moockblog

a new screensaver tool enters the market

pepworks (the german company who found flash stardom in version 3 and 4 with leo's great day and gigablast) have launched a screensaver tool called screenMX. features of the new tool include (i quote):
-freeform interactive settings display
-external swf embedding
-uninstaller
-unlimited screensaver creation
-compression

i haven't tried the tool yet, but there's a free version you can try yourself. screenMX retails for US$69.99.

pepworks home:
http://www.pepworks.com/

screenMX direct link:
http://www.pepworks.com/screenmx.html

a taste of actionscript 2.0

i thought i'd whip up a quick'n'dirty code sample to show you all what as2 feels like. things to note:

-strict typing. datatypes are specified after a colon (e.g., propName:datatype = value)..unlike java, which specifies types first (e.g., datatype propname = value)
-automatic 'this' resolution. you don't have to explicitly use 'this' to refer to instance and class properties
-a REAL class statement!!!
-access control modifiers (public, private, but no protected)
-use "var" in a class to create properties
-it all compiles down to AS1 (yes, prototype) so you can run it in flash player 6 (that's why i said prototype was "almost" dead yesterday)
-class code must appear in an external .as file, not on a frame, button or clip
enjoy! lots more to come!

/** * A sample ActionScript 2.0 class. */ class Box { // Box dimensions. private var width:Number; private var height:Number; // Movie clip that will contain visual // representation of the box. private var container_mc:MovieClip; /** * Constructor. */ public function Box (w:Number, h:Number, x:Number, y:Number, target:MovieClip, depth:Number) { // Create the container clip that will hold Box visuals. container_mc = target.createEmptyMovieClip("boxcontainer" + depth, depth); // Initialize size. setWidth(w); setHeight(h); // Initialize position. setX(x); setY(y); } /** * Accessor to retrieve width. */ public function getWidth ():Number { return width; } /** * Accessor to assign width. This version both assigns * the new width property value and redraws the box * based on the new width. */ public function setWidth (w:Number):Void { width = w; draw(); } /** * Accessor to retrieve height. */ public function getHeight ():Number { return height; } /** * Accessor to assign height. This version both assigns the * new height property value and redraws the box based * on the new height. */ public function setHeight (h:Number):Void { height = h; draw(); } /** * Accessor to retrieve x. For convenience, the * x and y coordinates are stored directly on the container * movie clip. If numeric accuracy were a concern, we'd * store x as a Box property separately so that it * wouldn't be rounded by the MovieClip class. */ public function getX ():Number { return container_mc._x; } /** * Accessor to assign x. */ public function setX (x:Number):Void { container_mc._x = x; } /** * Accessor to retrieve y. */ public function getY ():Number { return container_mc._y; } /** * Accessor to assign y. */ public function setY (y:Number):Void { container_mc._y = y; } /** * Displays the Box instance on screen. Uses * the MovieClip drawing methods to draw lines * in container_mc. For more information, see * ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide. */ public function draw ():Void { // Clear the previous box rendering. container_mc.clear(); // Use a 1 point black line. container_mc.lineStyle(1, 0x000000); // Position the drawing pen. container_mc.moveTo(0, 0); // Start a white fill. container_mc.beginFill(0xFFFFFF, 100); // Draw the border of the box. container_mc.lineTo(width, 0); container_mc.lineTo(width, height); container_mc.lineTo(0, height); container_mc.lineTo(0, 0); // Formally stop filling the shape. container_mc.endFill(); } }

asdg2, actionscript 2, and asgd3

now that Flash MX 2004 has been announced, i've been asked whether i intend to update ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide. here's the official response:

i am currently working on a project that will cover ActionScript 2.0. however the details and shipping date are still confidential. i will make an announcement on this blog and on moock-updates when the project is near completion.

until then, if you're working with actionscript 1.0, asdg2 is still completely applicable to your work.

even if you're working in actionscript 2.0:
1) the language reference of asdg2 is still 99% accurate, and still provides complete coverage of the core language as it exists in Flash Player 6. of course, if you want to use a specific Flash Player 7-only class, you'll have to consult Macromedia's help for the documentation.
2) all non-object-oriented aspects of the language have not changed, so asdg2's coverage of non-object-oriented topics (such as variables, loops, conditionals, operators, movie clips, etc) is still accurate and should continue to be useful.

webmonkey article on studio mx

michael kay, author of the introductory text, "The Web Wizards Guide to Flash" has just posted a high-level review of studio mx 2004. there's a bit on flash, but the article's focus is the studio as a whole.

flash mx 2004 announced

macromedia has announced the next version of flash. entitled "Flash MX 2004", the product comes in two flavours now: a regular edition (Flash MX 2004) and a pro edition (Flash MX Professional 2004). the pro edition is geared towards advanced application developers and high-end video producers. the regular edition is pretty much what flash has always been, taken the next step forward.

complete details:
http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/

comparison of regular and pro:
http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/productinfo/features/comparison/

/**
* my impression of this release?
*/
for programmers and app developers: fucking outstanding.

for motion graphics artists: many good improvements, but not quite the bonanza of new functionality offered to programmers.

/**
* new features
*/
summary of key new features:
http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/productinfo/newfeatures/

detailed discussion of all new features:
http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/productinfo/features/

my favourite new feature: ActionScript 2.0. (the prototype is dead! ding dong the mean old prototype is dead!*)

version 2 components run a close second.

* almost...

/**
* buying flash mx 2004
*/
if you plan on buying this release and would like to support moock.org in the process, buy it through this link...

extensive chat tutorial posted

learn how to build a chat in this detailed four-part tutorial. if you're not interested in chat, but are interested in OOP flash development, you'll probably want to take a look. the tutorial starts with joining a server and ends with setting a user name and displaying a user list. more than just chat, this is a solid overview of multiuser application development in general.

the chat you'll build is shown here.

wonderful flash work

with all the talk of rias lately, this piece is a beautiful reminder of why i fell in love with flash (and evidence of just how diverse flash has become).

my immense respect goes to jakub dvorsky and tomas dvorak. and thanks to veronique brossier for passing over the link.

(hint: this is a long piece. follow the arrows on each screen to progress.)

ActionScript Cookbook Now Available

ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide has a new best friend!

O'Reilly has just published the ActionScript Cookbook, by Joey Lott. It's the perfect complement to ASDG2. Whereas ASDG2 covers the foundations of the language, the ActionScript Cookbook is at the opposite end of the spectrum, providing gobs of practical examples. ASCB responds to many reader requests for additional examples and larger sample applications than the scope of my books allowed.

Following the well-respected O'Reilly Cookbook format, ASCB is entirely composed of example recipes and larger applications, with just enough theory to allow you to understand the solutions offered. If you have a solid handle on ActionScript theory but could use tons of practical examples, or if you want to skip the theory and go right to practice, the ActionScript Cookbook is for you.

ASCB also covers topics outside of the core language covered in ASDG2. For example, there are full chapters on Flash Remoting and Flash Communication Server.

ASCB's editor is Bruce Epstein, my own editor for ASDG, so you can expect the same writing quality and accuracy from ASCB.

Many more details and a sample chapter are posted here:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/actscptckbk

If you want to buy ASCB and support moock.org at the same time, use this link:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596004907/ref=nosim/moockorg

Here's the table of contents for the book. Quite an impressive selection of techniques! Congrats Joey :)

Part I. Local Recipes

1. ActionScript Basics
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Using Mathematical Operators
1.2 Checking Equality or Comparing Values
1.3 Performing Actions Conditionally
1.4 Performing Complex Conditional Testing
1.5 Repeating an Operation Many Times
1.6 Performing an Action Once per Frame Update
1.7 Repeating a Task at Timed Intervals
1.8 Creating Reusable Code
1.9 Generalizing a Function to Enhance Reusability
1.10 Exiting a Function
1.11 Obtaining the Result of a Function
1.12 Avoiding Conflicting Variables
1.13 Reusing and Organizing Code in Multiple Movies

2. Runtime Environment
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Detecting the Player Version
2.2 Detecting the Operating System
2.3 Checking the System Language
2.4 Detecting Display Settings
2.5 Scaling the Movie
2.6 Changing the Alignment
2.7 Detecting the Device's Audio Capabilities
2.8 Prompting the User to Change Player Settings
2.9 Hiding the Flash Player's Menu Items
2.10 Enhancing Standalone Projectors
2.11 Setting the Dimensions of a Projector
2.12 Specifying Where on Screen a Projector Opens

3. Color
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Setting the Color of a Movie Clip
3.2 Specifying RGB Values
3.3 Decoding an RGB Value
3.4 Setting the RGB Relative to Its Current Value
3.5 Tinting a Movie Clip's Color
3.6 Setting a Movie Clip's Transparency
3.7 Transforming a Movie Clip's Current Color
3.8 Restoring a Movie Clip's Original Color
3.9 Controlling a Movie Clip's Color with Sliders

4. Drawing and Masking
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Drawing a Line
4.2 Drawing a Curve
4.3 Drawing a Rectangle
4.4 Drawing a Rounded Rectangle
4.5 Drawing a Circle
4.6 Drawing an Ellipse
4.7 Drawing a Triangle
4.8 Drawing Regular Polygons
4.9 Filling a Shape with a Solid or Translucent Color
4.10 Filling a Shape with a Gradient
4.11 Filling a Shape with a Complex Gradient
4.12 Scripting Masks

5. Numbers and Math
5.0 Introduction
5.1 Representing Numbers in Different Bases
5.2 Converting Between Different Number Systems
5.3 Rounding Numbers
5.4 Inserting Leading or Trailing Zeros
5.5 Formatting Numbers for Display
5.6 Formatting Currency Amounts
5.7 Generating a Random Number
5.8 Simulating a Coin Flip
5.9 Simulating Dice
5.10 Simulating Playing Cards
5.11 Generating a Unique Number
5.12 Converting Angle Measurements
5.13 Calculating the Distance Between Two Points
5.14 Determining Points Along a Circle
5.15 Converting Between Units of Measurement
5.16 Calculating Asset Appreciation (Future Value)
5.17 Calculating Retirement Savings
5.18 Calculating the Loan (Mortgage) You Can Afford
5.19 Calculating Loan Amortization or Annuities

6. Arrays
6.0 Introduction
6.1 Adding Elements to the Start or End of an Array
6.2 Looping Through an Array
6.3 Searching for Matching Elements in an Array
6.4 Removing Elements
6.5 Inserting Elements in the Middle of an Array
6.6 Converting a String to an Array
6.7 Converting an Array to a String
6.8 Creating a Separate Copy of an Array
6.9 Storing Complex or Multidimensional Data
6.10 Sorting or Reversing an Array
6.11 Implementing a Custom Sort
6.12 Creating an Associative Array
6.13 Reading Elements of an Associative Array

7. Movie Clips
7.0 Introduction
7.1 Referring to Movie Clips via ActionScript
7.2 Targeting Movie Clips with Dynamic Names
7.3 Affecting Playback
7.4 Reversing Playback
7.5 Using Movie Clips as Buttons
7.6 Defining Hit Areas for Movie Clips
7.7 Checking for Mouseover
7.8 Performing Repeated Actions On Movie Clips
7.9 Fading a Movie Clip
7.10 Discovering Nested Movie Clips
7.11 Getting Unique Depths
7.12 Getting a Movie Clip's Boundaries
7.13 Creating a Draggable Movie Clip
7.14 Creating a Custom Mouse Pointer
7.15 Checking for Overlapping Movie Clips (Performing Hit Tests)
7.16 Changing Stacking Order
7.17 Converting Between Coordinate Spaces
7.18 Duplicating Movie Clips
7.19 Adding Movie Clips from the Library with ActionScript

8. Text
8.0 Introduction
8.1 Referring to a Text Field via ActionScript
8.2 Creating a Text Field
8.3 Creating an Outline Around a Text Field
8.4 Creating a Background for a Text Field
8.5 Making a User Input Field
8.6 Making a Password Input Field
8.7 Filtering Text Input
8.8 Restricting the Maximum Field Length
8.9 Displaying Dynamic Text at Runtime
8.10 Displaying HTML-Formatted Text
8.11 Condensing Whitespace
8.12 Sizing Text Fields to Fit Contents
8.13 Scrolling Text with the ScrollBar Component
8.14 Scrolling Text Programmatically
8.15 Responding to Scroll Events
8.16 Formatting Existing Text
8.17 Formatting User-Input Text
8.18 Formatting a Portion of a Text Field
8.19 Setting a Text Field's Font
8.20 Embedding Fonts
8.21 Creating Text That Can Be Rotated
8.22 Displaying Unicode Text
8.23 Assigning Focus to a Text Field
8.24 Selecting Text with ActionScript
8.25 Setting the Insertion Point in a Text Field
8.26 Responding When Text Is Selected or Deselected
8.27 Responding to User Text Entry
8.28 Adding a Hyperlink to Text

9. Strings
9.0 Introduction
9.1 Joining Strings
9.2 Using Quotes and Apostrophes in Strings
9.3 Inserting Special Whitespace Characters
9.4 Searching for a Substring
9.5 Extracting a Substring
9.6 Matching Patterns with Regular Expressions
9.7 Looking for a Pattern Match
9.8 Parsing a String into Words
9.9 Removing and Replacing Characters
9.10 Processing One Character at a Time
9.11 Converting Case
9.12 Trimming Whitespace
9.13 Reversing a String by Word or by Letter
9.14 Converting Between Strings and Unicode or ASCII

10. Dates and Times
10.0 Introduction
10.1 Finding the Current Date and Time
10.2 Retrieving the Day or Month Name
10.3 Formatting the Date and Time
10.4 Formatting Milliseconds as Minutes and Seconds
10.5 Converting Between DMYHMSM and Epoch Milliseconds
10.6 Calculating Elapsed Time or Intervals Between Dates
10.7 Parsing a Date from a String
10.8 Creating Timers and Clocks

11. Forms
11.0 Introduction
11.1 Adding UI Components at Runtime
11.2 Positioning Form Elements
11.3 Adding Menus to a Form
11.4 Making Dependent Menus
11.5 Resizing Menus to Fit Their Contents
11.6 Detecting the Selected Menu Items
11.7 Adding Radio Buttons to a Group
11.8 Aligning Radio Buttons Automatically
11.9 Getting the Selected Radio Button Value
11.10 Adding Checkboxes to a Form
11.11 Getting Checkbox Values
11.12 Assembling an Advanced Form
11.13 Submitting a Form
11.14 Validating Form Input
11.15 Alerting Users to Validation Errors
11.16 Making a Multipage Form
11.17 Submitting a Multipage Form
11.18 Validating a Multipage Form
11.19 Transmitting Data Securely
11.20 Prepopulating a Form
11.21 Customizing the Tab Order
11.22 Using Tables to Arrange Form Elements
11.23 Creating Auto-Complete Text Fields
11.24 Customizing a Component's Appearance
11.25 Customizing All Components' Appearances

12. Objects and Custom Components
12.0 Introduction
12.1 Using Methods and Properties of Built-in Objects
12.2 Creating an Instance of a Class
12.3 Adding Properties to an Object Instance
12.4 Adding Custom Methods to an Object Instance
12.5 Creating a Custom Class
12.6 Creating Smart Getter/Setter Properties
12.7 Defining Read-Only Properties
12.8 Creating Subclasses
12.9 Implementing Subclass Versions of Superclass Methods
12.10 Listening for Events
12.11 Adding Listeners to Custom Classes
12.12 Creating a Component That Subclasses MovieClip
12.13 Program: Color Selector Component

13. Programming Sound
13.0 Introduction
13.1 Creating an Object to Control Sound
13.2 Attaching Sounds at Runtime
13.3 Playing and Stopping a Sound
13.4 Getting Playback Time
13.5 Looping a Sound
13.6 Setting In and Out Points
13.7 Pausing and Resuming a Sound
13.8 Performing Actions When a Sound Ends
13.9 Queuing Sounds
13.10 Adding Sounds to Buttons and UI Components
13.11 Setting the Volume of a Sound
13.12 Controlling the Panning of a Sound
13.13 Creating Advanced Stereo Panning Effects
13.14 Fading In a Sound
13.15 Fading Out a Sound
13.16 Program: A Sound Controller Component

Part II. Remote Recipes
14. FlashCom Server
14.0 Introduction
14.1 Creating a New FlashCom Application
14.2 Connecting to the FlashCom Server
14.3 Adding a Video Object at Runtime
14.4 Capturing and Displaying Video from a Web Cam
14.5 Capturing and Playing Audio from a Microphone
14.6 Controlling FlashCom Audio
14.7 Subscribing to Audio/Video Content
14.8 Creating Playlists
14.9 Recording and Publishing Video and Audio
14.10 Publishing Live Content
14.11 Pausing and Resuming a Net Stream
14.12 Fast-Forwarding and Rewinding a Net Stream
14.13 Seeking Relative to the Total Stream Length
14.14 Implementing Server-Side ActionScript
14.15 Tracking Clients Connected to the Application
14.16 Invoking Server-Side Functions from the Client Movie
14.17 Invoking Client-Side Functions from the Server

15. Loading Assets
15.0 Introduction
15.1 Loading an External SWF
15.2 Loading an External SWF from a Trusting Domain
15.3 Loading an External JPEG Image
15.4 Loading an External Image (All Formats)
15.5 Loading an External MP3 Sound
15.6 Loading Remote Content by Proxy
15.7 Determining if an Asset Is Loaded
15.8 Getting the Percentage of an Asset That Has Loaded
15.9 Monitoring Load Progress Using a Progress Bar Component
15.10 Monitoring Load Progress Without a Progress Bar Component
15.11 Performing Actions When the Asset Is Loaded
15.12 Hiding the Graphics and Text for a Progress Bar

16. Storing Persistent Information
16.0 Introduction
16.1 Storing and Retrieving Locally Persistent Information
16.2 Adding Data to a Client-Side Shared Object
16.3 Reading Values from a Client-Side Shared Object
16.4 Saving a Local Shared Object
16.5 Sharing Information Between Movies Within the Same Domain
16.6 Storing Persistent Data on the Server
16.7 Saving Remote Shared Object Data
16.8 Checking for Updates to Remote Shared Objects
16.9 Reading Values from a Server-Side Shared Object
16.10 Adding Data to a Server-Side Shared Object

17. Communicating with Other Movies
17.0 Introduction
17.1 Communicating with Other Movies on the Same Computer
17.2 Sending Data Using Local Connections
17.3 Validating Receipt of Communication Over a Local Connection
17.4 Accepting Communications from Other Domains
17.5 Communicating Between Movies on Different Computers
17.6 Broadcasting Data to Remote Shared Object Clients

18. Sending and Loading Variables
18.0 Introduction
18.1 Loading Variables from a Text File
18.2 Loading Variables from a Server-Side Script
18.3 Checking Load Progress
18.4 Sending Data to a Server-Side Script
18.5 Sending Variables and Handling a Returned Result

19. XML
19.0 Introduction
19.1 Understanding XML Structure (Reading and Writing XML)
19.2 Creating an XML Object
19.3 Adding Elements to an XML Object
19.4 Adding Text Nodes to an XML Object
19.5 Creating an XML Object from an Array
19.6 Adding Attributes to an XML Element
19.7 Reading Elements in an XML Tree
19.8 Finding Elements by Name
19.9 Reading Text Nodes and Their Values
19.10 Reading an Element's Attributes
19.11 Loading XML
19.12 Removing Extra Whitespace from XML Objects
19.13 Sending XML
19.14 Sending XML Data and Receiving a Response
19.15 Searching XML
19.16 Using XML Data to Initialize a Movie

20. Flash Remoting
20.0 Introduction
20.1 Establishing a Connection via Flash Remoting
20.2 Configuring Flash Remoting for ColdFusion
20.3 Configuring Flash Remoting for .NET
20.4 Configuring Flash Remoting for J2EE
20.5 Configuring Flash Remoting for PHP or Perl
20.6 Invoking a Remote Function on a Service
20.7 Handling Flash Remoting Results
20.8 Distinguishing Among Results from Multiple Calls to a Single Service
20.9 Calling ASP.NET Functions from Flash
20.10 Calling ColdFusion Functions from Flash
20.11 Passing Named Parameters to ColdFusion Component Methods
20.12 Passing Complex Parameters to ColdFusion Component Methods
20.13 Calling Java or JSP Functions from Flash
20.14 Transmitting Custom Datatypes to a Flash Remoting Back End
20.15 Receiving Typed Objects with ColdFusion
20.16 Receiving Typed Objects with ASP.NET
20.17 Receiving Typed Objects with Java
20.18 Returning Typed Objects from ColdFusion
20.19 Returning Typed Objects from ASP.NET
20.20 Returning Typed Objects from Java
20.21 Writing Server-Side Functions in ActionScript
20.22 Querying a Database with Server-Side ActionScript
20.23 Making HTTP Requests with Server-Side ActionScript
20.24 Consuming Web Services with Flash Remoting for .NET or ColdFusion

21. Recordsets
21.0 Introduction
21.1 Creating Recordsets
21.2 Reading Recordsets
21.3 Filtering Recordsets
21.4 Sorting Recordsets by a Single Column
21.5 Populating Menu Components
21.6 Using Recordsets with DataGrids

Part III. Applications
22. Building a Flash Paint Application
Planning the Application
Building the Components
Assembling the Flash Paint Application
Using Flash Paint

23. Creating a Simple Animation in Stages
Stage One
Stage Two
Stage Three
Stage Four
Stage Five
Conclusion

24. Video Chat/Message Center
Developing the Application Overview
Creating the Server-Side Application
Creating the Calling Client
Creating the Administrator Client
Putting It All Together

25. Image Viewer/Slideshow
Planning the Application Design
Beginning the Application
Creating the Components
Putting Together the Application
Wrapping It Up

26. Creating an MP3 Jukebox
Creating an Application Overview
Developing the MP3 Selectors
Developing the Jukebox Application
Wrapping It Up

27. A Personalized My Page Application
Formulating the Application Overview
Creating the Framework
Creating Service Modules
Putting It All Together
Extending the Framework
Wrapping It Up

28. A Scheduler Program
Designing the Application Structure
Making the Components
Putting the Application Together
Making the Scheduler Application Available Online
Using LoadVars and XML
Wrapping It Up

Appendix: Unicode Escape Sequences for Latin 1 Characters