Open PDF and Files with AS3 from projector

Hi -

I have used M-Projector, North Code, and ZINC in the past, but I haven't had the need to create a standalone in a while. Since then CS4 and AS3 and I tried using the old fire-it-up which allows you to launch, print and save files. It works in AS2 but not my AS3 project.

Does anyone have a simple Cross Platform suggestion ? All I want to do it Launch Files and Keep it simple. I don't really want to have to learn an API from some of the great 3rd party tools out there.

Any Suggestions to perform this simple task ?
Thanks!

Check out this thread... http://board.flashkit.com/board/show...ight=smartexec

Thanks NorthCode !
I actually remember this thread from a while back. I will use it now since this is all I want to do.

However... Will this work using AS3 ?

The EXEC fscommand works in all versions of Flash as long as you're creating a projector (it won't work from a SWF).

Hi NorthCode -
I tried the PROXY and the BAT File recipe as you suggested and it's not opening a file. Here's what my file structure looks like:
FScommand (folder)
- invoke.exe
- launchTest.BAT
- launchTest.exe

Outside of the FScommand folder I have this:
files (folder)
launchtest.pdf

And this :
launchAS3.exe (The Projector File)

inside my BAT file I have this line:
invoke.exe open \files\launchTest.pdf

And I just changed the name of the PROXY.EXE to:
launchTest.exe

Anything else I can do ? I uploaded my .fla and the files, without the Projector (or it would have been to large for FlashKit) Maybe you can take a look or a test? thanks so much.

Your problem isn't with proxy, invoke or your BAT file. If you put a trace statement in the launch() function you'll see that it isn't getting called! That's the problem.

Hi Northcode -

I feel like I am close to this working. Here's my AS3 code and it DOES CALL THE function and a trace:

Code:

---

function launch(event:MouseEvent):void {

        fscommand("exec", "launchTest.exe");
        trace("I am calling the function now");

}
launchButton.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, launch);

launchButton.buttonMode=true;

---

Am I calling the calling file ? Not sure, but the function seems to be working... any other suggestions? Thank you so much for your help

Odd, when I published your FLA to an EXE last time it didn't work, now it does. I replaced what you had with the latest versions of invoke.exe and proxy.exe and changed the path in the BAT file from \files\launchTest.pdf to ..\files\launchTest.pdf and it's working fine for me. If you grab steve1312_proxy2.zip (2.34 MB) I've included everything, including a compiler version of launchAS3.exe.

Thanks Northcode. Works like a charm !
You are a master ! thank you.

Hi Tim,

Do you have any idea how to handle the document (doc, pdf, etc) in MAC OS (intel based MAC OS 10.5 or above)?
We are using the getURL and placed the document fscommand folder. Some MAC machines not opening the documents.
I am using flash player 9.0 projector file.
Please help.

AppleScript is the simplest solution for the Mac and you can basically do the same thing. Create one AppleScript for each file you want to open and then use fsommand("exec", "file1.app") where file1.app is a compiled AppleScript that opens a PDF file.

The key difference between OSX and Windows is where the fscommand folder goes. On windows it goes in the same folder as your EXE. On OSX it has to be put inside the projector's application bundle in MyApp.app -> Contents -> MacOS, which is where the Flash player binary actually lives.

thx Tim , you're the man

NC,

I'm working on a hybrid cd (and web) project and have the getURL working on the web-side, the bat files working on the PC side and just need to get the applescript files compiled. Do you know of any way to do this on a PC?

Also, what is the correct syntax within the applescript file? If I have to send it to my client to compile on his Mac, I'd like to only have to do it once.

Do I have it call the Word file directly:

Code:

---

tell application "Microsoft Word"
    activate
    open "DNALab.doc"
end tell

---

Save this as DNALab.app and have as3 call:

Code:

---

fscommand("exec", "DNALab.app");

---

Thanks!

As far as I know there's no way to compile an AppleScript from a PC, you'll need a Mac to do that.

If you know where the file is going to be on the CD and you can set the CD name then you can use a simple script like this one.

Code:

---

tell application "Finder"
  activate
  select file "file.doc" of folder "fscommand" of disk "CDNAME"
  open selection
end tell

---

If you can't control any of that, then you have to resort to something a little more complicated that locates the file you want to open from a location relative to your application. I've posted this before, but I'll save you the trouble of hunting it down.

Code:

---

--set the name of the file to open

property fileName : "homepage.html"

--get the path to the containing folder

set myPath to (path to me as string)
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ":"

set the parentFolder to ¬
        ((text items 1 thru -2 of myPath) & "") as string

set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ""

-- find the flash file

try
        set targetFile to alias (the parentFolder & fileName)
on error
        --ie if there's no  file here by this name, it will quit.
        return quit
end try

-- open the file

tell application "Finder"
        open file targetFile
end tell

---

If you're using CS3 (or newer) you need to know that the FSCommand folder is now INSIDE your .app file and not an external folder as it was in versions before that. This makes targeting files from AppleScript a little trickier because every reference you make is relative to the fscommand folder, where the AppliScript has to be so you can EXEC it.

Cool, I got a buddy with a mac to make the scpt files for me. I published the Mac projector and am getting ready to send it to the client to review. Do I have to drop the fscommand folder inside the start.app folder or the Contents folder?

Thanks!

The fscommand folder has to be in the same folder as the "Flash Player" file inside the app bundle so it should be in...

TheApp.app\Contents\MacOS

So the final resting place for your AppleScript should be...

TheApp.app\Contents\MacOS\fscommand\script.app

Excellent! Thanks!

Northcode...hoping you can give me a little more direction here. :)

So, I've got all the .app and .exe and .bat files for each one of the documents I need to open (39 total).

Here's how I have the files set up on the CD:
ROOT
start.exe
section1.swf - this is an animation that loads and plays as part of the CD
fscommand (FOLDER)
all the .exe, .bat and target files to be opened

start.app (FOLDER)
Contents (FOLDER)
MacOS (FOLDER)
section1.swf
fscommand (FOLDER)
all the .app and target files to be opened

The program launches fine on both platforms. The section1.swf takes longer to load and play on the Mac, but it does work (might just be the machine speed). On the PC, clicking on the buttons to open the documents works, but they ALL open the first document. On the Mac side, nothing opens when you click any of the document links...

Here's the code I'm using:

Code:

---

switch (this[event.target.name])  //when I trace this, it gives me null, but samp1.doc opens
        //switch (event.target.name) //when I trace this, it gives me the correct button name, but no documents open
        {
                case b1_mc :
                        if (platform == "WIN")
                        {
                                fscommand("exec", "samp1.exe");
                        break;
                        }
                        else
                        {
                                fscommand("exec", "samp1");
                        break;
                        }
                case b2_mc :
                        if (platform == "WIN")
                        {
                                fscommand("exec", "samp2.exe");
                        break;
                        }
                        else
                        {
                                fscommand("exec", "samp2");
                        break;
                        }
            }

---

Any help you can give me would be much appreciated. If you want, I'm glad to upload the code, files, package, etc. for you to grab and take a look at. I'm using CS6, but can save down to a previous version.

Thanks!!

Alright! Got that figured out. Turns out it was a nesting issue. This worked fine when I had the buttons on the stage (and used this[event.target.name] and no quotes around the button names in the switch statement), but, when I put them in a nested clip, I had to use event.target.name and add the quotes around the button names...strange, but it works now.

Now, my only issue is that none of the documents open on the Mac side...hmmm....more testing...

Let me know if anything jumps out at anyone about my folder structure....since I have the Mac files in the start.app folder, do I need to include that in my .app files somewhere?? Instead of this:

PHP Code:

---

tell application "Finder"
   activate
   select file "file.doc" of folder "fscommand" of disk "CDNAME"
   open selection
end tell 


---

does it need to say something like:

PHP Code:

---

tell application "Finder"
   activate
   select file "file.doc" of folder "fscommand" of folder "start.app" of disk "CDNAME"
   open selection
end tell 


---

Northcode,
Sent you a PM about a problem I'm still having with this. Would really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to look at it...if not, I understand, I know you're busy. :)
Thanks!

Sorry, I was awa last week... Did you get this sorted out?

Sorry to dig out this old thread but I banged my head on this the whole morning so I thought I'd share my solution to help you out maybe:

As a long time user of proxy.exe I went to open a bunch of pdfs with .bat and proxy as usual - just to be stomped this time by the whole thing not working...All i get is silence. Testing the renamed proxy with clicking works, FlashPlayer refuses to open my pdf >:(
So I dug out an old project of what I knew was working and entered my new path in the bat: Tadah, runs shmooz!
Renamed the bat and exe to resemble the pdf name and the whole thing facepalmed again-wtf!
Not to torture you any longer heres the solution:
The filename , hence the name of the bat and the exe now contained a "-" character causing the failed exec command. soon as I removed that from both the exe and bat names I was golden again. the filename inside the bat still contains this infamous little character but that doesn't seem to be a showstopper...