PackageManager is a native extension to access and manage apps on the device. It provides access to all the installed apps, along with the ability to install, uninstall and get any app icon. The extension can also launch a specific application programmatically.

The API has a rich set of features, including methods to get all the system apps, get all the user apps, get any app icons as BitmapData,  get apps names. It also has a set of different events, useful to check what is happening during the execution of a method.

Sample

var _ex:PackageManager = new PackageManager();

_ex.addEventListener(PackageManagerEvent.ERROR_APP_ICON, onExTrigger);
_ex.addEventListener(PackageManagerEvent.ERROR_APP_INFO, onExTrigger);
_ex.addEventListener(PackageManagerEvent.ERROR_APP_INSTALLING, onExTrigger);
_ex.addEventListener(PackageManagerEvent.ERROR_APP_RUN, onExTrigger);
_ex.addEventListener(PackageManagerEvent.ERROR_APP_UNINSTALLING, onExTrigger);
_ex.addEventListener(PackageManagerEvent.STATUS, onExTrigger);
_ex.addEventListener(PackageManagerEvent.SUCCESS_APP_RUN, onExTrigger);

// returns an Array which contains all of the installed system apps package names on your device
var systemAppsArr:Array = _ex.getSystemApps(); 
// returns an Array which contains all of the installed user apps package names on your device
var userAppsArr:Array = _ex.getUserApps(); 

// put a specific installed app package name into the function to get its icon BitmapData
var icBmd:BitmapData = _ex.getAppIcon("air.air.com.doitflash.exPackageManager"); 
var ic:Bitmap = new Bitmap(icBmd);
this.addChild(ic);

// put a specific installed app package name into the function to get its name
var appName:String = _ex.getAppName("air.air.com.doitflash.exPackageManager")); 

// call to install a specific app
_ex.installApp("air.com.ilikedroid.tunneler");
// call to uninstall a specific app
_ex.uninstallApp("air.air.com.doitflash.exPackageManager"); 
// call to run a specific app
_ex.runApp("air.air.com.doitflash.exPackageManager"); 

private function onExTrigger(e:PackageManagerEvent):void {
    trace("Extension triggers the following >> ", e.param);
    trace("Event type >> ", e.type);
}