Archive for the 'FLASH IDE' Category

Google Analytics Tracking for Adobe Flash

Published
by
swfgeek
on November 19, 2008
in ACTIONSCRIPT 3.0, API, FLASH IDE, FLEX IDE, GENERAL and GOOGLE ANALYTICS
. 2 Comments

A new API for using  Google Analytics Tracking in Flash/Flex projects this API is developed in ActionScript 3.0 and can be used as a component or called in your ActionScript code, Google Analytics Tracking for Adobe Flash seems to solve a lot of troubles and the needed workarounds for making consistent user tracking in your Flash projects, keep reading for a more detailed explanation extracted from the implementation overview.

The Google Analytics Tracking for Adobe Flash component makes it easy for you to implement Google Analytics in your Flash-driven content. This component contains all of the functionality of the Google Analytics Javascript code, and is 100% compatible with the latest ga.js tracking code. The Flash Tracking component is a compiled tracking object native to ActionScript 3, making Analytics implementation intuitive in Flash, and Flex development environments.

You can develop Analytics Tracking for Flash in either Adobe Flash or Adobe Flex environments. Each environment requires a different component, which you can download from http://code.google.com/p/gaforflash/. These components are based on ActionScript 3 and can be set up in one of two ways for each environment:

In Adobe Flash

  • Add and configure a simple component in the component inspector and drag it to the stage.
  • Import the Flash Tracking libraries directly into your library and start coding.

In Adobe Flex

  • Include an MXML component that you configure from am MXML file.
  • Import the Flash Tracking libraries into your script tags/AS3 files.

How to use the Component in Adobe Flash

In order to use the Flash tracking component in your environment, you either use the visual tools inside Flash, or you set up the tracking object directly in your code. Regardless of whether you are setting up the component visually or via code, you provide the following elements:

  • the web property ID—This is also known as the UA number of your tracking code and looks like UA-xxxxx-yy, where the x’s and y’s are replaced with the numbers that correspond to your account and profile information for the object you are tracking. See Web Property for more information.
  • the tracking mode—Choose either bridge mode or AS3 mode. This mode determines how your tracking communicates with the Analytics servers and is described in detail below.
  • the debugging mode—No matter which environment or tracking mode you use, you can turn debugging on to validate and test your tracking.

Installation for Flash CS3

Before you begin to use gaforflash to add Analytics tracking within Flash CS3,
you first need to add the gaforflash SWC to Flash CS3.

To do so:
1. If you have Flash CS3 currently open, quit the application.

2. Navigate to the location where you unzipped the Google Analytics zip
and find the swc (e.g. lib/analytics_flash.swc).

3. Create a “Google” directory in one of the following locations
and copy the SWC file there:
- (Windows) C:\Program Files\Adobe\ Adobe Flash CS3\language\Configuration\Components
- (Mac OS X) Macintosh HD/Applications/Adobe Flash CS3/Configuration/Components

Flash CS3 is now set up to support Google Analytics Tracking For Adobe Flash.

Alternatively if you want to use gaforflash in code-only mode
you can do the same as the above and add the lib/analytics.swc,
you will then need to drag the “AnalyticsLibrary” component in your Library.

Installation for Flex Builder 3

Before you can compile your code, you will need to link it to the gaforflash SWC file.

To do so:
1. select Project->Properties.
A Properties dialog box will appear for your project.
Click on Flex Build Path and then select the Library Path tab:

2. Click Add SWC… within the Library Path pane.
An Add SWC dialog box will appear.
Navigate to the location where you unzipped the Google Analytics zip
and select lib/analytics.swc file and click OK.

or

Just drop the analytics.swc file into your Flex project /libs directory

Here’s the link for the Google code project

The gaforflash direct download

More info on the API

Adobe Flash CS4 Professional is Out

Published
by
swfgeek
on September 23, 2008
in FLASH CS4, FLASH IDE and GENERAL
. 0 Comments
Flash CS4

Flash CS4

The new version of Flash has arrived along with the rest of the creative suite applications, this version of Flash comes with many  enhancements and it seems that Flash designers and Animators are going to love this version, for developers it’s not fresh news because they been able to download and test the new capabilities of the Flash Player 10 Beta from Adobe Labs.

To give a more detailed review I will have to test it first but here are some of the new features:

 

 

Object-based animation

Object-based animation

Gain complete control over individual animation attributes with object-based animation, which applies tweens directly to objects instead of to keyframes. Easily make changes to motion with Bezier handles.


3D transformation

3D transformation

Animate 2D objects through 3D space with exciting new 3D translation and rotation tools, which allow you to animate along the x, y, and z axes. Apply local or global transformation to any object.

Procedural modeling with Deco and Spray Brush

Procedural modeling with Deco and Spray Brush

Turn symbols into instant design tools. Apply symbols in a variety of ways: Quickly create kaleidoscope-like effects and apply fills using the Deco tool, or randomly spray symbols across any defined area using the Spray Brush.

Metadata (XMP) support

Metadata (XMP) support

Add metadata to SWF files using the new XMP panel. Quickly assign tags for enhanced collaboration and better mobile experiences.

Authoring for Adobe AIR

Deliver interactive experiences to the desktop with new integrated capability to publish to the Adobe® AIR™ runtime. Reach even more audiences across more devices — web, mobile, and now the desktop.

XFL support

Open content from Adobe InDesign® or After Effects® software and retain file integrity. With the cross-application XFL format, easily import content for further development in Adobe Flash®.

Inverse kinematics with the Bones tool

Inverse kinematics with the Bones tool

Create chain-like animation effects with a series of linked objects, or quickly distort a single shape using the new Bones tool.

Motion editor

Motion editor

Experience detailed control over keyframe parameters, including rotation, size, scale, position, filters, and more, using the new motion editor. Refine easing control with graphical displays similar to those in After Effects.

Motion presets

Motion presets

Jump-start your project with prebuilt animations that can be applied to any object. Select from dozens of presets or create and save your own. Share presets with others to save animation time.

H.264 support

Encode to any format recognized by the Adobe Flash Player runtime with Adobe Media Encoder, the same tool found in other Adobe video products and now with support for H.264.

 

Drawing API and Mouse Events

Published
by
swfgeek
on February 25, 2008
in ACTIONSCRIPT 3.0, FLASH CS3, FLASH IDE, FLEX IDE and GENERAL
. 0 Comments

DrawingAPI
Click on the image to see the example and get the code.

A pair of days ago I found the blog of Sorin Haidan in wish he post some very useful tutorials on Flash and Actionscript 3.0 in a very understandable way, I found one that caught my attention called Draw Custom shapes with ActionScript 3.0. In this tutorial he explains how to make a “Ball” appear on screen every time you click and move your mouse on the screen by using the Drawing API and MouseEvents, the change of the color on the ball was achieved doing a loop in a 10 frame movie clip with a ball of different gradient fill on each frame, so occurred to me to wrap that code on a class on a Flex 3 Actionscript Project and get rid of the Flash assets by drawing the ball in a dynamic way and this let me Change the color of the Ball more than the 10 times of Sorin example, so check the example be sure to check Sorin’s blog .
In my example if you right click on the file you get to see the source that it’s also included below this text here’s what I got: Drawing API Ball Example.

Thanks Sorin for letting me mess around with his code keep up with those good tutorials.

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/* 
/////---- Class by Dave Ga?mez (.swfgeek) 24-February-2008 http://www.swfgeek.net----\\\\\\
///---- Original Example by: Sorin Haidan in his  Draw Custom shapes with ActionScript 3.0. Tutorial ----\\\
///---- Found on his blog http://biochimistu.blogspot.com/ ---- \\\
*/
 
package {
 
    import flash.display.GradientType;
    import flash.display.SpreadMethod;
    import flash.display.Sprite;
    import flash.display.StageScaleMode;
    import flash.display.StageAlign;
    import flash.events.MouseEvent;
    import flash.geom.Matrix;
    import com.adobe.viewsource.ViewSource;
 
    [SWF(backgroundColor="0x000000",frameRate="31")]
 
    public class DrawingAPI extends Sprite
    {
        private var sprite:Sprite;
        private var holder:Sprite;
        private var myCircle:Sprite;
        private var fillType:String;
        private var colors:Array;
        private var alphas:Array;
        private var ratios:Array;
        private var matr:Matrix;
        private var spreadMethod:String;
        private var focalPointRatio:Number;
 
        public function DrawingAPI()
        {
            init();
        }
 
        private function init():void
        {
            ViewSource.addMenuItem(this, "srcview/index.html");
            stage.scaleMode = StageScaleMode.NO_SCALE;
            stage.align = StageAlign.TOP_LEFT;
            stage.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN,prepareToDraw);
 
        }
 
        public function prepareToDraw(event:MouseEvent):void
         {
          stage.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_MOVE,drawGraphics);
          stage.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP,stopDrawing);
 
         }
 
        public function drawGraphics(event:MouseEvent):void
        {
         fillType = GradientType.RADIAL;
         colors = [0xFFFFFF, Math.random()*0xFFFFFF];
         alphas = [1, 1];
         ratios = [0x37, 0xFF];
         matr= new Matrix();
         matr.createGradientBox(100, 100, Math.random()*360, -40, 0);
         spreadMethod = SpreadMethod.PAD;
         focalPointRatio = 1;
         holder = new Sprite();
         addChild(holder);
         myCircle = new Sprite();
         myCircle.graphics.beginGradientFill(fillType, colors, alphas, ratios, matr,spreadMethod);  
         myCircle.graphics.drawCircle(0,0,40);
         myCircle.graphics.endFill();
         holder.addChild(myCircle);
         holder.x = mouseX;
         holder.y = mouseY;
         holder.scaleX = holder.scaleY = Math.random()*2+0.5;
         holder.rotation = Math.random()*360;
         holder.alpha = Math.random()+0.7;
       }
 
        public function stopDrawing(event:MouseEvent):void
       {
        stage.removeEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_MOVE,drawGraphics)
       }
    }
}

ColorMatrixFilter Fun in Actionscript 3.0

Published
by
swfgeek
on January 29, 2008
in ACTIONSCRIPT 3.0, FLASH IDE and GENERAL
. 0 Comments

ColorMatrixFilter

Based on the great tutorial of Lee Brimelow, called Advanced Filter Effects I started messing around with the ColorMatrixFilter(); an Actionscript 3.0 Class that lets you apply a 4×5 matrix transformation in the RGB color and alpha values to the pixels of an image, and produce a new RGBA alpha value this can be applied to any display object.
So it’s quite addicting messing around with those values and get different results, this example is not at all finished it’s quite buggy still you can get some nice waving effects anyway check it out here:
ColorMatrixFilterExample and be sure to stop by www.gotoandlearn.com Lee has an unique way of explaining things very good and make difficult things look like is a piece of cake.

Dragging and Dropping in Actionscript 3.0

Published
by
swfgeek
on October 29, 2007
in ACTIONSCRIPT 3.0, FLASH IDE and GENERAL
. 3 Comments

Ok this is a little tip for Dragging your clips on Actionscript 3.0, remember how we used a lot of tricks in Flash to drag a clip from other points that weren’t the anchor point , well in Actionscript 3.0 (herenow AS3) is quite simple to do that by using the new Point class.
Class Point.
Package flash.geom
Class public class Point
InheritancePoint Object
Language version: ActionScript 3.0
Player version: Flash Player 9
The Point object represents a location in a two-dimensional coordinate system, where x represents the horizontal axis and y represents the vertical axis.

So here’s a very short example made in AS3 in wish no matter where your grab the Sprite, it will be dragged from that specific Point.
Heres the example :
</p> <p>

Here’s the code:

bear.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, startbearDrag);
stage.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, stopbearDrag);
bear.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, dragbear);
 
var clickOffset:Point = null;
 
function startbearDrag(event:MouseEvent) {
	clickOffset = new Point(event.localX, event.localY);
}
 
function stopbearDrag(event:MouseEvent) {
	clickOffset = null;
}
 
function dragbear(event:Event) {
	if (clickOffset != null) {
		bear.x = mouseX - clickOffset.x;
		bear.y = mouseY - clickOffset.y;
	}
}