Preview of development tasks

Getting Started > Preview of development tasks

Preview of development tasks

The following checklist provides a high-level overview of the tasks you must complete for any application to work with Flash Communication Server. Each of these tasks is discussed in this chapter in more detail, so you should read this entire chapter.

To create and deploy a Flash Communication Server application, complete the following tasks:

1

Select a name for your new application (for example, my_app) and register the application with the server: in the Flash Communication Server applications directory, create a new directory with the name of your application. This name is your registered application name. The directory is your registered application directory.

2

In Flash MX, create a FLA file that includes a new NetConnection statement with the registered application name and, if applicable, the application instance in the URI. For example:

my_nc = new NetConnection(); my_nc.connect("rtmp://myDomain.com/registered_app_name");

This statement connects the client to the registered_app_name application.

3

Save the FLA file with your registered application name. You can store the FLA file anywhere; it is a source file used to create the SWF and is not part of the deployed application.

4

If you have a script file that contains server-side ActionScript, put it in the registered application directory in the Flash Communication Server applications directory or a /scripts directory, which you create, within the registered application directory. Your server-side script file can be named main.asc or registered_app_name.asc.

5

Publish the SWF for your application in a directory accessible to your clients that is not used by Flash Communication Server. For example, you could put your SWF in your web publishing directory that will serve your application to your clients, or you could e-mail the SWF to your clients and store the SWF in some other directory.

Depending on your application, additional steps will be required; however, these steps are necessary for all applications, regardless of their functionality.

Tip: Macromedia recommends you use all lowercase letters and no spaces when naming directories and files used with Flash Communication Server and its applications. This practice helps to ensure that, during development, your applications will work if you move files to different computers on different platforms.

The rest of this chapter describes what's involved in setting up your applications, introduces the objects and files used in Flash Communication Server applications, and shows you how to connect to and create your first Flash Communication Server application.

1	Select a name for your new application (for example, my_app) and register the application with the server: in the Flash Communication Server applications directory, create a new directory with the name of your application. This name is your registered application name. The directory is your registered application directory.
2	In Flash MX, create a FLA file that includes a new NetConnection statement with the registered application name and, if applicable, the application instance in the URI. For example:
	my_nc = new NetConnection(); my_nc.connect("rtmp://myDomain.com/registered_app_name");
	This statement connects the client to the registered_app_name application.
3	Save the FLA file with your registered application name. You can store the FLA file anywhere; it is a source file used to create the SWF and is not part of the deployed application.
4	If you have a script file that contains server-side ActionScript, put it in the registered application directory in the Flash Communication Server applications directory or a /scripts directory, which you create, within the registered application directory. Your server-side script file can be named main.asc or registered_app_name.asc.
5	Publish the SWF for your application in a directory accessible to your clients that is not used by Flash Communication Server. For example, you could put your SWF in your web publishing directory that will serve your application to your clients, or you could e-mail the SWF to your clients and store the SWF in some other directory.