I’m so excited about the upcoming Flash Pro CS5. It will let you create native iPhone applications by exporting your ActionScript 3 movie from Flash. The app will, when it’s been exported, behave as any other app and can be uploaded to the AppStore etc.
Read more on Adobe Labs
I’m implementing some Google Maps magic into a RIA for a client. Together with an auto-location thing using IP numbers the results are indeed stunning. I love Google’s API’s!
Google Maps API for Flash Developer Guide
A big issue for people creating flash sites is getting the site to work well with Google Analytics. “The page doesn’t refresh. How can I track the clicks?”
Well, it is actually very easy. If you look at the trace script Google Analytics gives you to add to your HTML code you can find a call to a method that actually records the event. This method is simple to call using JavaScript.
I have solved it like this in my latest Flex App (which is a public site). NOTE: This is for the new trace code version.
1. Paste the Google Analytics trace code as usual just before the </BODY> tag.
Check your Google Analytics account for the correct code.
2. See to it that your embedded flash works with ExternalInterface.
This can be a bit tricky, but in my experience the things that do the trick are to change allowScriptAccess to always and inside the Flex App call a custom JavaScript function on creationComplete like so: ExternalInterface.call(’initFlash’). In my html this initFlash function creates a variable reference to the embedded flash. This sort of “creates the connection” between them. I’m not sure why this is so, but for me it works, so I’m happy with that. If there is a need I would be glad to create a more thorough tutorial on the use of ExternalInterface. Just let me know.
3. Create a custom JavaScript that passes the URL you want to register to the Google Analytics script.
This is not necessary, but I have found it easier to work with, as you don’t need to edit you call from inside of Flex if something changes in the Google code or such.
4. Call your custom javascript from within Flex.
I created a static class for this. (I love static classes). I named it Analytics.as and placed it in the root source folder in the Flex App. It looks like this. All it does really is call the JavaScript using ExternalInterface, but putting it within a static class lets you call it from anywhere in your application without having to pass on references to this or that object or function.
And anywhere in your app write:
(NOTE: You have to start your path with a slash).
There you go. It now should track the URL:s you want and give you nice statistics.
Update Jan 24 -09: The Flash Tracer that works with Firefox 3 has to be downloaded from the creator’s own site. The one at Mozilla Addons doesn’t work with 3.x (yet). In the instructions below I have therefore used the link to his own site.
If you’re developing for Flash/Flex the FlashTracer can be quite a nifty plugin. It lets you see the flash player trace output directly in a sidebar in you browser. Outputting debugging info is something I use all the time while developing and I have tried several times to get FlashTracer to work, but haven’t managed, so I usually have a textarea inside my flash/flex project with a custom debug output. I guess I have been too impatient before but today I sat down and read through some posts about it. This is how I eventually got it to work on my Mac:
1. Make sure you’re using the latest Flash Player Debug version. Download it here
2. Install the plugin (of course)
3. Open the FlashTracer sidebar in FireFox. Click the Preferences button.
4. Under the area named “Select output file” click browse and point the plugin to the flashlog.txt file your debug player outputs. In my case (being on a mac) it was here:
/Users/{username}/Library/Preferences/Macromedia/Flash Player/Logs/flashlog.txt
The plugin will ask if you want to replace the file, which is stupid because you will want to read from the file, not write to it, but that’s just how it is. Don’t let it scare’ya.
5. Save/close preferences.
6. Restart FireFox.
That should do it.
