The Capabilities class provides properties that describe the system and runtime that are hosting the application. For example, a mobile phone's screen might be 100 square pixels, black and white, whereas a PC screen might be 1000 square pixels, color. By using the Capabilities class to determine what capabilities the client has, you can provide appropriate content to as many users as possible. When you know the device's capabilities, you can tell the server to send the appropriate SWF files or tell the SWF file to alter its presentation. However, some capabilities of Adobe AIR are not listed as properties in the Capabilities class. They are properties of other classes:

PropertyDescription
NativeApplication.supportsDockIconWhether the operating system supports application doc icons.
NativeApplication.supportsMenuWhether the operating system supports a global application menu bar.
NativeApplication.supportsSystemTrayIconWhether the operating system supports system tray icons.
NativeWindow.supportsMenuWhether the operating system supports window menus.
NativeWindow.supportsTransparencyWhether the operating system supports transparent windows.

Do not use Capabilities.os or Capabilities.manufacturer to determine a capability based on the operating system. Basing a capability on the operating system is a bad idea, since it can lead to problems if an application does not consider all potential target operating systems. Instead, use the property corresponding to the capability for which you are testing.

You can send capabilities information, which is stored in the Capabilities.serverString property as a URL-encoded string, using the GET or POST HTTP method. The following example shows a server string for a computer that has MP3 support and 1600 x 1200 pixel resolution and that is running Windows XP with an input method editor (IME) installed: <pre xml:space="preserve">A=t&SA=t&SV=t&EV=t&MP3=t&AE=t&VE=t&ACC=f&PR=t&SP=t& SB=f&DEB=t&V=WIN%209%2C0%2C0%2C0&M=Adobe%20Windows& R=1600x1200&DP=72&COL=color&AR=1.0&OS=Windows%20XP& L=en&PT=External&AVD=f&LFD=f&WD=f&IME=t The following table lists the properties of the Capabilities class and corresponding server strings: <tgroup Capabilities class propertyServer string |

|`avHardwareDisable` | `AVD` |
|`hasAccessibility` | `ACC` |
|`hasAudio` | `A` |
|`hasAudioEncoder` | `AE` |
|`hasEmbeddedVideo` | `EV` |
|`hasIME` | `IME` |
|`hasMP3` | `MP3` |
|`hasPrinting` | `PR` |
|`hasScreenBroadcast` | `SB` |
|`hasScreenPlayback` | `SP` |
|`hasStreamingAudio` | `SA` |
|`hasStreamingVideo` | `SV` |
|`hasTLS` | `TLS` |
|`hasVideoEncoder` | `VE` |
|`isDebugger` | `DEB` |
|`language` | `L` |
|`localFileReadDisable` | `LFD` |
|`manufacturer` | `M` |
|`maxLevelIDC` | `ML` |
|`os` | `OS` |
|`pixelAspectRatio` | `AR` |
|`playerType` | `PT` |
|`screenColor` | `COL` |
|`screenDPI` | `DP` |
|`screenResolutionX` | `R` |
|`screenResolutionY` | `R` |
|`version` | `V` |

There is also a WD server string that specifies whether windowless mode is disabled. Windowless mode can be disabled in Flash Player due to incompatibility with the web browser or to a user setting in the mms.cfg file. There is no corresponding Capabilities property.

All properties of the Capabilities class are read-only.

Static variables

@:value(true)staticread onlyavHardwareDisable:Bool = true

Specifies whether access to the user's camera and microphone has been administratively prohibited(true) or allowed (false). The server string is AVD.

For content in Adobe AIR™, this property applies only to content in security sandboxes other than the application security sandbox. Content in the application security sandbox can always access the user's camera and microphone.

staticread onlycpuArchitecture:String

Specifies the current CPU architecture. The cpuArchitecture property can return the following strings: "PowerPC", "x86", "SPARC", and "ARM". The server string is ARCH.

@:value(false)staticread onlyhasAccessibility:Bool = false

Specifies whether the system supports(true) or does not support(false) communication with accessibility aids. The server string is ACC.

@:value(true)staticread onlyhasAudio:Bool = true

Specifies whether the system has audio capabilities. This property is always true. The server string is A.

@:value(false)staticread onlyhasAudioEncoder:Bool = false

Specifies whether the system can(true) or cannot (false) encode an audio stream, such as that coming from a microphone. The server string is AE.

@:value(false)staticread onlyhasEmbeddedVideo:Bool = false

Specifies whether the system supports(true) or does not support(false) embedded video. The server string is EV.

@:value(false)staticread onlyhasIME:Bool = false

Specifies whether the system does(true) or does not (false) have an input method editor(IME) installed. The server string is IME.

@:value(false)staticread onlyhasMP3:Bool = false

Specifies whether the system does(true) or does not (false) have an MP3 decoder. The server string is MP3.

@:value(false)staticread onlyhasPrinting:Bool = false

Specifies whether the system does(true) or does not (false) support printing. The server string is PR.

@:value(false)staticread onlyhasScreenBroadcast:Bool = false

Specifies whether the system does(true) or does not (false) support the development of screen broadcast applications to be run through Flash Media Server. The server string is SB.

@:value(false)staticread onlyhasScreenPlayback:Bool = false

Specifies whether the system does(true) or does not (false) support the playback of screen broadcast applications that are being run through Flash Media Server. The server string is SP.

@:value(false)staticread onlyhasStreamingAudio:Bool = false

Specifies whether the system can(true) or cannot (false) play streaming audio. The server string is SA.

@:value(false)staticread onlyhasStreamingVideo:Bool = false

Specifies whether the system can(true) or cannot (false) play streaming video. The server string is SV.

@:value(true)staticread onlyhasTLS:Bool = true

Specifies whether the system supports native SSL sockets through NetConnection(true) or does not(false). The server string is TLS.

@:value(false)staticread onlyhasVideoEncoder:Bool = false

Specifies whether the system can(true) or cannot (false) encode a video stream, such as that coming from a web camera. The server string is VE.

@:value(false)staticread onlyisDebugger:Bool = false

Specifies whether the system is a special debugging version (true) or an officially released version (false). The server string is DEB. This property is set to true when running in the debug version of Flash Player or the AIR Debug Launcher(ADL).

@:value(false)staticread onlyisEmbeddedInAcrobat:Bool = false

Specifies whether the Flash runtime is embedded in a PDF file that is open in Acrobat 9.0 or higher(true) or not(false).

staticread onlylanguage:String

Specifies the language code of the system on which the content is running. The language is specified as a lowercase two-letter language code from ISO 639-1. For Chinese, an additional uppercase two-letter country code from ISO 3166 distinguishes between Simplified and Traditional Chinese. The languages codes are based on the English names of the language: for example, hu specifies Hungarian. On English systems, this property returns only the language code (en), not the country code. On Microsoft Windows systems, this property returns the user interface (UI) language, which refers to the language used for all menus, dialog boxes, error messages, and help files. The following table lists the possible values:

LanguageValue
Czechcs
Danishda
Dutchnl
Englishen
Finnishfi
Frenchfr
Germande
Hungarianhu
Italianit
Japaneseja
Koreanko
Norwegianno
Other/unknownxu
Polishpl
Portuguesept
Russianru
Simplified Chinesezh-CN
Spanishes
Swedishsv
Traditional Chinesezh-TW
Turkishtr

Note: The value of Capabilities.language property is limited to the possible values on this list. Because of this limitation, OpenFL applications should use the first element in the Capabilities.languages array to determine the primary user interface language for the system.

The server string is L.

@:value(false)staticread onlylocalFileReadDisable:Bool = false

Specifies whether read access to the user's hard disk has been administratively prohibited(true) or allowed (false). For content in Adobe AIR, this property applies only to content in security sandboxes other than the application security sandbox.(Content in the application security sandbox can always read from the file system.) If this property is true, Flash Player cannot read files(including the first file that Flash Player launches with) from the user's hard disk. If this property is true, AIR content outside of the application security sandbox cannot read files from the user's hard disk. For example, attempts to read a file on the user's hard disk using load methods will fail if this property is set to true.

Reading runtime shared libraries is also blocked if this property is set to true, but reading local shared objects is allowed without regard to the value of this property.

The server string is LFD.

staticread onlymanufacturer:String

Specifies the manufacturer of the running version of OpenFL, in the format "ManufacturerName OSName". The value for _ManufacturerName_ is typically "OpenFL". When targeting Adobe Flash Player or AIR, the value for _ManufacturerName_ is "Adobe". The value for _OSName_ could be "Windows", "Macintosh", "Linux", or another operating system name. The server string is M.

Do not use Capabilities.manufacturer to determine a capability based on the operating system if a more specific capability property exists. Basing a capability on the operating system is a bad idea, since it can lead to problems if an application does not consider all potential target operating systems. Instead, use the property corresponding to the capability for which you are testing. For more information, see the Capabilities class description.

@:value(0)staticread onlymaxLevelIDC:Int = 0

Retrieves the highest H.264 Level IDC that the client hardware supports. Media run at this level are guaranteed to run; however, media run at the highest level might not run with the highest quality. This property is useful for servers trying to target a client's capabilities. Using this property, a server can determine the level of video to send to the client.

The server string is ML.

staticread onlyos:String

Specifies the current operating system. The os property can return the following strings:

Operating systemValue
Windows 7"Windows 7"
Windows Vista"Windows Vista"
Windows Server 2008 R2"Windows Server 2008 R2"
Windows Server 2008"Windows Server 2008"
Windows Home Server"Windows Home Server"
Windows Server 2003 R2"Windows Server 2003 R2"
Windows Server 2003"Windows Server 2003"
Windows XP 64"Windows Server XP 64"
Windows XP"Windows XP"
Windows 98"Windows 98"
Windows 95"Windows 95"
Windows NT"Windows NT"
Windows 2000"Windows 2000"
Windows ME"Windows ME"
Windows CE"Windows CE"
Windows SmartPhone"Windows SmartPhone"
Windows PocketPC"Windows PocketPC"
Windows CEPC"Windows CEPC"
Windows Mobile"Windows Mobile"
Mac OS"Mac OS X.Y.Z" (where X.Y.Z is the version number, for example: "Mac OS 10.5.2")
Linux"Linux" (Flash Player attaches the Linux version, such as "Linux 2.6.15-1.2054_FC5smp"
iPhone OS 4.1"iPhone3,1"

The server string is OS.

Do not use Capabilities.os to determine a capability based on the operating system if a more specific capability property exists. Basing a capability on the operating system is a bad idea, since it can lead to problems if an application does not consider all potential target operating systems. Instead, use the property corresponding to the capability for which you are testing. For more information, see the Capabilities class description.

staticread onlypixelAspectRatio:Float

Specifies the pixel aspect ratio of the screen. The server string is AR.

@:value("StandAlone")staticread onlyplayerType:String = "StandAlone"

Specifies the type of runtime environment. This property can have one of the following values:

  • "ActiveX" for the Flash Player ActiveX control used by Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • "Desktop" for the Adobe AIR runtime (except for SWF content loaded by an HTML page, which has Capabilities.playerType set to "PlugIn")
  • "External" for the external Flash Player<ph outputclass="flashonly"> or in test mode
  • "PlugIn" for the Flash Player browser plug-in (and for SWF content loaded by an HTML page in an AIR application)
  • "StandAlone" for the stand-alone Flash Player

The server string is PT.

@:value("color")staticread onlyscreenColor:String = "color"

Specifies the screen color. This property can have the value "color", "gray"(for grayscale), or "bw"(for black and white). The server string is COL.

staticread onlyscreenDPI:Float

Specifies the dots-per-inch(dpi) resolution of the screen, in pixels. The server string is DP.

staticread onlyscreenResolutionX:Float

Specifies the maximum horizontal resolution of the screen. The server string is R (which returns both the width and height of the screen). This property does not update with a user's screen resolution and instead only indicates the resolution at the time the OpenFL application started. Also, the value only specifies the primary screen.

staticread onlyscreenResolutionY:Float

Specifies the maximum vertical resolution of the screen. The server string is R (which returns both the width and height of the screen). This property does not update with a user's screen resolution and instead only indicates the resolution at the time the OpenFL application started. Also, the value only specifies the primary screen.

@:value("")staticread onlyserverString:String = ""

A URL-encoded string that specifies values for each Capabilities property.

The following example shows a URL-encoded string: A=t&SA=t&SV=t&EV=t&MP3=t&AE=t&VE=t&ACC=f&PR=t&SP=t& SB=f&DEB=t&V=WIN%208%2C5%2C0%2C208&M=Adobe%20Windows& R=1600x1200&DP=72&COL=color&AR=1.0&OS=Windows%20XP& L=en&PT=External&AVD=f&LFD=f&WD=f

@:value(true)staticread onlysupports32BitProcesses:Bool = true

Specifies whether the system supports running 32-bit processes. The server string is PR32.

@:value(false)staticread onlysupports64BitProcesses:Bool = false

Specifies whether the system supports running 64-bit processes. The server string is PR64.

@:value(TouchscreenType.FINGER)staticread onlytouchscreenType:TouchscreenType = TouchscreenType.FINGER

Specifies the type of touchscreen supported, if any. Values are defined in the openfl.system.TouchscreenType class.

staticread onlyversion:String

Specifies the Flash Player or Adobe® AIR® platform and version information. The format of the version number is: platform majorVersion,minorVersion,buildNumber,internalBuildNumber. Possible values for platform are "WIN", "MAC", "LNX", and "AND". Here are some examples of version information: WIN 9,0,0,0 // Flash Player 9 for Windows MAC 7,0,25,0 // Flash Player 7 for Macintosh LNX 9,0,115,0 // Flash Player 9 for Linux AND 10,2,150,0 // Flash Player 10 for Android`

Do not use Capabilities.version to determine a capability based on the operating system if a more specific capability property exists. Basing a capability on the operating system is a bad idea, since it can lead to problems if an application does not consider all potential target operating systems. Instead, use the property corresponding to the capability for which you are testing. For more information, see the Capabilities class description.

The server string is V.

Static methods

statichasMultiChannelAudio(type:String):Bool

Specifies whether the system supports multichannel audio of a specific type. The class flash.media.AudioDecoder enumerates the possible types.

OpenFL target support: Not supported, except when targeting AIR.

Adobe AIR profile support: Multichannel audio is supported only on AIR for TV devices. On all other devices, this method always returns false. See AIR Profile Support for more information regarding API support across multiple profiles.

Note: When using one of the DTS audio codecs, scenarios exist in which hasMultiChannelAudio() returns true but the DTS audio is not played. For example, consider a Blu-ray player with an S/PDIF output, connected to an old amplifier. The old amplifier does not support DTS, but S/PDIF has no protocol to notify the Blu-ray player. If the Blu-ray player sends the DTS stream to the old amplifier, the user hears nothing. Therefore, as a best practice when using DTS, provide a user interface so that the user can indicate if no sound is playing. Then, your application can revert to a different codec.

The following table shows the server string for each multichannel audio type:

Multichannel audio typeServer string
AudioDecoder.DOLBY_DIGITALDD
AudioDecoder.DOLBY_DIGITAL_PLUSDDP
AudioDecoder.DTSDTS
AudioDecoder.DTS_EXPRESSDTE
AudioDecoder.DTS_HD_HIGH_RESOLUTION_AUDIODTH
AudioDecoder.DTS_HD_MASTER_AUDIODTM

Parameters:

type

A String value representing a multichannel audio type. The valid values are the constants defined in flash.media.AudioDecoder.

Returns:

The Boolean value true if the system supports the multichannel audio type passed in the type parameter. Otherwise, the return value is false.