app
The code other than some UI stuff is identical in a lot of parts. I'm wondering what's the best approach. Should we have a shared library project or should we have one big project with different complier settings controlled through ant or some other method.

Accessing and using Shared Library Project is the best way to be implemented for cross platform Projects. Other than this Approach you can use ant Build.

The answer would ordinarily have a lot to do with the "UI stuff" that's different, but since it sounds like you're Flash/AIR, that's probably not a big concern. If it were me, I would go w/ the "one big project" approach, and get a serious CI/NI and SCM suite that was compatible w/ my IDE. If you're using Eclipse/Aptana, I like Husdon/Surround. (Full disclosure: I used to work # Seapine.) If you're not using Eclipse, you should check out the CI/SCM options that integrate w/ your IDE (and themselves; e.g., Hudson has a Surround module and vice versa). The shared library thing works, but since Flash is Flash darn near everywhere, I don't see the need for the increased division of separate projects. A full-featured CI can manage the compiler differences for you quite effectively.

We're using this combination of approaches for a large scale mobile/web project that currently exists in the IOS AppStore, and will soon be released on Android and the web:
One main project that uses compiler directives to handle specific platform logic and elements
Compiler directives to handle specific platform logic within the main project codebase
A separate project for our video and interactivity engine, which is mostly platform independent, using switch statements for platform specific logic
One shared SWC for graphical assets. Platform specific elements are prefixed with the platform and an underscore. Compiler directives are used to specify which movieclips get displayed on screen
Ant scripts to do the compiling for the various platforms
Native Extensions to interface with hardware specific features
We use some commercial, some open source, and some homemade ANE's for things like AppStore integration, social media features, network monitoring, notifications and inter-app communications.
com.adobe.extension.NetworkInfo.ane
com.milkmangames.extensions.EasyPush.ane
com.milkmangames.extensions.GoViral.ane
com.milkmangames.extensions.StoreKit.ane
(I have no affiliation with milkmangames)
I'm currently writing an Android ANE to handle inter-app communication using Intents. It's a project I'm open sourcing at:
https://github.com/interactivenyc/ANESampleProject.
I'm currently stuck on a problem there and will be posting a question very soon with the details if anyone is interested in following that project. The project setup is fairly well described in the ReadMe file displayed on the front page of the project.

If you use git for versioning take a look at submodules. I used it to keep everything in one project, but versioning each module separately, and it resulted a fine solution.

How to implement multiple Android versions to use different libraries?

I know there are a lot of questions out there about multiple Android versions pertaining to free/paid versions but this might be a little different.
My app currently uses AdMob for advertising and it's published on the Android Market and on the Samsung App Store. Unfortunately, the Samsung store will require everyone to migrate to their own Ad Network in the future, Samsung AdHub. Both AdMob and AdHub have their own libraries, their own SDKs.
I'm looking for a solution to build 2 different versions, one including AdMob the another including AdHub (and all the necessary code). What solutions do I have to easily build 2 versions without much hassle when it's time for a new version release?
Lots of solutions recommend to move the main project into a library project and then build 2 other apps which include the library project (the base project). But I'm not very fond of that solution (I prefer to keep my app in one single project, if possible) and I'm trying to look for alternatives and then make up my mind about which one is better for my needs.

I'd think you should make this possible in your code using the Strategy design pattern. It suites well and can be switched at any trigger your like (even on runtime). If you make a facade for each jar file you will be able to change the dependencies while building, having the same source code.
Other option with this method is just making some configuration in your application that determines which library to use.

Some interesting solutions can be found here:
https://groups.google.com/d/topic/android-developers/8pRugcnzR_E/discussion

The way to go now is to use Android Studio and use different Gradle flavors for each app. Thus, if you fix core functionality, you can quickly do a build for each appstore with it's own ad network.

Library Projects is the way to go. Create a base project where you implement all the common stuff and then create two separate project that use the common one as a "Library". then just implement the rest needed to make the Apps behave differently.