Generating dynamic flash files with DCR data

Hi,

Has anyone worked on a solution with Flash/Teamsite integration wherein one of the following conditions hold:

a. An swf file is generated with DCR data as soon as the DCR is saved, each file being unique to that DCR, and swf being stored in Teamsite.

b. There is a single .swf file stored in Teamsite, which can pick DCR data at runtime(during display).

If yes, kindly share the approach taken. Even if not, all kinds of ideas and suggestions are welcome. I am not sure if this is doable or not but I do believe in workarounds. Smiley Happy

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gzevin

Hi,

Has anyone worked on a solution with Flash/Teamsite integration wherein one of the following conditions hold:

a. An swf file is generated with DCR data as soon as the DCR is saved, each file being unique to that DCR, and swf being stored in Teamsite.

b. There is a single .swf file stored in Teamsite, which can pick DCR data at runtime(during display).

If yes, kindly share the approach taken. Even if not, all kinds of ideas and suggestions are welcome. I am not sure if this is doable or not but I do believe in workarounds.

I saw (and took part) in implementation of a number of approaches, including 2 above. I am not sure as to what you would store in a DCR (this is why my answer will be as obfuscated as is your question) - but it's possible to produce XML file that will control playback of the flash, that is generated, say, with uploaded images, or with some data being streamed from a real-time source.....

vpatel

I am not a flash expert but I think you need the Adobe Flash MX or some product like that to create (or like you say "generate") the actual flash .swf file. I don't think a DCT can generate a proper .swf file. Again a disclaimer: I am not a flash expert but I know enough to be dangerous.

With that said, what you can do is this: from the DCR generate some XML (or maybe even just use the DCR itself especially if you are DCT is of XML type) and then that XML could be consumed by a pre-created Flash .swf file. One way that Flash can consume this DCR XML is by using Flash's ActionScript mechanism. Essentially your .swf file is a display wrapper. Please look into ActionScript mechanism.

HTH!

Samir_Friend

I saw (and took part) in implementation of a number of approaches, including 2 above. I am not sure as to what you would store in a DCR (this is why my answer will be as obfuscated as is your question) - but it's possible to produce XML file that will control playback of the flash, that is generated, say, with uploaded images, or with some data being streamed from a real-time source.....

So it means this is doable. Good. My DCRs will contain the content that is to be displayed by the swf(and the image paths). I think of developing an swf file which would pick data from the XMLs produced using these DCRs at runtime.

Thanks for the approach, it really helped.

Samir_Friend

I am not a flash expert but I think you need the Adobe Flash MX or some product like that to create (or like you say "generate") the actual flash .swf file. I don't think a DCT can generate a proper .swf file. Again a disclaimer: I am not a flash expert but I know enough to be dangerous.

With that said, what you can do is this: from the DCR generate some XML (or maybe even just use the DCR itself especially if you are DCT is of XML type) and then that XML could be consumed by a pre-created Flash .swf file. One way that Flash can consume this DCR XML is by using Flash's ActionScript mechanism. Essentially your .swf file is a display wrapper. Please look into ActionScript mechanism.

HTH!

I was initially thinking of using/developing some kind of script to directly generate swf files on the fly using DCR data. But, I think the XML creation approach(intermediate layer) suggested by you and gzevin would be more appropriate to pick the XML data at runtime and would be using only one .swf file.

Thanks.

gzevin

So it means this is doable. Good. My DCRs will contain the content that is to be displayed by the swf(and the image paths). I think of developing an swf file which would pick data from the XMLs produced using these DCRs at runtime.

Thanks for the approach, it really helped.

I remember creating a very elaborate DCT for DCRs to be played by Flash. That was full of formAPI stuff....

Samir_Friend

I remember creating a very elaborate DCT for DCRs to be played by Flash. That was full of formAPI stuff....

Would you like to provide more details about its content and functionalities please?

gzevin

Would you like to provide more details about its content and functionalities please?

as usual, this was dependent on the client, so they had a zillion of options that would control flash playback. And they were dependent on each other, so that was a very elaborate formAPI-wise code.

I cannot reveal much of this particular implementation but for example I have a piece of resulting code (subtituted angle brackets with square ones - no time for formatting Smiley Happy

):

[?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?]
[gallery type="slideShow" customMoviePath="" globalBG="bg.swf" globalSound ="sound.mp3" textBG="Black"
displayFor="6" ***Is this still Needed?***transitions="transitions/1.swf"*** transitionType="_alpha" textFont="" textSize="" textColor="0xffffff"]

[image path="images/1.swf" displayText1="this is the text" displayText2="" displayText3="" imgType="JPG|SWF" theURL="www.somelink.com" textTransition="FlyLeft"/]

[image path="images/2.jpg" displayText="this is the text" displayFor="6" theURL="www.somelink.com" textTransition="FlyTop"/]

[image path="images/3.jpg" displayText="this is the text" displayFor="6" theURL="www.somelink.com" textTransition="FlyBottom"/]

[image path="images/4.jpg" displayText="this is the text" displayFor="6" theURL="www.somelink.com" textTransition="FlyRight"/]

[image path="images/5.jpg" displayText1="this is the text" displayText2="" displayText3="" displayFor="6" theURL="www.somelink.com" textTransition="Fade"/]
[/gallery]

Samir_Friend

okay!! I think I got it.
Thanks for the inputs.