CODE: XT

Riddle~

Assigning ActionScript classes to MovieClip library assets has changed the way we develop user interfaces. Components add behavior directly to a display element, combining function with the design. The ability to extend the MovieClip class simplifies relationships and allows for powerful display objects that can be reused. But it can only be achieved through the linkage of a MovieClip in the library. TextFields and Buttons (Flash native Buttons, not to be confused with other component Buttons) are exempt, as well as a very important MovieClip: the root.

Answer: Read the rest of this entry »

Slice-9 has been a beautiful solution to resizing skins but sometimes you’re restricted to using a pre-8 FlashPlayer. Shortly before the beta of 8 I wrote a couple scripts in JSFL to solve the tedious task of manually slicing my designs into 9 pieces. They will take any MovieClip (including their child MovieClips) and slice it up into 9 unique library assets named and preped for resizing. This process has been long and monotonous for many designers and can now be as easy as the Slice9 introduced in FlashPlayer 8.
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If you haven’t guessed, I’m Tyler Wright. I started out in life hoping to be an artist and even went to school with a declared major of Illustration. Somehow I’ve become a full-time web developer programming the applications that get designed by someone else (currently the mediaRAIN designers). My niche: Flash ActionScript

I am scheduled to speak at the FlashForward Conference for the first time this September. I am co-presenting with the amazing developer and good friend, Rob Taylor. The title of the session is Browser Power for Flash. This FlashForward presentation is about drawing on the strengths of the browser to make the Flash experience a better one. We’ll show stuff like embedding JavaScript in Flash, Flash SEO (search engine optimization), dynamically embedding Flash in the web page, etc. Examples used will be navigation and bookmarking within a non-pagenated Flash site, disabling and re-tooling the Flash right-click menu, using custom fonts in your HTML and many others. More on this as the presentation develops.

You’ll find the name at the bottom of the list of speakers: Tyler Wright (I’m a little behind the rest of the world, alphabetically). I hope to meet you at the conference for those of you planning to attend!

Riddle~

Is it important to keep track of depths in ActionScript for all of my display assets? It’s something extra to worry about, but there’s always the danger of killing something by overwriting the depth. It’s also important to have control on what graphics go in front of others. The “right way” is to have those depths explicitly defined along with each element so it’s clear who has what depth and it keeps the children from fighting. But then that doesn’t work for graphics placed on the stage at design time.

Answer: Read the rest of this entry »

The challenge:

The Flash Player has evolved through the ages to provide the most needed functionality. Through each version there have always remained a few common goals. What I have found is that:

Flash is small — from the player itself to the swf file format to the assets it is optimized to load, focus has been placed on small file sizes (this of course is not as apparent in many websites that are heavy in multimedia)

Flash supports standards — the player supports many web and multimedia formats standard in the industry, such as jpg, mp3 and xml

Flash is interactive — the players greatest strength is the dynamic behavior through ActionScript to allow user interactivity

MIDI, a music standard format that most computers support today, fits all of these categories (like a glove). Read the rest of this entry »

Often, in certain environments, a system of codes will be established to help improve communication. They confine advanced concepts into a more concise representation. Code: 51 is commonly used at mediaRAIN to mean something like, “making things not lame” (direct translation is inappropriate for public postings). “Code 51!” is heard when a developer has just qualified his/her code for the Daily WTF. Codes often represent common problems. As a Flash developer I have found the need for a new code. Read the rest of this entry »