I know a lot of people have seen or linked to this excellent article benchmarking SOAP (what we have built into FMX 2004) and Remoting, but I think it bears repeating (or well... relinking).
Take a look:
http://www.flashorb.com/articles/soap_vs_flash_remoting_benchmark.shtml.
A new DevNet (*cough* Developer Center *cough*) article I wrote has been released into the wild. It is on building an application using screens and components in Flash MX Professional 2004. This is part one of the article, which has two more parts coming soon after it.
You can go read it here:
DevNet tutorial.
You can find the running application at the following URL
http://www.flash2004.com/tipoday
PLEASE submit your tips into the service!!
Have you been working with Halo colors in the MX components? Then you probably know how to change your Halo themes using the following ActionScript:
myButton_btn.setStyle ("themeColor", "haloBlue");
However, did you know you could also add different colors instead of the three halos? You can try entering a hex value instead of the theme colors. You won't get the semi-transparent look, but despite the lack of transparency it still looks ok on some of the components.
myButton_btn.setStyle ("themeColor", 0xFF0000);
Here's the official word:
moock.org is proud to announce the launch of Unity 2, a complete line of
products for multiuser application development and deployment.
With Unity 2, you can put ready-made Flash chat and multiuser games on your
site. Or you can custom-build sophisticated multiuser applications easily
entirely within Macromedia Flash.
For tons of information about Unity 2, visit:
http://moock.org/unity/
(Macromedia Site of the Day for September 18, 2003!)
To try Unity 2, visit:
http://moock.org/unity/trial/
To buy a Unity 2 product or to rent hosting, visit:
http://moock.org/unity/buy/
For a showcase of Unity applications, visit:
http://moock.org/unity/showcase/
The Unity 2 product family includes:
/*
* Unity 2 Multiuser Development Kit
* http://moock.org/unity/u2mdk/
*/
A complete framework for creating and deploying multiuser applications in
Macromedia Flash. Unity 2 MDK includes both Unity 2 Multiuser Server and
UClient for Macromedia Flash. Plenty of documentation is available online at
http://www.moock.org/unity/docs/.
/*
* Unity 2 Multiuser Server
* http://moock.org/unity/u2server/
*/
A second-generation server-side Java application to manage, extend, and
deploy multiuser applications. The server includes built-in MySQL support
for client registration, login, and persistent information storage.
/*
* UClient for Macromedia Flash
* http://moock.org/unity/uclientflash/
*/
A sophisticated generic framework for the development of any kind of
multiuser Flash application--from chat and games to business apps and art.
With UClient for Macromedia Flash, you can create multiuser apps without
writing a single line of server-side Java code.
/*
* Unity 2 App Packs
* http://moock.org/unity/u2packs/
*/
Ready-to-use multiuser Flash applications such as uMiniChat, an
easy-to-customize chat ready to post to any website.
If you have any questions about Unity 2, please email unity@moock.org.
My favorite flasher, Mr. Robin Debreuil, has started a blog. Is it true? Why YES. This man is a genius, and funny as hell.
The MX Elements components (aka V2 components) are finally documented :) Sweet!! Make sure you click the Update button in your Help panel to get all the new components documentation.
For questions and help regarding the new components, be sure to check out our Flash MX 2004 forums, here.. There is a forum dedicated to working with the new components.
New (official) Help is finally available for Flash MX 2004. To download new help, open up the Help panel and click the Update button. Updates will be automatically downloaded and installed into your system.
Hopefully this will help you out with some of the new functionality.
Below is the announcement from www.flashdecompiler.com regarding the release of ASV 4.0.
Go to buraks.com/asv for more information.
==================================
ASV 4.0 which supports Flash MX (professional) 2004 is released today.
There's no demo version available. You can get more info by downloading the HTML help file for ASV 4.0. ( http://www.buraks.com/asv/3.html )
What's new
- ASV now supports Flash MX 2004 and Flash MX professional 2004 generated SWF files: SWF version 7 and optimized SWF version 6. ASV supports both AS1 and AS2. ASV can show both AS2 and AS1 version of a AS2 class script and lets you see how a class compiles to AS1.
- ASV can now export resources and a JSFL command to help rebuilding the FLA file for a SWF. SWF 2to FLA is not here yet, and this feature has lots of limitations but with it you can at least have a head start when reconstructing the FLA for a SWF.
ASV can now export vector symbol outlines as a Flash MX 2004 custom tool JSFL. A very convenient feature.
- Classes can be saved as individual .AS files and in appropriate folder structure.
- Support for linked video symbols, device sounds etc. added.
- The decompiler engine is enhanced and many bugs fixed.
How to Upgrade
If you have purchased ASV 3.x (or purchased upgrade to ASV 3.x but not received as a free upgrade), the upgrade is free. We will be sending notification emails in 24-48 hours and when you reply to the email you'll receive ASV in 24 hours.
If you have purchased ASV 2.x (but not received as a free upgrade), the upgrade costs 14 USD. ASV 1.x customers upgrade to ASV 3.x for 14 USD also and receive ASV 4 free upgrade. Please write to upgrade@buraks.com for more info on upgrading ASV.
All our customers who have purchased ASV 3.x after September 1, 2003, are considered as ASV 4 customers regarding future upgrades.
We will also be releasing a final (Gold) version of ASV 3, with many bug fixes. ASV 3 will not be updated after that.
Notes
We didn't have time to implement some great features we have in mind. We plan to have frequent updates to ASV 4. As always any bug will be fixed in 24 hours for the bug finder and the fix will be included with the next update. Thank you all.
If you haven't yet used NetConnection and NetStream right in Flash MX 2004, why don't you give it a try. Now you can dynamically load FLV files right in Flash without the FlashCom server.
var connection_nc:NetConnection;
var stream_ns:NetStream;
playVideo = function () {
connection_nc = new NetConnection();
connection_nc.connect(null);
stream_ns = new NetStream(connection_nc);
stream_ns.setBufferTime(3);
video1_video.attachVideo(stream_ns);
stream_ns.play("video.flv");
};
play_btn.onRelease = function() {
playVideo();
};
Note that if you strict type inside the function, this code will not work. So, if you don't use a function, this code works just fine.
var connection_nc:NetConnection = new NetConnection();
connection_nc.connect(null);
var stream_ns:NetStream = new NetStream(connection_nc);
stream_ns.setBufferTime(3);
video1_video.attachVideo(stream_ns);
stream_ns.play("video1.flv");
If you guys are out there looking for ActionScript livedocs, unofficial ones have been created at ActionScript.com/reference. Starting out, in "beta", some spelling errors - but has great potential.
Check it out here.
These settings provide full documentation for using Cleaner 6 (Mac) or XL (PC) to output Flash video. Vital stuff if you have Cleaner (imo, the best compression software there is) and Flash MX Pro.
Discreet -- Flash Pro settings.
Note: (from Discreet.com) "For Windows, users must update cleaner XL to 6.0.3.401 by using the free Service Pack 2 updater found on the Discreet Support web site. For Macintosh, cleaner 6 is required."
Special thanks to TunaFish at the Flash MX 2004 Forums for providing this link!!
Hello Flash developers out there:
I'm looking for Flash MX 2004 resource links - whether it is a 3rd party resource, forum, email list, components, tutorials. Just no portfolio or web dev business sites (unless developing things like 3rd party extensions or components IS your business - then that's fine of course!) This is for a book, and also for the flash2004.com site.
I know there isn't much out there, but if you have something coming up in the next few weeks I'd love to receive your link. Even if you have Flash MX resource links you want to pass my way that you will probably soon update for 2004, that's fine too.
So if you have something, leave it in the notes here or email me if you want to make sure I get it right away. I can't guarantee everything will be included but it probably will be :) If you know of someone that should be included, please let them know to email me. Please send a very short description too with the URL.
Thanks, really appreciate it!
Jen.
Link back: http://www.flash-mx.com/news/newscomments.cfm?NewsID=81
Joey Lott, Flash Remoting guru and all around cool guy, has released the ActionScript 2.0 Flash Remoting class files. They are still in beta, but I'd like to encourage all of you to try them out and report your findings back to Joey.
Find them here:
Flash Remoting 2.0 class files.
Instructions are available on that page as well as to what to do to get them going. This should help immensely if you are having trouble getting things working in Flash 2004.
The kind of neat thing about the IDE this time around is when you change your Win XP theme, the interface changes its color as well. So if you have the green XP (if that's really your bag) then Flash is greenish too.
Some designers don't prefer the blue interface, so you can change your XP theme to silver and Flash authoring environment turns grey/silver.
Your best choice is to use the FLV exporter if you have QuickTime Pro or Cleaner. Or use Flix or Squeeze to creat FLV. However, if you don't want to use other software, you can create FLV video right out of the Flash IED.
Import the video into Flash, and then
1) open the Library.
2) right click video, choose Properties
3) click the Export button (on Embedded Video Properties dialog)
4) enter a file name for the video and click Save.
And an FLV file is saved, no extra software. The results are not as good as using the Exporter for FLV files out of something like Cleaner or QT Pro. But it works, that's the main thing.
The September 2003 edition of Macromedia Edge was just sent out today. I was interviewed by Linda Jacobson for the Edge for an article on the Beta testers. Other interesting articles on the new 2004 releases.
Read it here:
Brand new, so not much in it yet. But you have to start somewhere.
There isn't docs yet, I don't think, so here's an example for you Flash Pro users.
Drag an Alert component onto the Stage. Then delete it. Then put this code on the main Timeline.
import mx.controls.Alert;
var listenerObj:Object = new Object();
listenerObj.click = function(evt) {
switch (evt.detail) {
case Alert.OK :
trace("you hit \"OK\".");
break;
case Alert.CANCEL :
trace("you hit \"CANCEL\".");
break;
}
};
Alert.show("ALERT! Do you want to delete the Internet?",
"Error",
Alert.OK | Alert.CANCEL,
this,
listenerObj);
Hope that helps.
The security sandbox for Flash has changed yet again, and this means, yet again, you have to go and make some changes to your movies. A bit more drastic this time. If you have any of the following in your SWF files (young and old)
· You're connecting to a socket server
· You're controlling another movie
· You're loading XML or variables
you have to add a cross domain policy file. Otherwise, visitors with the Flash Player 7 will see an ugly alert when they access the file. It's easy to do this and you can find more info and directions here, kindly providered up by Colin Moock: Read Moock's Tech Notes here.
Pick your software, and download here.
The Studio MX suite, Flash MX 2004, Flash MX Professional 2004, Fireworks MX 2004 and Dreamweaver MX 2004 have been released, officially, to the masses. Not just DevNet now.
Go and download, try em out, be happy.
That's right, Flash MX 2004 is available for download if you are a DevNet subscriber. So a semi-release I suppose?
If yer a subscriber, go run and download before the masses get there. And have fun exploring the new features :)
It's called talk@flashmx2004.com. We have set a email list tonight up for talking about Flash MX 2004 and Professional.
Just wondering what people are thinking out there. Are you going to go Pro, or keep it regular with Flash MX 2004. As I'm sure you know, Flash Pro offers you additional components, screens, easy Web Services, easy Data Binding, Project/source control and so forth. Will you use those at all? Is the extra $200US worth it?
Or is Flash MX 2004 all you ever need in a Flash MX? I know comments aren't so hot on the news over here (nothing I say really warrants it), but if you have an opinion, share it. I'm wondering what you guys will be using so we can do the right tutorials for the site.
... this would be it! It isn't actually Flashcom, but it is a Flash game. Check it:
Good design, nice look, funny ass game.