Coldfusion Web Hosting, Java, Tomcat, Jsp, Php, Mysql, J2Ee, Servlet, Struts & Hibernate Hosting Support Blog

Debugging your scripts Flash provides several tools for testing ActionScript in your SWF files. The Debugger, discussed in the rest of this section, lets you find errors in a SWF file while it s running in Flash Player. Flash also provides the following additional debugging tools: The Output panel, which displays error messages and lists of variables and objects (see Using the Output panel on page 77) The trace statement, which sends programming notes and values of expressions to the Output panel (see Using the trace statement on page 79) The throw and try..catch..finally statements, which let you test and respond to runtime errors from within your script The availability of comprehensive compiler error messages, which let you diagnose and fix problems more readily (see Appendix A, Error Messages, on page 783) You must be viewing your SWF file in a special version of Flash Player called Flash Debug Player. When you install the authoring tool, Flash Debug Player is installed automatically. So if you install Flash and browse a website that has Flash content, or do a Test Movie, then you re using Flash Debug Player. You can also run the installer in the PlayersDebug directory, or launch the stand-alone Flash Debug Player from the same directory. When you use the Test Movie command to test movies that implement keyboard controls (tabbing, keyboard shortcuts created using Key.addListener(), and so on), select Control > Disable Keyboard Shortcuts. Selecting this option prevents the authoring environment from grabbing keystrokes, and lets them pass through to the player. For example, in the authoring environment, Control+U opens the Preferences dialog box. If your script assigns Control+U to an action that underlines text onscreen, when you use Test Movie, pressing Control+U will open the Preferences dialog box instead of running the action that underlines text. To let the Control+U command pass through to the player, you must select Control > Disable Keyboard Shortcuts. Caution: The Test Movie command fails if any part of the SWF file path has characters that cannot be represented using the MBCS encoding scheme. For example, Japanese paths on an English system do not work. All areas of the application that use the external player are subject to this limitation. The Debugger shows a hierarchical display list of movie clips currently loaded in Flash Player. Using the Debugger, you can display and modify variable and property values as the SWF file plays, and you can use breakpoints to stop the SWF file and step through ActionScript code line by line. You can use the Debugger in test mode with local files, or you can use it to test files on a web server in a remote location. The Debugger lets you set breakpoints in your ActionScript that stop Flash Player and step through the code as it runs. You can then go back to your scripts and edit them so that they produce the correct results. After it s activated, the Debugger status bar displays the URL or local path of the file, tells whether the file is running in test mode or from a remote location, and shows a live view of the movie clip display list. When movie clips are added to or removed from the file, the display list reflects the changes immediately. You can resize the display list by moving the horizontal splitter. 68 Chapter 3: Writing and Debugging Scripts
We recommend high quality webhost to host and run your jsp application: christian web host services.

To check for punctuation balance: 1 Click between braces ({}), array access operators ([]), or parentheses (()) in your script. 2 Press Control+’ (Windows) or Command+’ (Macintosh) to highlight the text between braces, brackets, or parentheses. The highlighting helps you check whether opening punctuation has correct corresponding closing punctuation. Formatting code You can specify settings to determine if your code is formatted and indented automatically or manually. You can also choose whether to view line numbers and whether to wrap long lines of code. To set format options: 1 Do one of the following In the Actions panel, select Auto Format Options from the Options pop-up menu (at the upper right of the panel). (Flash Professional only) In an external script file, choose Edit > Auto Format Options. The Auto Format Options dialog box appears. 2 Select any of the check boxes. To see the effect of each selection, look in the Preview pane. After you set Auto Format Options, your settings are applied automatically to code you write, but not to existing code. To apply your settings to existing code, you must do so manually. You might use this procedure to format code that was formatted using different settings, that you imported from another editor, and so on. To format code according to Auto Format Options settings, do one of the following: Click the Auto Format button above the Script pane. Select Auto Format from the Actions panel pop-up menu. Press Control+Shift+F (Windows) or Command+Shift+F (Macintosh). To use automatic indentation: Automatic indentation is turned on by default. To turn it off, deselect Automatic Indentation in ActionScript preferences. When automatic indentation is turned on, the text you type after ( or { is automatically indented according to the Tab Size setting in ActionScript preferences. To indent another line, select the line and press Tab. To remove the indent, press Shift+Tab. To enable or disable line numbers and word wrap: From the View Options pop-up menu, enable or disable View Line Numbers and Word Wrap. Using the ActionScript editor 67
In case you need quality webspace to host and run your web applications, try our personal web hosting services.

Similarly, if you type Escape+c+h, the following code is placed in your script, and the insertion point is placed between the parentheses, so you can begin typing your condition: catch () { } If you want to learn (or be reminded) which commands have Escape shortcut keys, you can display them next to elements in the Actions panel. To display or hide Escape shortcut keys: From the View Options pop-up menu, enable or disable View Escape Shortcut Keys. Checking syntax and punctuation To thoroughly determine whether the code you wrote performs as planned, you need to publish or test the file. However, you can do a quick check of your ActionScript code without leaving the FLA file. Syntax errors are listed in Output panel. (When you check syntax, only the current script is checked; other scripts that may be in the FLA file are not checked.) You can also check to see if a set of parentheses, curly braces, or brackets (array access operators) around a block of code is balanced. To check syntax, do one of the following: Click the Check Syntax button above the Script pane. In the Actions panel, display the pop-up menu (at the upper right of the panel) and select Check Syntax. Press Control+T (Windows) or Command+T (Macintosh). 66 Chapter 3: Writing and Debugging Scripts
We recommend cheap and reliable webhost to host and run your web applications: Coldfusion Web Hosting services.

To work with menu-style code hints: 1 Display the code hint by typing a period after the variable or object name. The code hint menu appears. Note: If a code hint doesn t appear, make sure you haven t disabled code hints on the ActionScript tab. If you want to display code hints for a variable or object you created, make sure that you have named your variable or object correctly (see Using suffixes to trigger code hints on page 62) or that you have strictly typed your variable or object (see Strictly typing objects to trigger code hints on page 62). 2 To navigate through the code hints, use the Up and Down Arrow keys. 3 To select an item in the menu, press Return or Tab, or double-click the item. 4 To dismiss the code hint, do one of the following: Select one of the menu items. Click outside the statement. Type a closing parenthesis [)] if you ve already typed an open parenthesis. Press Escape. To manually display a code hint: 1 Click in a code location where code hints can appear. Here are some examples: After the dot following a statement or command, where a property or method must be entered Between parentheses in a method name 2 Do one of the following: Click the Show Code Hint button above the Script pane. Press Control+Spacebar (Windows) or Command+Spacebar (Macintosh). If you are working in the Actions panel, open the pop-up menu (at the right side of the title bar), and select Show Code Hint. Using Escape shortcut keys You can add many elements to a script by using shortcut keys pressing the Escape key and then two other keys. (These shortcuts are different from the keyboard shortcuts that initiate certain menu commands.) For example, if you are working in the Script pane and type Escape+d+o, the following code is placed in your script, and the insertion point is placed immediately following the word while, so you can begin typing your condition: do { } while (); Using the ActionScript editor 65
We highly recommend you visit web and email hosting services if you need stable and cheap web hosting platform for your web applications.

To specify settings for automatic code hints, do one of the following: Select Edit > Preferences, and then enable or disable Code Hints on the ActionScript tab. In the Actions panel, select Preferences from the Options pop-up menu (at the upper right of the panel) and enable or disable Code Hints on the ActionScript tab. If you enable code hints, you can also specify a delay in seconds before the code hints should appear. For example, if you are new to ActionScript, you might prefer no delay so that code hints always appear immediately. However, if you usually know what you want to type and only need hints when you use unfamiliar language elements, you can specify a delay so that code hints don t appear when you don t plan to use them. To work with tooltip-style code hints: 1 Display the code hint by typing an open parenthesis [(] after an element that requires parentheses, such as a method name, a command such as if or do while, and so on. The code hint appears. Note: If a code hint doesn t appear, make sure you haven t disabled code hints on the ActionScript tab. If you want to display code hints for a variable or object you created, make sure that you have named your variable or object correctly (see Using suffixes to trigger code hints on page 62) or that you have strictly typed your variable or object (see Strictly typing objects to trigger code hints on page 62). 2 Enter a value for the parameter. If there is more than one parameter, separate the values with commas. Overloaded commands such as gotoAndPlay() or for (that is, functions or methods that can be invoked with different sets of parameters) display an indicator that allows you to select the parameter you want to set. Click the small arrow buttons or press Control+Left Arrow and Control+Right Arrow to select the parameter. 3 To dismiss the code hint, do one of the following: Type a closing parenthesis [)]. Click outside the statement. Press Escape. 64 Chapter 3: Writing and Debugging Scripts
From our experience, we can recommend PHP5 Web Hosting services, if you need affordable webhost to host and run your web application.

Object type Variable suffix LocalConnection _lc Microphone _mic MovieClip _mc MovieClipLoader _mcl PrintJob _pj NetConnection _nc NetStream _ns SharedObject _so Sound _sound String _str TextField _txt TextFormat _fmt Video _video XML _xml XMLNode _xmlnode XMLSocket _xmlsocket For information on using code hints when they appear, see Using code hints on page 63. Using comments to trigger code hints You can also use ActionScript comments to specify an object s class for code hinting. The following example tells ActionScript that the class of the instance theObject is Object, and so on. If you were to enter mc followed by a period after these comments, a code hint would display the list of MovieClip methods and properties; if you were to enter theArray followed by a period, a code hint would display a list of Array methods and properties; and so on. // Object theObject; // Array theArray; // MovieClip mc; However, Macromedia recommends using strict data typing (see Strictly typing objects to trigger code hints on page 62) or suffixes (see Using suffixes to trigger code hints on page 62) instead of this technique, because those techniques enable code hinting automatically and make your code more understandable. Using code hints Code hints are enabled by default. By setting preferences, you can disable code hints or determine how quickly they appear. When code hints are disabled in preferences, you can still display a code hint for a specific command. Using the ActionScript editor 63
Go visit our java server pages services for a reliable, lowcost webhost to satisfy all your needs.

Strictly typing objects to trigger code hints When you use ActionScript 2.0, you can strictly type a variable that is based on a built-in class, such as Button, Array, and so on. If you do so, the ActionScript editor displays code hints for the variable. For example, suppose you type the following: var names:Array = new Array(); names. As soon as you type the period (.), Flash displays a list of methods and properties available for Array objects, because you have typed the variable as an array. For more information on data typing, see Strict data typing on page 38. For information on using code hints when they appear, see Using code hints on page 63. Using suffixes to trigger code hints If you use ActionScript 1 or you want to display code hints for objects you create without strictly typing them (see Strictly typing objects to trigger code hints on page 62), you must add a special suffix to the name of each object when you create it. For example, the suffixes that trigger code hinting for the Array class and the Camera class are _array and _cam, respectively. If you type the following code: var my_array = new Array(); var my_cam = Camera.get(); and then type either of the following (the variable name followed by a period), code hints for the Array and Camera object, respectively, appear. my_array. my_cam. For objects that appear on the Stage, use the suffix in the Instance Name text box in the Property inspector. For example, to display code hints for MovieClip objects, use the Property inspector to assign instance names with the suffix _mc to all MovieClip objects. Then, whenever you type the instance name followed by a period, code hints appear. Although suffixes are not required for triggering code hints when you strictly type an object, using them consistently helps you and others understand your scripts. The following table lists the suffixes required for support of automatic code hinting: Object type Variable suffix Array _array Button _btn Camera _cam Color _color ContextMenu _cm ContextMenuItem _cmi Date _date Error _err LoadVars _lv 62 Chapter 3: Writing and Debugging Scripts
If you are in need for cheap and reliable webhost to host your website, we recommend http web server services.

Action Windows shortcut key Macintosh shortcut key Move focus to tab on the left Control-Shift-, (comma) Command-Shift-, Unpin all scripts Control-Shift– (minus) Command-Shift- Using the ActionScript editor Flash MX 2004 and Flash MX Professional 2004 provide several tools to help you write syntactically correct code and lets you set preferences for code formatting and other options. These capabilities are discussed in this section. Syntax highlighting In ActionScript, as in any language, syntax is the way elements are put together to create meaning. If you use incorrect ActionScript syntax, your scripts will not work. When you write scripts in Flash MX 2004 and Flash MX Professional 2004, commands that are not supported by the version of the player you are targeting appear in yellow in the Actions toolbox. For example, if the Flash Player SWF version is set to Flash 6, ActionScript that is supported only by Flash Player 7 appears in yellow in the Actions toolbox. (For information on setting the Flash Player SWF version, see Setting publish options for the Flash SWF file format in Using Flash Help.) You can also set a preference to have Flash color-code parts of your scripts as you write them, to bring typing errors to your attention. For example, suppose you set your Syntax coloring preference to have keywords appear in deep green. While you are typing code, if you type var, the word var appears in green. However, if you mistakenly type vae, the word vae remains black, providing you with an immediate clue that you made a typing error. To set preferences for syntax coloring as you type, do one of the following: Select Edit > Preferences, and specify Syntax coloring settings on the ActionScript tab. In the Actions panel, select Preferences from the Options pop-up menu (at the upper right of the panel) and specify Syntax coloring settings on the ActionScript tab. Writing code that triggers code hints When you work in the ActionScript editor (either in the Actions panel or Script window), Flash can detect what action you are entering and display a code hint a tooltip that contains the complete syntax for that action, or a pop-up menu that lists possible method or property names. Code hints appear for parameters, properties, and events when you strictly type or name your objects so that the ActionScript editor knows which code hints to display, as discussed in the rest of this section. For information on using code hints when they appear, see Using code hints on page 63. Note: Code hinting is enabled automatically for native classes that don t require you to create and name an object of the class, such as Math, Key, Mouse, and so on. Using the ActionScript editor
If you are in need for cheap and reliable webhost to host your website, we recommend http web server services.

Managing scripts in a FLA file If you don t centralize all your code within a FLA file in one location, you can pin (lock in place) multiple scripts in the Actions panel to make it easier to move among them. In the following figure, the script associated with the current location on the Timeline is on Frame 1 of the layer named Cleanup. (The tab at the far left always follows your location along the Timeline.) That script is also pinned (it is shown as the rightmost tab). Two other scripts are pinned; one on Frame 1 and the other on Frame 15 of the layer named Intro. You can move among the pinned scripts by clicking on the tabs or by using keyboard shortcuts. Moving among pinned scripts does not change your current position on the Timeline. Tip: If the content displayed in the Script pane isn t changing to reflect the location that you are selecting on the Timeline, the Script pane is probably displaying a pinned script. Click the leftmost tab at the lower left of the Script pane to display the ActionScript associated with your location along the Timeline. To pin a script: 1 Position your pointer on the Timeline so the script appears in a tab at the lower left of the Scriptpane in the Actions panel. 2 Do one of the following: Click the pushpin icon to the right of the tab. (If the pushpin looks like the icon at the far left, the script is already pinned; clicking that icon unpins it.) Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) on the tab, and select Pin Script. Select Pin Script from the Options pop-up menu (at the upper right of the panel). To unpin one or more scripts: Do one of the following: If a pinned script appears in a tab at the lower left of the Script pane in the Actions panel, click the pushpin icon to the right of the tab. (If the pushpin looks like the icon on the far left, the script is already unpinned; clicking that icon pins it.) Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) on a tab, and select Close Script or Close All Scripts. Select Close Script or Close All Scripts from the Options pop-up menu (at the upper right of the panel). To use keyboard shortcuts with pinned scripts: You can use the following keyboard shortcuts to work with pinned scripts: Action Windows shortcut key Macintosh shortcut key Pin script Control-= (equal sign) Command-= Unpin script Control– (minus sign) Command- Move focus to tab on the right Control-Shift-. (period) Command-Shift-. 60 Chapter 3: Writing and Debugging Scripts
Go visit our java server pages services for a reliable, lowcost webhost to satisfy all your needs.

In the Actions panel, the Actions toolbox also contains a Script navigator, which is a visual representation of the locations in the FLA file that have associated ActionScript; you can navigate through your FLA file here to locate ActionScript code. If you click an item in the Script navigator, the script associated with that item appears in the Script pane, and the playhead moves to that position on the Timeline. If you double-click an item in the Script navigator, the script gets pinned (see Managing scripts in a FLA file on page 60). Actions toolbox Script navigator* Pop-up menu* * Actions panel only There are also several buttons above the Script pane: Insert target path* Add item to script Check Syntax Reference Find Auto Format Debug Options* Replace Show Code Hint View Options pop-up menu * Actions panel only You edit actions, enter parameters for actions, or delete actions directly in the Script pane. You can also double-click on an item in the Actions toolbox or the Add (+) button above the Script pane to add actions to the Script pane. Using the Actions panel and Script window 59
If you are searching for cheap webhost for your web application, please visit MySQL5 Web Hosting services.