Cannot Test Movie using AS3

[MVCI_MD]

Hello, I just upgraded to Web Premium CS3 Pro, and I am trying to learn AS3. However, even the simplest of "Hello World" scripting tutorials that write a trace to the output window are not executing. The output window is empty.

When I use the Check Syntax feature in the Action (F9) editor, a window alerts: "This script contains errors. The errors encountered are listed in the Compiler Errors Panel." When I check the Compiler Errors Panel, it does not contain any entries.

I have tried several of Adobe's free tutorials, and the same results . . . nothing executes and Check Syntax always produces an error. I am beginning to believe that a configuration setting in the environment is not set correctly, or something else needs to be installed. I have applied the latest update, 9.0.2, but the symptoms persist.

I can get AS2 scripts to work in Test Movie cases of my .fla files, but nothing scripted with AS3.

Does anyone know what might be the issue? I feel like I have stalled before even getting off the ground wtih AS3!!

Thanks in advance for any insight you can offer!

Mike

[kglad]

are you working in flash cs3 pro?

[BSpero-9w1iVb]

Do you have the movie set to use AS3? Since you said that AS2 scripts work, perhaps the movie settings are set to AS2.

- B

[MVCI_MD]

Thanks for the responses! I am using Flash CS3 Pro as part of the Adobe Web Premium CS3 Suite. Under Publish Settings I have the Flash tab set to Flash Player 9 and ActionScript version 3.0. As far as I am aware, I have not altered any of the default settings or configuration for the app. since I am brand new to Flash and ActionScript.

The error message is obviously very generic, and directs me to the Compiler Errors panel which is empty. I come from a C# and Java background so I can read call stacks and work through debugging errors when I have details.

I am finding it a little frustrating getting started when even the most basic tutorials are failing to execute, and the debugging details are non-apparent. Any quick suggestions you have are greatly appreciated!

[kglad]

click on the upper right of the actions panel, click filter and then click verbose. if that doesn't help, create a fla with a trace() statement that fails and post a link.

[MVCI_MD]

Thanks, kglad! I have set the "verbose" setting you advised. The basic tutorial that I have setup is a "Hello World" trace. I have "helloWorld.as" in the same directory as "helloWorld.fla". The .as file contains the following:

package{
import flash.display.MovieClip;

public class helloWorld extends MovieClip{

public function helloWorld(){
trace('Hello!');
}
}
}

Within Flash CS3 action editor, the check syntax button produces the pop-up that the script contains errors, but the Complier Errors panel is still empty (even after setting to "verbose").

In my .fla file, the Document class is set to "helloWorld". When I Test Movie, nothing appears in the Output window.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, if I start a new Flash ActionScript 2.0 file, the Check Syntax in the action editor does populate meaningful debugging entries in the Compiler Errors panel when the code is malformed.

As another test I changed the directory name of the target of my $(AppConfig)/ActionScript 3.0/Classes setting from: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Flash CS3\en\Configuration\ActionScript 3.0\Classes
to: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Flash CS3\en\Configuration\ActionScript 3.0\ Classes2

I just was concerned that under ActionScript 3.0 something was not working correctly with the Compiler Errors panel. However, with the physical directory renamed, Check Syntax produces a pop-up stating, "This script contains no errors", but the Compiler Errors panel now contains an entry about "Warning: 5004: The file 'playerglobal.swc' . . . could not be found . . . ." Obviously, this was expected, and it confirms that under ActionScript 3.0, my Compiler Errors panel is working(?)

Do you think that there is an update that I am missing, or some other critical ActionScript 3.0 component that needs to be installed? Perhaps you could suggest a better approach to making a simple test case application that uses ActionScript 3.0 as none that I have tried from the Adobe community sites seem to get beyond the original issue I was conveying in this thread.

Thanks again for your guidance!

[aniebel]

Hey, I'm having the same problem. I am wondering if it's an issue with my installation because I can mimic the setup on another machine here and it works fine. I am running Vista (ick) on the machine in question.... XP on the other. Both have the same directory configuration, both have the same global classpath set, both have the same document class set. I can place a trace statement in the FLA which appears in the output panel but the trace statement in the constructor of the document class is not showing up in the output panel.

I also set the Output panel filter to Verbose. Anyone experience problems like this with Vista?

[aniebel]

FYI, I got my issue resolved.... sort of...

On the Vista machine, I had to change all my classpaths in the package name to simply "package" where before it had included the path below where the FLA resides. See below for my folder/directory structure. Then I had to add a global classpath to point directly to the folder where my classes sit... before it was to the root of where all my classes sit for all my projects.

When I first opened this project on the Vista laptop, I also got the error about the "playerglobal.swc" missing even though I had not edited the global classpath where the file, in fact, sat. I had to delete that path and reenter it before it stopped giving that error.

I think there is something fishy with Vista on my end and the way it recognizes directories possibly. Like I said, I had the exact setup on both my XP box and my Vista laptop and could not resolve it until I did what I mentioned above.

Directory where FLA and classes are:
C:\com\FLA
C:\com\FLA\website\classes

Package descriptor:
package website.classes {...

Global classpaths:
$(AppConfig)/ActionScript 3.0/Classes
C:\com

Local classpath:
none

Document class:
website.classes.MainDocument

[kglad]

post a link to a simple fla that fails. that will me to test it and, if it fails, detect the setting that needs to be changed. if it doesn't fail, that would indicate you have a faulty installation flash.