I am a component developer who is running into some problems. My customers want to use FD, my components and MTASC to make their projects.

They say the need the source code files to compile with mtasc otherwise mtasc throws errors (something about intrinsic type checking). I have had only one customer say it's possible to use my components with mtasc but did not indicate how. I cannot give the source code due to some contracts that I have to work out. I really want to help them.

Can someone please, for the sake of my customers tell me how to setup a project in FD that uses components and is compiled using mtasc?

My experience level with FD and mtasc is very little. I have been over this forum for the last few hours and have not found any examples of this to my dismay. TIA

I think your client only needs intrinsic classes. You can use <FD>/tools/IGen to generate these intrinsic classes from you component's classes. So they won't have any code, only declarations required for MTASC so they can include your component in their project.

If you distribute your component as a SWC, then you can rename the .SWC to .ZIP and you'll find these intrinsic classes inside too.

To use a "closed source" component (MM components or third party SWC):

1. Drop the components you need on stage and remove them. They will be included in the SWF library.
2. Publish the SWF and in FlashDevelop: right-click on the file and select "Add to Library".
3a. If you are using MM components, make sure you select "Use MX" in the project compiler options.
3b. If you are using a third party SWC, you need to add the component's intrinsic classes to your project classpath.
4. Now you can use the components in your FlashDevelop project

How would you then create a component in the code?

See: Application Development with MTASC / First Steps.
Read also: How createClassObject comes to be.

Is there a way to use the TableMaker extension? (http://www.flashrelief.com/tablemaker/features.html)

It's an extension that installs a component--the problem is, I don't know where the swc is or where the intrinsic classes are after installing the extension.

You have to find the SWC (maybe in some folder in you Document & settings).

Then rename the .SWC to .ZIP. It should contain the component's intrinsic classes needed to build your project and a SWF file to be added to you library. Well... I'm not 100% sure but it should work that way.

Ok, for future reference, here's how I did step 3b above:

1. I found the TableMaker.swc file (make sure you're searching within hidden files if you're on Windows XP

2. Renamed it TableMaker.zip

3. Extracted the .asc files (com.tablemaker.MakeRectangle.asc, com.tablemaker.Table.asc, com.tablemaker.TableParse.asc)

4. Renamed them to MakeRectangle.as, Table.as, TableParse.as

5. Created the folder com/flashrelief in my classpath and moved the files into it

6. Selected "always compile" in the context menu of Table.as (only this file) in the FlashDevelop project explorer.

7. Used this code in my .swf
_root.attachMovie("TableMaker", "table_mc", 4);
var aTable = _root.table_mc.createFromString(myString);

Hope that helps someone.

Hi, I'm quite noob in developing and I've got a question about using MM components with FD.

I did what you wrote Philippe, I selected "Use MX" and component works fine.
But when I select that option, the rest of my movie doesn't work!

I don't know what's that option for, I couldn't understand its description, but I'd like to know if there's any way to use MM component without selecting that option or making rest of the movie to work.

Sorry for my english, hope you understand me

UseMX is for MTASC compiler -mx switch. This option tells the compiler to ignore the classes in the mx package (ie. the MM components classes which come with the Flash IDE). This is required because MTASC doesn't like the loose programming style of these classes.

Now, for your problem: maybe your use some classes from the mx package in your code? If these classes where not included in your library SWF, they will not be present in the final SWF.

In my project I use Delegate and EventDispatcher.


I tried now to do attachMovie("UIScrollBar"...) after adding swf to library and it works now, but I get dozens of errors, like:

Warning : The MovieClip Defaults needs the class mx.skins.halo.Defaults which was not compiled :
Please force compilation of this class by adding it to the commandline

any help?

Try importing the Delegate & EventDispatcher classes in the library SWF so they will be ready in your final SWF.

And search the forum(s)/lists about how to use MM components with MTASC - attachMovie can not be used to attach MM components on stage.

Hello Guys,

many thanks to you (Philippe, Nick, and the others) for providing FD. I read through this thread, but it didn't bring me to a solution. Maybe you can help me. I would like to have scrolling text, so I am using the one from playground (http://play.ground.gr/?p=85). I tried to rename the files inside the swc to as-extension (they were asi not asc in orig. that's a prob?), put in classpath, etc.
Then I try to instantiate with different methods like marcus above (createFromString), or the MMComponents example, but I am sure wrong. Does anybody here know how to do that or knows a free textscroller that can be used with FD only? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and keep up the good work.

Regards
Gope

I wrote a quick tutorial on using SWC components.

This component gave me a hard time (I had to decompile it) figuring out how to use it without the Flash IDE... It was really not meant to be attached by script.


Other "less clean" solution (so you can have a different parent clip):

I am very thankfull for that code and the explanation. Of course it is working and the funny part is that Igor (Developer of the Scrollbar component) wrote me a reply. He said he thinks it's not possible without the source... So Philippe, many thanks to you.
I also "contributed" to your project (Initials: G.P.) as I really want to support you and show you that people are appreciating the time you spent for them.

Thanks a lot!

Btw. did you think about implementing SourceSafe (or other CVS) support? I was thinking about writing provider for TeamSystems but it seems that almost nobody is using it... too expensive!
Anyways I will might have a look into your plug-in section and write a little .net VSS provider in the next year...

CU
Gope