2. FFish scripting language getting start

Content
Use FSCommand "FFish_Eval"
Use FSCommand "FFish_Run"
The "initialize" Script

Download the testrun sample

You can use FFish scripts in your projectors or screen savers by two ways.

Use FSCommand "FFish_Eval"

This command evaluates an expression. E.g. The FFish script expression 'Dialogs.msgBox("Hello world")' displays a message box. If you want to use this expression in your projectors or screen savers, insert a "FFish_Eval" command into your movie

Use FSCommand "FFish_Run"

This command loads and executes a pre-compiled script. To launch a "hello world" message box is very simple, as you see, it needs only one line of FFish Script code. However, when you're working with a more complex job, the "FFish_Eval" command isn't too convenient for you. For maybe you need to write hundreds of lines of FFish Script code. In this case, you can use the "FFish_Run" command.

Firstly, you can edit a new script in the SWFKit script editor. Then you can call the script using the "FFish_Run" command to call it from within your Flash movies.

SWFKit will compile the FFish scripts to byte code and pack the byte code into the output executable files. That is to say, FFish Script has high performance when calling by the "FFish_Run" command. The FFish Script code called by "FFish_Eval" is written directly in Action Script and SWFKit cannot compile it to byte code, so the "FFish_Eval" command runs slower than the "FFish_Run" command.

E.g. read a line from a text file and show the content in the text field.

1. Create a new movie named "testrun" with Macromedia Flash MX, insert a text filed to display the content of the text file
   
2. Add a FSCommand "FSCommand('FFish_Run', 'ReadLine');" to Frame 1. The command loads and executes the FFish Script "ReadLine". The "ReadLine" script must open the specified text file, read one line from the text file and change the content of the text field in the "testrun" movie.
   
3. Export a SWF movie "testrun.swf".
4. Edit a text file named "testrun.txt" with notepad. Our sample will read from it.
   
5. Convert the "testrun.swf" to "testrun.exe". The "testrun.swf" movie cannot read from a text file, we must use SWFKit to extend its power. Create a new project named "testrun" using SWFKit, add the "testrun.swf" to the project
   
6. Add the "testrun.txt" into the project
   
7. Edit the "ReadLine" script in the script editor (Using the Insert->New Script command to insert a new script then changing its name to ReadLine).
   

   //ReadLine -- a demo for using FFish Run //extract the text file var path = getAdditionalFile("testrun.txt"); //open the text file and read a line var stream = new FileStream(path); var str = stream.readLine(); stream.close(); // change the content of the text field in the swf movie FlashPlayer.setVariable("_root.test", str);

   
   
8. Build and test it!
   

The "initialize" Script

SWFKit automatically inserts a script named "Initialize" into your project. You can not rename or delete the "Initialize" script.

The "Initialize" script is designed to do some initializing works. The script is executed only once just after the main window of the projector is created and before the projector has loaded a movie into the flash player. The Initialize Script is the first executed script. Functions and variables in the "Initialize" script can be "seen" in any other scripts.

Notice

A return of a Boolean value "false" of the Initialize script exists the main program. It’s highly recommended that returns true explicitly at the end of the Initialize script to ensure that the main program will continue to run.

Tips

You can write some codes in the "Initialize" script to prevent another instance of the same application from running: