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Thread: Can I use Flex to develop a CD launch menu?

  1. #1
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    Can I use Flex to develop a CD launch menu?

    I'm not too familiar with Flex...
    I want to develop a nice looking menu to launch other programs on a CD or DVD
    Should I use Flex?
    Are there any considerations I need to be aware of?

    I could do this in Flash - but then would probably need other 3rd party tools or FSCommands to help launch the other programs - from past experience this hasn't proven to be a neat solution + it doesn't always work

    Ideally, I'd like to have cross platform - work with Mac as well as Windows - but that isn't essential

    Any advice would be great

    Thanks


    OM

  2. #2
    Senior Member cancerinform's Avatar
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    You can publish Flash as a projector. Why do you need 3rd party tools for that?
    - The right of the People to create Flash movies shall not be infringed. -

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by cancerinform View Post
    You can publish Flash as a projector. Why do you need 3rd party tools for that?
    ive done it before. not sure why, but i had problems making work on all windows editions
    i used 3rd party tools to get a transparent background
    i assumed flex would solve my problems?

  4. #4
    Senior Member cancerinform's Avatar
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    I think Flex is less suitable for that than Flash, because I never heard so far that one can even create a projector with Flex, although I may be wrong there.
    - The right of the People to create Flash movies shall not be infringed. -

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    Quote Originally Posted by cancerinform View Post
    I think Flex is less suitable for that than Flash, because I never heard so far that one can even create a projector with Flex, although I may be wrong there.
    ok, my bad
    i thought that was one of the things u could do with flex - create executables that could do a lot more than flash, like file manipulation and many other things that flash couldn't do because of security restrictions built in?

  6. #6
    Senior Member cancerinform's Avatar
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    What you can do with Flex you can do with Flash more or less, since in both cases you can use AS3 and end up with a swf, although the compilation of a Flex-based movie is different because of the mxml file, which is converted to AS. Flex or Flash builder as it is called now allows, however, much easier to incorporate frameworks, link to databases etc. Flex is based on Eclipse, which is a much nicer working environment and also makes debugging much easier.
    - The right of the People to create Flash movies shall not be infringed. -

  7. #7
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    ok... i think my understanding of flex was completely wrong

    is there any adobe programs at that allow me to create windows programs?
    i don't actually need to manipulate anything like files and other things
    but do need it to start like a cd program

    i have created 3 or 4 programs in the past that started when the cd was inserted
    but these used to work 90% of the time
    and on newer OS like Vista (not tried Win 7) won't even start

    thanks

  8. #8
    anyone else hear that? flashpipe1's Avatar
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    OM2,

    Why not just build your PC and Mac (if you need a cross-platform CD) in flash? You can just create an autorun.inf file to handle the self-launching (assuming the user has autorun enabled) on the PC side. I believe OSX signaled the end of autorunning on the Mac side.

    I've never had a flash published exe not run on any Windows OS...

    Flex is just for building Mobile or Web delivered applications.

    Hope that helps!
    Love like you've never been hurt, live like there's no tomorrow and dance like nobody's watching.

  9. #9
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    @flashpipe1, thanks, that helps
    i created an exe in a much older flash version - maybe 4/5 years old
    this doesn't work too well now
    i think i'll create a version using the latest flash and use autorun

    the only thing is, i need to have a transparent background
    i have an old version of mdm software that works well - but that's for much older swf's
    i don't fancy forking out $300 and buying a new version from say northcode
    edit: just checked mdm, their prices are much much much higher!!
    in a previous thread, i heard mdm were plummeting and were a shambles?
    their website seems to be spruced up a little though and looks ok now?

    hmm... not sure what to do

  10. #10
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    Launching Flash contents off a CD can be trickier than people expect. It's not just a matter of generating a projector file. In my last project, for instance, the contents end up spanning multiple discs. If an executable was lunched off a CD, pop it off would lead to an ugly system error. A lot of other UI and security-related issues as well. What I ended up doing was coding something in C++ for both Windows and Mac. Unless if you have ton of time on hand, Zinc might be your only option.

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