Projectors with MAC Applescript - Read this if you're stuck

[guru_midge]

I've just spent about a day and a half of my life, along with others in our studio trying to get a HYBRID CD ROM projector working.
Its a simple project - just a frontend GUI with a set of buttons to open up folders on the disc with relevent content in them.

I had issues with getting the Applescript code to work from the projector. I could run the script in script editor no probs, but clicking through from the flash projector didn't work.

The problem? Flash CS3.
I'd set my publish settings to flash player 8 and actionscript 2, but this didn't help.
To solve it, i saved the whole .fla as a flash 8 document, opened it on an older machine in flash 8, published from there and it works fine.

It annoyed me on here when people just said 'i've sorted it, thanks', so decided to post back and help out anyone who's stuck like me. So below i've pasted all the code and links that helped me out.


I've been using this forum massively - this post:
Northcodes Proxy

To open folders on windows:

drv = _url.substr(8,1);
getURL(drv+":\\folder"); // change the folder name to whatever you need

Northcodes SmartExec function works a treat along with his proxy application:

function SmartExec(target)
{
   platform = $version.slice(0,3);
   if (platform == "WIN") {
      fscommand("exec", target + ".exe");
   } else {
      fscommand("exec", target + "_script");
   }
}

and if you're using an actionscript version that doesn't support slice, then:

function SmartExec(target)
{
   platform = substring(getVersion(), 1,3);
   if (platform == "WIN") 
   {
      // we're running on Windows, target an EXE file
      fscommand("exec", target + ".exe");
   } 
   else 
   {
      // we're running on a MAC, target an AppleScript file
      fscommand("exec", target + "_script");
   }
}

Applescripting walkthrough here:
Morgadinho

[Northcode]

You won't be pleased to hear this, but you've run headlong into a known issue.

Adobe badly bruised the EXEC function when they released CS3 as I mentioned on my blog in this post almost a year ago... FSCommand EXEC is Broken in Flash CS3.

The latest copy of my Proxy utility (version 3.0) fixes this for Windows but I haven't created a solution for the Mac yet

[guru_midge]

Hi Northcode,

I'd actually read your blog post on that subject, but didn't really digest it properly!
Since you'd stated that it works in windows with your proxy app, i just assumed foolishly that it would on Mac!

As they say round here...."chin up!"....

[jrosenbomb]

I'm having trouble, and it's not on the pc side. I used this utility called Jstart from ***********.

but the mac side isn't working. I am working on CS3, I can use our old computer with cs2. but that didn't work.

I want to just open folders and I do the
fscommand("exec", "actionscriptname"); but nothing happens. when I run the actionscript it opens the folder... even after I've burned it, I run it and it opens the folder on the cd.

and for some reason I can't launch a local webpage on the CD. it works when I run the projector locally, but when I burn the CD, it doesn't work... what's with this. (by the way, I'm using geturl)

[guru_midge]

hey Jrosenbomb,

I've been away on holiday for a week or so - have you got your problem fixed now?

[celligsen]

I have tried to create a hybrid CD which includes installers for both PC and MAC. The PC works like a charm. The MAC side simply doesn't. I have created AppleScripts which work quite well, but the fscommand("exec",whatever) doesn't work. My applescript name is L1. So, I have put in for whatever, "L1", "L1_script", "L1.script", "L1.scpt_script", and "L1_script.scpt" - none of which have worked. I am using CS3 and have copied the fscommand folder into the MacOS folder. I don't know what else to try. Help!