Tyler MadisonCreative Developer

I always knew that you could narrow your search with Gmail’s search modifiers like, from: , to: and has:attachment…But here is a list of all of them, and there is many more than I thought. I find that in:anywhere , filename: and groups () are among the most useful. Here is the link to the official help documentation. Happy Searching! http://bit.ly/9Id51b

There are lots of reasons for the upgrade to the URLRequest object from AS2’s getURL method. The major reason is that the URLRequest contains all of the HTTP information for a specific url request, content headers , get or post methods  , content type etc. BUT the downside is that it takes a little more effort and importing to get the same functionality as the AS2 standard getURL method. So I’ve include a simple global getURL class that you just need to import wherever it is used, then you can just call “getURL” as it worked in AS2, but now for AS3. The function takes two parameters; The first is the URL that you want to direct to, the second and optional parameter is the window method(“_blank” , “_self” , “_parent” ) which defaults to “_blank”.

The simplest implementation would be:

import getURL;
getURL("http://www.google.com");

Download getURL class here!

ENJOY!

* This is really only useful when you just need to launch a single url without special data being sent, as there is no access to the URLRequest object specifically.

I’ve been going back and forth between frameworks, utilities, and tool kits for a while now, adding to, adapting or re-writing many common things that I thought I could make better / more useful. Then I found CASA lib. This library covers some of the most common and tedious aspects of being a Flash developer that are out there. Preloading assets, multiple assets, preloading video , and the granular detail that goes into those things. You don’t have to worry about managing the URLLoaders for XML loading or the NetStream objects’ events. You basically as one info commercial host famously once said, “Just set it and forget it, it’s that easy”. But its true, there are a host (no pun intended) or utilities in here that will not only make your production time faster, will put your mind at ease that you don’t have to come up with a custom system every time you run into the same problems. Okay I am done boasting, just really excited to announce that I’ve added into a scaffold ed framework: TweenLite, PureMVC, CASA lib and SWFAddress for all of my new projects! What else could you ask for , someone to do the work for you? Well in short, these fine folks pretty much have…now you just get to do the fun part!

Check out CASA lib!

I have been utilizing AS3 for a little over 3 years and have always wanted to have the same control over preloading assets in my main .FLA , as I did with AS2. The main difference is that with Flash CS4 and AS3 , you can truly export your classes on a desired frame without having to dump all of the linked library assets on the stage prior to instantiating any of those exported assets with actionscript. This also allows you to keep the “Document Class” or main application class the entry point for the application.

Here’s the trick:

1. 1. Go to File > Publish Settings > Click on the Flash tab. Under the player version next where it says script type , click on the “Settings” button. Where it says “Export classes in frame” type anything BUT 1 (2 is my standard). Click the ok buttons to exit out of those dialogs.
2. Create a new MovieClip symbol in the library.
3. In the Symbol Properties Dialog where it says “Linkage” click the checkbox that says “Export for ActionScript” , make sure the name of the symbol is the name of the class that you are using as your main application class or “Document Class”.
4. Now all you have to do is instantiate a ExportTroller object and pass it the main movieclip reference (this) , the name of your main application class , the frame  number you targeted for exporting your classes on in step 1, and optionally an update method to monitor download progress of the .SWF. (JUST LIKE in AS2!).
5. publish the movie and you can see if you bring up the bandwidth profiler that the bulk of the .swf bytes has been deffered until your export frame! So you can do anything you want in the first frame to show progress, and get the user to start viewing your swf right away instead of waiting until the whole .swf has completely downloaded before they see anything,

If you followed the steps above correctly this is the only code you should need in your whole .FLA to get this to work!

//import the trolling class
import info.tylermadison.ExportTroller;

//the optional but recommended update method to show download progress
function updateMethod(prct:Number):void{
iLoader.width = prct * stage.stageWidth;
}

Download the source and demo Here!

PureMVC is a pretty flexible framework that I have used in a couple projects now, you should check it out. The separation between the three tiers of the application tied together by the “Facade” is a great approach. The framework has its own notification system that works in conjunction with the builtin Flash event dispatcher system. A quick breakdown of the following terminology.

PureMVC Conceptual Diagram

# facade – creates an API that is simplier to use and understand than communicates with much more complex components of the system i.e. the facade handles communication between the Model , View , and Controller tiers. It is also the place to map out you system wide notifications and commands.

#Mediator – facilitates communication between concrete view components and events within the rest of  the framework. Basically means that the mediator is responsible for listening to regular “Flash” events from the view component and interpreting how to notify the rest of the system.

#Command – Handles notifications from the system and contains all of the logic for acting upon a given/mapped system notification. The command can retrieve references to other parts of the system and notify and call methods upon them. This is basically where the main application logic lies.

#Proxy – a proxy maintains a reference to a model object that contains some type of data for your application, whether its a calculation, data structure , or XML handling. This is where the data and brains for the application is housed.

More info on PureMVC availiable here!

I am currently developing a microsite flash experience in AS3 for the new Madden Football game for EA Sports. I ‘ve been working with art director Andy Slopsema and senior designer / animator Armand Tam at Freestyle Interactive. It’s pretty much the dream team to work with because these guys are great at what they do, so it makes my life easier. The site goes live 7/2, so stay tuned for a direct link, and a behind the scenes look at the development process, once it is live.