As3 - How To Check What IDE the SWF is Running From with Code?

[Emily_zooz]

Hello, I know this is kind of a strange thing to I want to find, but here is a little backstory as to why I'm trying to do this:

I am making an online multiplayer flash game. I am using flash builder and flash professional for writing as3 and working with graphics. I am also running a development server (by playerio in visual studio ultimate). The way I am testing this online multiplayer game is by running the swf once from flash professional and once from flash builder. They are both connected to the exact same action script 3 code and flash movie clips (via a swc file). I like this setup a lot because flash pro and flash builder each have their own little output area, and I can see the debugging output for each user separately.

The Problem

Although the two swf's are running the exact same code, I want them to behave differently. For example, the flash pro version gets a reference to the image from:

    _gameOverPopup = this["gameOverPopup"];

and the flash builder user gets it like this:

    _gameOverPopup = new GameOverPopup;

There are many other differences as well. For example, I am automatically authenticating and logging in with a different user in each case by just hardcoding username and password in. So now my code looks something like this:

    if (inFlashBuilder) {

         // this only happens when debugging in Flash Builder

         authenticateWith("billyboy", "Secret123");

    }

    else {

         // this only happens when debugging in Flash Professional

         authenticateWith("joeshmoe", "password1");

    } 

This works great, but I am manually changing the inFlashBuilder variable in my code. I basically just have it at the top of the class:

    private var inFlashBuilder:Boolean = true;

and I have to manually changing it from true to false each time before I compile. Oh man, I wish there were a method in System or something like that which I could use control this flag variable. If only...

[kglad]

you can use conditional compiling.  this is an excerpt from Flash Game Development

To define the compilation constants, click File > Publish Settings > ActionScript 3.0 Settings > Config constants. (See Fig11-16.)

               [Config constants panel where you define conditional compilation constants.]

Click the Add config constant icon (plus sign) and change CONFIG::CONFIG_CONST to CONFIG::AIR. Then double click the value column next to CONFIG::AIR and type false.  Likewise, add CONFIG::WEB and assign a value of true. Obviously, if you want to publish an AIR version, assign opposite values to those two constants.

in your code, the following block will compile only if CONFIG:AIR is true in the settings panel

CONFIG::AIR{

// do whatever

}

and the code in this block will not compile if CONFIG::WEB is false.

CONFIG::WEB{

// do whatever else

}

[Emily_zooz]

Hey, thanks alot. This works great. In order to not cause errors publishing from flash builder I also had to add the config constants there. But that's just in Project -> Properties -> Actionscript Compiler

Then I added this:

-define=CONFIG::IN_FLASH_PROFESSIONAL,false

Then in Flash Pro Actionscript 3 settings I made it true:

woohoo!

[Emily_zooz]

Just to let every know "else" doesn't work with config constants. But you can still do flash builder only things with 1 config constant with the ! operator

CONFIG::IN_FLASH_PROFESSIONAL

{

      // happens only in flash pro

}

!CONFIG::IN_FLASH_PROFESSIONAL

{

     // happens only in flash builder

}

[kglad]

you're welcome.

p.s. please mark helpful/correct responses.