We had some extra time during my recent Best Practices Flash and Flex class and, at the request of the class, decided to cover FAMES. As part of this, we downloaded the latest Swfmill, which has support for linking classes to clips directly in the SWFML file. I thought we might as well use this new functionality as it is cleaner than littering your code with Object.registerClass statements. Little did I know at the time that this little addition would actually result in a huge shift in workflow. Much head-scratching later, I was able to come up with a workflow that is actually much simpler to work with than the current workflow. The problem is that currently it does not work with FAMES (Flashout, the "F", doesn't currently support this workflow) so you will have to use the command line for the time being.
Before we look at this new method, though, let's review the original method for working with Swfmill that has been popularized both here and elsewhere:
The Skeletal Injection Method
The original way of using Swfmill and MTASC together involves injecting a Swfmill Skeletal SWF with code. I'm calling this the Skeletal Inject Method. In this workflow, the skeletal SWF created by Swfmill only contains library assets and the only way to create an entry point into the application is to use a static main() method and compile using the �main attribute in MTASC.
The steps for creating a Flash application using the Skeletal Injection Method are:
1. Describe a skeletal SWF with library items using Swfmill's Simple (swfml-s) dialect (eg. skeletal.xml)
2. Use swfmill to compile the skeletal SWF (eg. skeletal.xml -> skeletal.swf )
3. Create an ActionScript 2 class with a static main() method and compile and inject it into your skeletal SWF using MTASC. If you want to link movie clips in your library with classes, you need to use Object.registerClass to do so in your class. You can, of course, also choose to assimilate _root and do all sorts of wonderful things along the way.
Pros:
The original way, so you most likely know it
Quick workflow that is currently supported by visual tools such as Flashout and AsAlter
Intuitive
You can still use it!
Cons:
Have to use Object.registerClass in code to link movie clips to classes
Use of static main() method as entry-point doesn't feel natural for Flash applications
Contains quite a few steps
The Natural Entry Point Method
The Natural Entry Point Method involves the use of at least two SWFs in your application. The first one is your main Application SWF and the second is a Classes SWF that contains the compiled code of your classes.
Your Application SWF contains your library, including any forms (movie clips that you link to classes using the new class attribute of the Swfmill <clip> tag.) Unlike the Skeletal Injection Method, which only contains a library, your Application SWF has to actually place a form (movie clip) on the Stage to provide a natural entry point for the application.
Instead of keeping your classes in the main application SWF, you keep them in a separate Classes SWF and import them into the main SWF as an external asset (at compile time).
In the next section, you will recreate the particles sample application which was previously constructed using the Skeletal Injection Method using the Natural Entry Point method instead.
Prerequisites: You will need to have Swfmill and MTASC installed and on your path. This example uses the command line (you don't need FAMES or other GUI tools to complete it.)
