Essential ActionScript 3.0

Chapter 7. Compiling and Running a Program

After all our hard work on the virtual zoo program, we are now ready to compile and run our code. In this chapter, we’ll learn how to compile a program with the Flash authoring tool, Flex Builder 2, and mxmlc. In each case, we’ll assume that the program being compiled resides in the folder /virtualzoo/, and that the source code for the program (i.e., the .as files) resides in the folder /virtualzoo/src/.

Now let’s do some compiling!

Compiling with the Flash Authoring Tool

To compile the virtual zoo program using the Flash authoring tool, we must first associate the program’s main class with a .fla file, as described in the following steps:

1. In the Flash authoring tool, select File →xs New.

2. On the New Document dialog, select Flash File (ActionScript 3.0), then click OK.

3. Select File → Save As.

4. On the Save As dialog, for Save in, browse to the /virtualzoo/src folder.

5. On the Save As dialog, for File name, enter VirtualZoo.fla, then click OK.

6. On the Properties panel, under Document class, enter zoo.VirtualZoo.

Once the program’s main class has been associated with a .fla file (as described in the preceding steps), we then select Control → Test Movie to compile the program and run the resulting .swf file in a test version of Flash Player directly within the Flash authoring tool. When the program runs in “Test Movie” mode, trace( ) messages appear in the Flash authoring tool’s Output panel. (You should see Stan getting hungry!)

When a program is compiled ...