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Question

Accessing old Actionscript 2.0 in Animate?

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
June 30, 2020
4 replies
9366 views

I am working on a summer project to convert my old educational Flash apps to something modern. I just learned that Flash Professional is no longer available and it has been replaced with Animate. But when I open my old Flash files in Animate, my Actionscript 2.0 code within the file is lost completely! I don't even get an option to export the code to an external text file! Animate's Help is no help on this issue.

Is all my old code now lost? Is there a way to install Flash Professional temporarily so I can at least retrieve my old code from the .fla files? Help me Animate Community, you're my only hope!

This topic has been closed for replies.

Z

zumbasan

New Participant

KRHealy hello,

I know it's been a year since you posted your query here, but some advice if you haven't finished migrating/converting your projects: Stick with AS2! Take a look at the Ruffle Emulator, which is currently converting for AS2 only (and not fully, but pretty durn good): https://ruffle.rs/

My team also specializes in educational modules. We're working on getting our older work back up to speed via minor edits using an old version of Macromedia Flash 8 Professional and Ruffle integration.

Feel free to contact me to commiserate or discuss process, and good luck!

Ann Zumwinkle

ann@zumwinkle.com

zumwinkle.com

C

CreativeDev-e

Participating Frequently

@BioME @krhealy There are many alternatives, what it is better to look for is HTML5 builders & exporters. HTML5 have a better future as there are many software packages to produce it. There isn't a software that is similar to Flash to produce them, every software has it's own ways.

Actually, Animate is not bad at all if it is used for specific things, it follows Flash interface and animation, I use it sometimes to create simple animations to be exported to gif.

Adobe considers AS3 is a big advancement, while they made everything very complicated to work with, so it would not be easy to work with it, AS2 in Flash has a suggestion engine which made life much easier. Animate does support HTML5, but again, the worst thing ever that it does not handle AS2 at the time Flash player has stopped completely, this makes older developments useless to use or develop.

For those who want to access their original work, the last version that works with AS2 is Flash Pro CS6 while you could still get the code in text using Swf decompilers.

I hope this is useful.

Regards,

C

CreativeDev-e

Participating Frequently

Unfortunately that many of the best tools ever built have been taken over by adobe only to throw them in trash and to waste a large number of developers work.

Since many years, I have decided not to use adobe products unless it is necessary or I have files to open them, instead using better tools that builders listen to you when you shout out.

New adobe products rarely have good points to use, but in general, they are very lousy.

I tried many times to communicate with adobe on corporate level, but they are ignoring everyone.

Regards,

BioME

Known Participant

Hi CreativeDev-e, what better tools do you recommend? I'm particularly interested in replacments for Flash, (now called Animate for some reason). I've developed a process to salvage my old SWFs, but in the future I would be better off using a better product that won't have to be converted when they're done.

n. tilcheff

Brainiac

Hi mate,

Find a copy of Flash Pro CS6 somehow. It is the last version that supports AS2.

You will find no help here, unfortunately.

The official stance of Adobe has been to completely ignore everyone who has been building stuff in AS2 and literally spit in their faces.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/animate/not-allowed-to-use-flash-anymore/td-p/10478456?page=1

There is no 'community' here either - just a bunch of 5-6 people answering questions to random first-time users.

Nick - Character Designer and Animator, Flash user since 1998 | Member of the Flanimate Power Tools team - extensions for character animation

K

krhealyAuthor

New Participant

Thanks for the reply, Nick. You reinforce my previous experience with Adobe and its "community". Back when I was learning AS 2.0 to design the original apps I'm now trying to update, I was regularly ignored. It is sad to me that Adobe continues to buy up strong products and drain the life out of them. I refuse to use any Substance products now.

n. tilcheff

Brainiac

Yeah, mate, it's a very sad state of affairs.

Fat cats become complacent and lazy, and arrogant.

Competition in animation software is eating them alive.

Adobe sold AIR, too, recently and there is a huge amount of uncertainty about that among app developers who were using that platform for iOS and Android.

Animate has been having huge performance issues for years now, and even though useful new features are introduced, they are all half-baked and not production-ready. The future of Animate is uncertain, regardless of the hype they are trying to produce. The only thing that is certain now is that each new version brings worse performance, huge regressions and bugs that can blow your mind. You ask yourself if even one person tests those builds before release.

It's like a perpetual beta. Not even beta, alpha maybe.

The lack of community is most likely a reflection of the state of the current socio-economic and cultural situation in general, the declining popularity of Flash, and also the lack of optimism in regards to Animate's future among experienced long-term users, who were passionate about it and loved it for years. For a long time they were ignored and now they are milked non-stop, receiving worsening quality as the rent constantly increases.

Good luck!

Nick - Character Designer and Animator, Flash user since 1998 | Member of the Flanimate Power Tools team - extensions for character animation

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