actionscript

From Web to Desktop

Alessandro Crugnola actionscript , , , , , ,

Yesterday Screenweaver HX was announced as part of the haxe framework.
With SWHX, you create an application by using two layers :

  • the System layer : written in haXe and using the Neko API, you can access the local filesystem, databases, network sockets… You can also easily extend its capabilities by writing your own DLL.
  • the Flash layer : written in haXe or any other technology capable of producing SWF, you can use this layer to display the graphical interface, handle user interactions, play sound and video…

Unfortunately I’m trying to install haxe/swhx on my Windows Vista but I’m not lucky at the moment šŸ™

The second project is directly from Adobe labs, called Apollo (flash, html, and pdf together), and currently it’s only a long description of what it can do and a list of F.A.Q., but Adobe says it will be pre-released on Adobe labs in the second half of 2006..

I’ve also found a diagram which display makeup of an Apollo application.

Apollo is the code name for a cross-operating system runtime being developed by Adobe that allows developers to leverage their existing web development skills (Flash, Flex, HTML, JavaScript, Ajax) to build and deploy Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) to the desktop.

Genere Avventura

Alessandro Crugnola actionscript , , ,

The terrific menace of the invaders from the audiogalaxy!

Some italian guys finally released the first version of their adventure game, after 3 years working on it during their free time. I still remember when IlTimido (one of the authors) has shown to me an early beta of the game. I was impressed by the quality of the graphic and the musics.
The game graphics are similar to the famous “Day of the Tentacle”, the navigation is completely mouse based (click and move, click and take…) and there are a lot of citations during the game. (the game is written in flash and you can play it for free from the web)

Go and play the game!
http://www.genereavventura.com

FlashFlickr, testing Flickr API

Alessandro Crugnola actionscript , ,

In my 30 days trial with Flex2 I decied to make all the tests I can in order to learn as much as possible.
After making my first component I thought at doing something more interesting and much similar to a web application. So I first downloaded the ActionScript 3 libraries developed by the Adobe labs, then I activated an application key with Flickr.

I had to modify something in the flickr actionscript libraries and add some new classes for my experiment (adding for example the Comments and Interestingness class, currently missing in the adobe libraries), read the documentation of the Flickr API, but at the end I managed to build a first test: a Flash web-based Flickr browser.
Here the link, obviously it requires Flash player 9 (9,0,16):

Click here to open see the SWF in a new Window.

[attachments docid=832 force_saveas=”1″ logged_users=”0″]

E4X, ActionScript 3 new “sublanguage”

Alessandro Crugnola actionscript , , , ,

Since I’ve heard the voices about the upcoming E4x in actionscript 3 I awaited this moment…
Finally ActionScript supports E4X and we can kick away the old XML object (always supported for backward compatibility)! we can stop using all the various xml2object classes created in these years, we finally have a validating parser, so we will see finally well formatted XML files from flash users šŸ™‚
But finally we have a powerful “language” with a very strong syntax.

I’ve written a small tutorial with a quick guideĀ  about actionscript3 and e4x basic syntax (without including Namespaces and QNames for the moment)

http://www.sephiroth.it/tutorials/flashPHP/E4X/index.php

P.s. I forgot to say that E4X is also available in the Geko1.8 browser (such as Firefox 1.5). For more info see this article: http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/E4X. Unfortunately E4X ins’t supported by python, neither there’s a module for it šŸ™

Flash Player 9, Flex 2, ActionScript 3.0: A Survey of the New Landscape

Alessandro Crugnola actionscript, flex , , , , ,

Colin has posted an interesting article on flash9, flex2, actionscript3.
Why ActionScript 2 coders should start learning ActionScript3 as soon as possible and why timeline coders and flash designers shouldn’t…
Colin underlined a significant aspect of this new flash release: the free flex2 command line compiler. (I asked for it since so much time!)

Read the full entry here:
http://www.moock.org/blog/archives/000189.html

Flash Professional 8 FLVPlayback 1.0.1 Component Update

Alessandro Crugnola actionscript , , , , , , ,

This update provides fixes for problems related to SMIL support in the initial release of the FLVPlayback component. It also addresses some issues related to streaming from the Flash Media Server and Flash Video Streaming Service (FVSS) partners as well as some minor issues related to using custom UI controls. Anyone working with the FLVPlayback components should apply this update. Installation instructions are included with the download in the Readme file.

Download available here

Xray updated

Alessandro Crugnola actionscript , , , ,

John Grden just posted on osflash mailing list about an update of his xray connector.
This new version (1.5.5) includes these changes:
– New Grid Line creator – add grid lines at any x/y coordinate in any timeline when working with coordinate conversions
– New Edit tool – scale, rotate and move any clip on stage at runtime with a similar edit tool you’d find in the flash IDE
There’s also a video tutorial which explains these changes
Another update is the new swf interface made with Flex2 (requires Flash player 9): http://labs.blitzagency.com/…/Xray.html
Download the mxp file here:
http://mirror1.cvsdude.com/…/xray_conn_1.5.5.mxp
Download the connector only packages here:
http://mirror1.cvsdude.com/trac/…/xray_connector_only.zip
An example on how to use the connector package inside your .as:

import com.blitzagency.xray.util.*
...
private function loadXray():Void{
XrayLoader.addEventListener(XrayLoader.LOADCOMPLETE, this, "xrayLoadComplete");
XrayLoader.addEventListener(XrayLoader.LOADERROR, this, "xrayLoadError");
XrayLoader.loadConnector("xrayConnector_1.5.5.swf");
}
private function xrayLoadComplete():Void{
start(AllTests);
}
private function xrayLoadError():Void{
trace("an error occured loading the Xray connector");
}

ActionScript 3, … (rest) parameter, finally!

Alessandro Crugnola actionscript , , , ,

Yesterday I was reading the latest actionscript 3 documentation on adobe labs and I found that they finally introduced the … (rest) function’s argument, as also described in the ECMA Script 4 specifications.
I say “finally” because it’s since I discovered python *args and **kwds function arguments that I pray for them also in actionscript.
In actionscript3 rest parameter is used for example:

[cc lang=”actionscript3″]
public function log(message:String, … rest):void
{
logging.text += message + “\n”;
for(var i:uint = 0; i < rest.length; i++)
{
logging.text += rest[i] + “\n”;
}
}
log(“hello”, “spammed”, “world”);

[/cc]

The reference says about the rest parameter: specifies that a function will accept any number of comma delimited arguments. The list of arguments becomes an array that is available throughout the function body.
Now I just will wait till they will intoduce also the **kwds python equivalent parameter and I will an happy man! šŸ™‚
Read more here