Actionscript 3 :: Clear Out Embedded Bitmap Assets In AIR?
Mar 15, 2012
I'm creating an AIR 3.0 app.
For a lot of my graphical assets I'm using the Flex embed metadata to embed bitmap objects as Classes and then instantiating them.
The problem is that it seems these never get garbage collected. I haven't found much info online but I've seen a couple of posts that seem to confirm this.
Anytime one of my classes gets instantiated that has these embedded assets, they always create new instances of the Bitmaps and BitmapDatas rather than reusing what's already in memory. This is a huge problem for memory. And I can't find any way of de-referenciong them or getting them to leave memory.
So the only solution I can think is to just load the graphics from disk rather than using the embed tag. But I'd rather not do this seeing as how when the app is packaged and installed, all of those graphcial assets will be on the end users computer rather than contained within the SWF.
I'm working on a game whose background has many layers that each scroll at different speeds.
Inside each layer I have a Sprite, I've started using graphics.beginBitmapFill, but what I've found is that the graphics.clear() function doesn't actually clear the contents set by the previous call to graphics.begin.BitmapFill. Each frame, I adjust the matrix to shift the layer as needed. Then, I call graphics.clear() and graphics.beginBitmapFill() with the adjusted matrix. Since my layers have alphas in the bitmap, I can see the contents that was drawn the previous frame.
I used to be able to create distributable components in AS2 (swc files) containing class code and assets (movieclips). And it used to be really easy.Now I am struggling with Flash CS4 and AS3 and all my attempts were frustrating, as no matter what I try it simply doesn't work. I am starting to assume that maybe it is not possible anymore to do in AS3? Maybe this kind of thing is deprecated in Flash now???
Let's see what I have tried:
1) I started with a new FLA and named it 'MyComponent.FLA'. Then I drawed a green square, converted it to a mc and named it as 'MySquare'. Then I tagged 'Export for ActionScript' and 'Export in Frame 1'. Then I named the class as 'MySquare' and set the base class to 'flash.display.MovieClip'. This is my asset (a green square movieclip).
2) Created an empty movieclip and dragged the asset within it. Then I named it as 'MyComponent'. Then I tagged 'Export for ActionScript' and 'Export in Frame 1'. Then I named the class as 'MyComponent' and set the base class to 'flash.display.MovieClip'.
3) Right-clicked it in the library and chose 'Component Definition'. Then in class field I typed 'MyComponent' and tagged 'Display in Components Panel'.
4) Crated a new AS file, called it 'MyComponent.AS' and typed the following code:
Code: package { import flash.display.MovieClip; public class MyComponent extends MovieClip
[code]....
5) Back to 'MyComponent.FLA', right-clicked the 'MyComponent' object in the library and chose 'Export SWC file'. That was ok, no warnings, no errors. Then I just copied this new SWC to my components folder.
6) Created a new FLA and named it 'test.FLA'.
7) Reloaded the components panel, and my new component showed up. Then I dragged it into library.
8) Then I type the following code:
Code: var test:MyComponent = new MyComponent(); trace (test.visible)
9) I ran the new app and it was ok, no errors and no warnings. The trace statement spit out 'true' what means that the new class is really there, but... I cannot see the green square. But when I click onto the 'MyComponent' in the library, the preview shows up the green square, what means that it IS THERE in the component. So, why it doesn't show up in the stage after the class be intantiated?
I have a site that contains a page with a fancybox pop up which contains a .swf.This swf loads a sound file and a thumbnail (mp3 and jpeg). When I view this by double clicking the swf it works fine, when I navigate directly to the swf in the browser it works fine, however when I try to view the embedded swf it does not load the jpeg or the sound file. I have another page which does the exact same thing except it loads a different swf which only loads a video file and this works perfectly.
Where the $theInner is a javascript variable that is used to set the innerHTML value of the div that I want to have containing the swf and $jUrlArray is an array of filepaths to various folders containing different sound files and thumbnails (each folder also contains the swf).The thinking is that the swf looks for the files as "sound.mp3" so the swf would assume that file is in the same folder it is in, therefore I'm only loading the swf from the different folders.
I have a Flex project in which I am embedding a Flash SWF containing an image viewer. The SWF file I'm embedding is supplemented by an XML file, which contains a list of images to show, and an images folder containing the images. The problem I'm running into is that the embedded SWF file is unable to load the pictures. I am able to see the forward/backward navigation buttons, but there are no loaded images. When I view the SWF file outside of the Flex project it works fine. Is this because Flex isn't allowing the SWF to reach outside and access other project assets?
Here's my code for embedding the SWF: <mx:Script> <![CDATA[ import mx.controls.Image; import mx.events.CloseEvent; import mx.managers.PopUpManager; [Code] .....
I've embedded a SWF into a class using this syntax above my class definition:
[Embed (source='/../assets/MyMovieClips.swf', symbol='SpecialMovieClip')] public class SpecialMovieClip extends MovieClip
The MovieClip asset seems linked with my class okay, and instantiates along with it, and is visible, but:
I can't access instances placed on stage within that clip. The timeline scripting seems non-functional.
Is this the drawback of embedding SWF files at compile-time with the Flex SDK? So, maybe I should just go back to compiling with the Flash IDE if I want timeline scripting or instances positioned on-stage?
I was trying to further reduce the filesize of a SWF file by optimizing the embedded PNG graphics (using ImageOptim tool). To my surprise, this didn't yield any effect, so I created two test Images:
Original (433883 bytes) Optimized (273723 bytes)
When embedding either of these assets in a simple ActionScript project, the compiled SWF is ~274kb in size. Which raises the question: Does Flex optimize embedded PNG assets during compile-time? If yes, is there some documentation about the optimization going on? It can't be because of the SWF compression alone, because zipping the images doesn't reduce filesize at all.
Here's the Code for completeness: package { import flash.display.Sprite; public class SizeTest extends Sprite { [Embed("/assets/original.png")] private var ImageAsset:Class; public function SizeTest(){ }}}
I'm running asdocs from a .bat file with flex sdk 3.2.0 (I have replaced my long project root folder with PROJECTROOT):"C:Program Files (x86)AdobeFlex Builder 3sdks3.2.0inasdoc" -source-path . "C:Program Files (x86)AdobeFlex Builder 3sdks3.2.0" "_PROJECTROOT_Componentssrc" "C:\_PROJECTROOT_assets" -doc-sources .PAUSE"Unforunately, I keep getting errors similar to this:"_PROJECTROOT_assetsstyles.css(344): Error: Invalid Embed directive in stylesheet - can't resolve source 'Embed(source = "close_button.png")'.downSkin: Embed(source="close_button.png");"I really don't understand this as "close_button.png" is in the same folder as styles.css. When I build the project from within flexbuilder, it compiles it fine and does not throw any errors.
Is there a way to execute code (like a preloader) before loading the embedded assets? I'm using the [embed] tag with CS5, and I'd like to avoid using an external preloader.
In Flex3, I could compile pure as3 code and use "embed" tags to load in images. This was done by Flex making a BitmapAsset class.I can still do this in Flex4.
However, there was a trick to fakeout flex3 and use my own mx.core.BitmapAsset class to remove some of the extraneous stuff Flex's BitmapAsset brings in with it. This is described here: [URL]..Unfortunately, I cannot get these tricks to work with Flex4 and get smaller file sizes. I end up with the error "VerifyError: Error #1014: Class mx.core::BitmapAsset could not be found."[URL]..Following this advice, I add -static-link-runtime-shared-libraries=true, and my swf loads without an error... but this means I am loading in the pieces of the flex framework I wanted to omit (and the file size says so too).
Is there a better way to fake out flex4 when it comes to using Embed?
I have a bitmap and I want to load it externally. Since flash cannot understand the format when directly loading it from a server - I want to turn it into a PNG in Photoshop. Because Flash understands PNG. When importing the BMP to Flash stage/library it has an alpha channel and it works properly. When opening in Photoshop it is a flat bitmap without any transparency. The problematic bitmap itself is here: Is there anything I can do with it to turn it into a PNG or GIF that has alpha? I want it to load from the server and not be embedded to the swf.
I want an air application to be able to update the assets it uses, but minimizing the download needed, so only downloading files added since it last updated.I'm thinking this would include a server portion which would zip the needed files based on a version number? Has anyone implemented anything similar / got any thoughts on the best approach to building this sort of system?
I'm cutting my teeth in actionscript 3 on a game that has a character running through a world. So, I have set up my Hit Testing by using the bitmap data hit test method, since I figured my world is going to be destructible - it'd be nice to update the level and then redraw it and have the character interact with the new change. (That works beautifully) I am however; a bit confused as to how I have my hit Testing set up. I've been messing around with it, and it works for now - but I'm not sure why.. currently, I have a character set up by using a class I built and using a series of animations I created. So, this character has a walking and falling animation, etc. This is a movie clip.
Then there's a bitmap 'emptyBitmap' with bitmap data created - however; I never really added this as a child to the character. This is sized to the dimensions of my character. My level is created as a movielip, then it's drawn to a bitmap - when the level movieclip is changed, the bitmap redraws, and that's how this updates.
I know the topic of "duplicating" movieclips is a hot issue with the new virtual machine. Luckily, I understand the implications. I only am [currently] interested in duplicating a Bitmap. See, I load an image from an URL using 'flash.display.Loader.load', which is a non-blocking operation in Flash Player.However,I may use multiple copies of the loaded image (which is reported to be a Bitmap, naturally) in the display list at the same time.Hence, I naturally do not want to load the image from an URL every time, because I don't want to wait for a non-blocking call to complete. Nor do I need to - I mean one copy is already loaded, so it should be possible to just "duplicate" it, right?
My idea is to do use the bitmapData property of a Bitmap and pass it to the constructor of a new Bitmap object. I have not tried the following in action, but I want to hear whether any of you did and if the following would not work, what would:
Code:
var original_bitmap: Bitmap; var copy_of_original_bitmap: Bitmap = new Bitmap(original_bitmap.bitmapData);
LiveDocs mention that the BitmapData being passed to a Bitmap constructor is "being referenced", which to me might suggest it cannot be used twice? There is also the BitmapData::clone() method, which I am not sure is applicable here or not.I know this is a lot of talk instead of just trying this out, but I test so much Flash Player code daily just to see "what works" (which should be documented instead by Adobe),
If I have a BitmapData that's already been drawn onto a Sprite. Is there a way to redraw the BitmapData onto a Sprites Graphics object without having to invoke beginBitmapFill and passing in the same BitmapData?
I'm working on a game, and to keep performance good, instead of addChild'ing 50 new sprites to the stage every second, I decided to have each player draw to their own bitmap, and then to the 'master' bitmap. This introduces an issue though: the second player would override all data the first player has put into to bitmap...My basic debugging proof of concept:
I have a bitmap which has several frames (packed along the horizontal axis). In order to render them I copy it to the backbuffer (larger bitmap) as follows:
Actionscript Code: public override function copyToBackBuffer(db:BitmapData):void{ if (active) var drawRect:Rectangle = new Rectangle((currentFrame-1) * frameWidth, 0, frameWidth,
In pure AS3, I have a pixelbender and a large bitmap. The pixelbender is configurable with a distance parameter to affect only a small area of the bitmap. The problem is that the pixelbender is executing over the whole bitmap. What would be the best way to update only the effected region of the bitmap? Given this config:
Is there a way to write a bitmap font right into the bitmap being desplayed? Mabey better worded: myBitmap.draw(image, t) draws a picture is there a way to draw text? I'm stuck even if its just a work around in some way I would like to know... (the current work around i have in my head is writing it in a movieclip turning that into bitmap data and drawing it... esentially creating a prototype answering my question... but a built in way would be easier probably).
I'd like to gain read only access to the following parameters of embedded Flash videos located on sites that I do not own through my own custom browser extension/add-on:
Time location of playback head (so I can display the current time in the browser extension via HTML5/JavaScript) Frames (so I can make capture them to an image file, save it and display image in browser extension) Original Dimensions in pixels (so I can display the original video dimensions via JS/HTML5 in browser extension)
Is this possible by using Javascript and HTML5 from a browser extension?
Would I have to use something like the SWFObject Javascript API [URL]
I made a flash mp3 player and it works fine in any other test pages. but when i embed it onto my site it just shows blank. what do i do? my site is [URL] and the flash player i tested here [URL] and it plays. What im i doing wrong? i tryed everything. right now i just got it in a iframe but i dont want that iframe.
Looking at the attached file, why does bottomScrollV give me the wrong value when the text is dynamically embedded and correct when manually embedded?
Here's the code: ActionScript Code: var loader:URLLoader = new URLLoader(); loader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, onLoad); loader.load( new URLRequest("info.xml") );
In AS3, I am loading a png from a zip file (nochump's zip library through ByteArray to Loader). The png can be up to 45k pixels wide but only 120 tall. This creates a problem in flash, as images can only be ~8000 pixels wide. A possible solution would be to split the images into 6 columns somehow. This would probably need to be done in the ByteArray state, because the limitation is in Bitmap and Loader.
I'm using Sandy to animate some objects in 3D. What I currently do to images which are EXPORTED in the library, I want to do to some bitmaps that I create using the DRAW technique. But it wont work :-(
CODE FOR 'CREATED BITMAP' : ActionScript Code: var bData:BitmapData = new BitmapData(myObject.width,myObject.height); bData.draw(mask5);
[Code]....
Sandy doesn't seem to treat the 'created' bitmap the same as those that are exported from the library.
I haven't worked very much with bitmap manipulation and I need to create an app that can find a bitmap (or a pattern of pixels really) in another bitmap.Are there other methods of doing it besides iterating through the pixels and using getPixel()?I'm of course looking for the most effective solution.
Wherever I look it says that loading external assets(.png, .jpg, gif) from a SWC is supported. However, I can't find a single example of doing this with anything else than Classes and Components.
I have 7 swf's that are loaded and unloaded by a main swf, a sort of menu system. These swf's all rely on loading in some .png's at runtime.
I made a new "Library Project" in Flex, filled the scr folder with my .png's, set the loading type to "external". Because I don't want the .png's compiled into my application .swf.
But how do I get a hold of my raw .png's from within my classes?
I can do: var obj:AComponentFromSWC = new AComponentFromSWC() no problem.
But I want to do: var pic:Bitmap = BitmapFromSWC();
Is this possible or did I completely misunderstand the use of SWC's?
This way I could let all the apps use the same SWC and it is easy to distribute all the graphics as one package and the loaded swf could share common graphics.
