Testing Latex

Resources for beginners

I have received some resource tips:

• Ultrashock
• Kirupa
• Flascoders mailing list
• FlashKit
• Macromedia Flash Action Script Google group
• MacromediaFlash Google group
• Open Source Flash
• FlashDevelop.org is a community for FlashDevelop users and developers.
• To write action script code it is better to use Flash Develop than the flash program from Macromedia. It is faster and does not allow sloppy coding!

Thanks Paulo Fierro for the tips!

Learning by stealing

A compiled flash file has extension swf. When you see a nice flash you want to save you can not just right-click it and save it as you can do with images.

Here are a few ways to copy a swf file to your hard disk.

1. In Firefox, File – Save Page As – Web Page, complete. This gives you a folder you can open. It contains all the swf files on the page you saved.
2. In Firefox, use the tool Web Developer. Information – Web Page Information – Media. Scroll to a swf file and click Save As.
3. Download Sothink SWF Catcher for Firefox. Click Alt+C and all the swf files on the page are listed on the left.

A flash source file has extension fla. How do you decompile a swf file to a fla file so you can have a look at to see how it was made?

Sothink SWF Decompiler is the only tool I have found so far. The free download does not include any action script in the swf file, and it lasts only 30 days. The full version comes with a full price at $79.99. (I don’t know about you, but I intend to buy a chocolate with the one cent it is off $80.)

Now I have found a few more! Here is a list.

DeFlash costs only $12, but has dubious information about its availability:

If you know which is the best and the cheapest, please post a comment.

My very first

Here is the very first Flash I ever did. No Action Script, of course.

My flash.

Why

Yesterday I forgot to say why I would like to learn Action Script.

Besides that it could be fun, flash files are everywhere on the Internet. For commercial reasons and for educational ones. The small file size is very attractive and puts video in the dust.

Here is a collection of flash ads in Aftenposten today. Aftenposten is a major Norwegian newspaper:

1. 110×195_sept.swf
2. 160×150_sept.swf
3. 205×30banner.swf
4. 468×400_skjorte.swf
5. 468×60_aftenposten_feb_2007.swf
6. no_180_500_sommer.swf
7. sesam_tv_180×500.swf
8. soylesprett150×60b2.swf
9. toppteaser-vaer_523296a.swf
10. 82269.swf

My favourite of these is #4. It is may be the simplest, but to me the most telling.

I learn a lot by stealing. Now if I could only get the .fla source files for these .swf compiled files! May be tomorrow.

01

Today I decided to learn Action Script using Macromedia Flash MX 2004.

I will learn it one file at a time, i.e. one task or project at a time. I know Help has lots of tutorials and stuff, but I will leave that alone for a while.

Since WordPress doesnt allow embedded Flash files, you have to click a link to see the flash in action somewhere else.

I will start with something simple. Move the mouse around. How do you have to move the mouse for the image to move horisontally? Vertically?

I found the code here and changed it slightly.

My flash

I will put the urls to pages with action script examples etc, here. Please click the link and add your own favourites.

The code is not lengthy:

onClipEvent (enterFrame) {
_x = _root._xmouse;
_y = _root._ymouse;
}

But, of course, I had to change it to:

onClipEvent (enterFrame) {
_x = _root._ymouse;
_y = _root._xmouse;
}