Open Source Flash 101

'G' Gaurav Narain SaxenaAkron Linux User Group

January 7, 2010

Outline● Flash● ActionScript● Open Source Adobe● Open Source Flash● Salasaga● mtasc● swfmill● Swftools● References

Flash

● "Like television for internet users"● Written in C++● Allows you to:

– Annotate web page with:● Animation, adverts, other flash components● Navigation – RIA● Streams of video

● Proprietary

Flash

● Concepts– Timeline– Stage– Objects– Controls– etc.

Flash

ActionScript

● Javascript for HTML= ActionScript for Flash● Scripting language based on ECMAScript● Extension: .as● Main points:

– Cross platform– Manifested in flash and flex – platforms– Designed by Gary Grossman (1998)– Versions: AS3, AS2

ActionScript

Example (AS2): HelloWorld.as

class HelloWorld extends MovieClip

{

public function HelloWorld() {}

public function onLoad:Void{

var txtHello:TextField = this.createTextField(

“txtHello”,0,0,0,100,100); txtHello.text = “Hello, World!”;

}// displays 100x100 box with “Hello, World!” in it.

Open Source Adobe● Flex SDK

– Cross platform framework; provides compilers, libraries, debugger

● Adobe-Mozilla Tamarin – Open engine for ActionScript 3

● BladeDS– Server based Java remoting and web

messaging technology● Webkit

– Open source browser engine, OSX framework used on apple computers

Open Source Adobe● Text Layout Framework: Typography

Open Source Flash

● "Like sourceforge.net for open source flash enthusiasts"

● Collaboration – list: http://osflash.org/mailman/listinfo/– irc: irc://irc.freenode.org##swf

● Hosts and links to projects related to open source flash development

Open Source Flash

● History– May, 2005: Aral Balkan, Sonke Rohde,

Nicolas Cannasse (MTASC) “Eureka!”– June, 2005: Number of projects: 10– January, 2008: Number of projects: 120– Today: has many more project, a handful of

broken links – cool nonetheless

Open Source Flash● Source code used to be shared

– Binary .fla files

– ActionScript Classes● 2004: MTASC2 [MotionTwin ActionScript Compiler]released,

– kicked off Flash IDE Dev Projects● Swfmill, Axdt, AMES, FlashDevelop etc.

● Frameworks started appearing:

– Arp, Cairngorm, PureMVC● Developers:

– Started embracing these frameworks

– Worked in teams

– Build scalable solutions

– All this independent of Flash IDE or Flex

Open Source Flash

● OSFlash.org incubates all these projects collected under one roof

● Doesn't stop !● Exciting technologies for Flash Platform are created:

– Papervision 3D: 3D Library for Flash– Red5: Open Source server to handle audio, video,

and real-time shared objects– SWX: Native data format for Flash platform– Flex3, Flex SDK, Compilers

Open Source Flash

● Integrated Development Environment Alternatives

● Command line tools, compilers

● Eclipse Plugins● ActionScript libraries● Frameworks● Tweening, Animation and

Physics● Unit testing

● Utilities● Flash Applications● Servers and Remoting● Logging Tools● Debugging tools● Documentation Systems● Flash Players● SWF Readers

● Open Source IDE for creating flash based eLearning (alpha software)

● GPL, developed on Linux● What can you do:

– Create instructional videos– Get a feel for timeline and other Concepts

● Demo in Firefox (.swf) or here

mtasc

● First ActionScript 2 Open Source Compiler● What you can do:

– Compile large .as classes in very short time– Generate .swf without flash – the tool itself!

● Superseded by haXe

mtasc

● Example:class Hello

{

static var app : Hello;

function Hello() {

_root.createTextField("tf",0,0,0,800,600); // creates a 'tf' TextField size 800x600 at pos 0,0

_root.tf.text = "Hello world !"; // write some text into it

}

static function main(mc) { // entry point

app = new Hello();

}

}

mtasc

● $ mtasc -swf hello.swf -main -header 800:600:20 hello.as

swfmill

● Xml2swf swf2xml processor (can import)● Generates asset libs for MTASC or haXe● Built around xslt● What you can do:

– Import images, fonts– Add components– Create movieclips– Place clips on the stage– Create text fields

swfmill

● Example.xml:<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1" ?>

<movie width="320" height="240" framerate="12">

<background color="#ffffff"/>

<frame>

<library>

<clip id="foo" import="library/foo.jpg"/>

</library>

</frame>

</movie>

swfmill● $ swfmill simple example.xml example.swf

swftools

● Collection of utilities to work with .swf's● Mostly on command line● Loves to have:

– Freetype libraries from freetype.org– Jpeg libraries from ijg.org

swftools

● What you can do:– Pdf2swf– Swfcombine– Swfstrings– Swfdump– Jpeg2swf– Png2swf– gif2swf

● What you can do:– Wav2swf– Avi2swf– Font2swf– Swfbbox– Swfc– Swfextract– as3compile

swftools

Pdf2swfexample

Take Home

● Flash has 99.99% market share – (nah, just kidding)

● Tools exist that facilitate usage of the flash platform which you can adopt for your application domain:

– Sciences– Programming– Sysadmin? (atleast the command line ones)

Questions?

References● osflash.org● Adobe flash● Open Source Adobe● salasaga.org● swfmill.org● mtasc.org● swftools.org● ActionScript Wiki● ActionScript 2 Language Reference