Scripting /Expressions in AE: Similar to Flash/ActionScript?

I think about learning AE, but I would like to get an overview about the Software, so that I can decide if it's suitable for what I am planning to do.
I have little experience in Flash/ActionScript, but I can't get a picture what Scripting means in AE. Can this be compared to Script-Languages like ActionScript and Lingo?
And what is the difference between "Scripting" and "Expressions" in AE.
Thank's!
Roland

Expressions are layer-based formulae/commands that manipulate the layer and its content/effects based on factors such as time, random number generation, variables, and other layers and elements within the project. An expression can only change elements of the layer parameter to which it is applied - it cannot alter any other layer or parameter within your project, although it can "see" changes in other elements and react accordingly.
AE Scripting, however, is an application-wide scripting language, which can perform almost any possible function within AE, from creating new projects, comps and layers, to reading data from external files, sending emails etc.
Both are customized adaptations of Java Script. Both were developed independently of Flash Actionscript, so while they share similarities, they are not the same.
One of the best places to learn about AE Scripts and Expressions is Dan Ebbert's fantastic site:
http://www.motionscript.com
And, of course, the AE manual. Expressions:
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/AfterEffects/9.0/WS3878526689cb91655866c1103906c6dea-7a39a.htm l
Scripting:
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/AfterEffects/9.0/WSD2616887-A41E-4a39-85FE-957B9D2D3843.html

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How to use or call component in custom script expression

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you can define code in a component (a service or an IDOC Include) that you can then call from the workflow "custom" tab.
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<@dynamichtml myInclude@>
<$do Some Stuff$>
<@end@>
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Can someone help with insertion of Flash actionscript 3.0 swf into Dreamweaver spry widget panel?

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i recieve this output when i click the 'next' and 'back' buttons within the menu9.SWF.
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does this seem right?
import fl.events.ScrollEvent;
aSp.setSize(600, 350);
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trace("horizontalScPosition: " + aSp.horizontalScrollPosition +
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aSp.addEventListener(ScrollEvent.SCROLL, scrollListener);
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trace(event.target.source + " has completed loading.");
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aSp.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, completeListener);
aSp.addEventListener("main swf", scrollResetListener);
function scrollResetListener(event:Event):void {
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Adobe Java Script Expressions

Question #1    I have a check box field and two data fields containing only letters no numbers in an Adobe Acrobat Form. I would like to have a java script expression that if the Check box 1 field is checked, the contents of Data Field 1 will be automatically entered into Data Field 2 .
Please provide script and below are the 3 fields.
Check box 1 field: Checked
Data Field 1
Data Field 2
Question #2    I have a field labeled Full Address that I am trying to get the following fields to populate from. The problem in my expression is when there is no Suite then there is an extra comma still showing.
Please provide script.
Sample of my script below.
event.value = this.getField("Merchant_Addr1").value.concat( ", ", this.getField("Merchant_Addr2").value) + ", " + this.getField("Merchant_City").value + ", " + this.getField("Merchant_State").value + " " + this.getField(" Merchant_Zip").value;
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Data Field State
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For question number 2, I would use a reusable document level function to combine 3 fields a time and adjust for null field values.
// Concatenate 3 strings with separators where needed
function fillin(s1, s2, s3, sep) {
Purpose: concatenate up to 3 strings with an optional separator
inputs:
s1: required input string text or empty string
s2: required input string text or empty string
s3: required input string text or empty string
sep: optional separator sting
returns:
sResult concatenated string
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var test = 0; // all strings null
var sResult; // re slut string to return
// force any number string to a character string for input variables
s1 = s1.toString();
s2 = s2.toString();
s3 = s3.toString();
if(sep.toString() == undefined) sep = ''; // if sep is undefined force to null
assign a binary value for each string present
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when converted to a binary value
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if (s2 != "") test += 2; // string 2 present add binary value: 010
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/* return appropriate string combination based on
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case "0": // no non-empty strings passed - binary 0
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break;
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break;
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break;
case "11": // string 1 and 2 present - binary 10 + 1
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break;
default: // any missed combinations
     sResult = "";
break;
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// custom calculation script;
var Addr1 = this.getField("Merchant_Addr1").valueAsString;
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== since I installed firefox

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Here is the download page for Click-to-PlugIn:
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What next of Flash Actionscript Developer features ?

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Hi Sanjay,
To know more about Adobe's Roadmap for Flash-related technologies, please read this white paper.
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New to flash actionscript, making a game.

Hi. My name's Rory.
I am an artist.
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=PimpOfPixels
http://roaring23.cgsociety.org/gallery/
I am learning action script and Flash so that I can make
games.
I am not a complete novice in programming. I am proficient in
Java and in MaxScript (3DSMAX embedded language).
I have been making some progress in action script and I have
a functional (although incomplete) game in the works. You can view
it here:
http://secure2.streamhoster.com/~rlu...orniverous.swf
The idea is it's a color game
red beats green, green beats, blue beats red. Think paper
scissor rock.
The idea is to change the entire circle into one color.
The graphics are place holders BTW.
I am using FlexBuilder 2.0 and Flash CS3, and I have come
across a problem not covered in either of my books.
I'd really appreciate any help that you guys can offer.
I have gotten this far on my own.
My #1 question (and I have many more) is:
How do you through Flash specify animation segments for a
MovieClip Symbol?
Notice how the red creatures occasionally open their mouths.
I want to have a walk, an attack, an absorb, and a bounce animation
on the same timeline and trigger the appropriate one depending on
which color the creature collides with. I do not know how to go
about this problem. I’ve just been trying to get the walk
animation to loop without playing the attack animation so far.
I've tried frame-labeling in flash, with scripts on the key
frames of a second layer that specify when to stop or repeat the
animation... No dice.
I have a symbol named RedShot in the library of a flash
project named "graphics"
In my timeline I have 2 animation segments, and I have a
second layer denoting two corresponding frames named "walk" and
"attack" from the properties menu.
On the final frames of the animations I have scripts.
Code:
gotoAndPlay("walk");
and
Code:
gotoAndPlay("attack");
respectively.
Im my library I have linkage options specified as such:
Class:RedShot
BaseClass:flash.display.MovieClip
export of actionscript#CHECKED
export on 1st frame#CHECKED
on the main stage of my flash project I have actionscript for
2 functions:
Code:
function walk(){
red_shot.gotoAndPlay("walk");
function attack(){
red_shot.gotoAndPlay("attack");
I export the project and the opened window has the "walk"
animation looping properly.
In my FlexBuilder project I embed the symbol
Code:
//Inside class global variables:
[Embed(source="../graphics.swf", symbol="RedShot")]
public var RedShot:Class;
private var _shot:MovieClip;
Code:
//and in my buildShot function:
_shot = new RedShot();
addChild(_shot);
When I build the project the characters appear, and they
animate. The only trouble is that there are no breaks in the
animation. The animation loops right through the frames where I
have specified that the animation should "gotoAndPlay" from a
different part.
What's weirder is that I can call
Code:
"gotoAndPlay("attack");"
without an error and it will go to and play from that point.
The only trouble is that it will begin to loop the entire animation
again without stopping at the gotoAndPlay events stored in the
frames of the timeline.
It seems like all embedded actions are ignored, add I can't
think of another way to controll the animation.
Any thoughts?

After hours of searching the internet I finally got this
blasted question figured out.
How to you export a symbol from Flash for use in a Flex
Builder project without destroying actionscript stored within the
frames of the Symbol's timeline?
That's a long winded way of saying: "In FlexBuilder, how do
you control MovieClips from Flash". I'm trying to make games, and
this was a particularly important question for me :).
Here's how:
1) You need a hotfix from Adobe.
[HTML]http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=kb401493&sliceId=2[/HTML]
This allows Flash CS3 to export a SWC file.
2)You have to set the linkage properties for your various
symbols in the flash library panel.
a)right click on symbol in library panel
b)choose "linkage"
c)"Class:" = (pick a name)
d)"Base class:" = flash.display.MovieClip;
e)"Export for ActionScript" = CHECKED
f)"Export in first frame"=CEHCKED
3)If you want to have multiple segmented animations as I
certainly did you'll want to create frames and actionscripts within
the symbols timeline to define where these animations are.
a) in the symbol's timeline make a second layer. We'll name
that layer "labels" for the sake of not having this get too
confusing.
b) on that layer create a new frame for each of the animation
segments that you'd like to define and stretch them to the length
of the corresponding animations.(I'm assuming that you have a
keyframe animation on the 1st layer... otherwise what's the point
of all this :P?)
c)in the properties panel name the frames in the "labels"
layer accordingly ie. "walk" "run" shoot" etc.
d)Define whether the various animations play once or loop by
adding a script to the last frame of the animation. If you want the
animation to loop add
[CODE]gotoAndPlay("name-of-the-animation");[/CODE]
if you want the animation to play once and stop add
[CODE]stop();[/CODE]
if you want the animation to play once and then return to a
different animation add
[CODE]gotoAndPlay("name-of-a-different-animation");[/CODE]
4) now you can export the symbols to an SWC file. Note: you
do not get this option unless you have installed the hotfix.
[HTML]http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=kb401493&sliceId=2[/HTML] .
a)rightclick on a symbol in the library panel
b)choose "exportSWCfile..."
c)export the file to a logical place such as the root of your
FlexBuilder project.
5) Now you have to tell flexbuilder about the new SWC file.
Note: Once this file is added to the FlexBuilder library you can
instantiate classes from it as though they were included using the
"include" function.
a)Right clicking on the root of the project in the Navigator
view.
b)going to properties.
c)Going to library path. (2nd tab)
d)and pressing the "Add SWC" button
Now you're done and you can instantiate any of the symbols
from your library while preserving any actions from your symbols
timeline just as though you had imported it as a class from a
typical library.
Sweet huh?
Thanks to the countless people and internet resources I found
on the subject. Hopefully it will be easier for anyone who finds
this post.
Here's an adobe video which covers the basic process.
https://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/_a300965365/p75214263/

Captivate progress bar controlled by Flash Actionscript

Hi,
I am currently working on a project where I need to load multiple captivate files (topics) into a Flash interface to create an e-Learning module. I have greated a progress indicator within the Flash interface which indicates how far through the module you are. This is working correctly, however I would like to display more information.
Currently it only moves the progress indicator when a particular topic (captivate swf) has been viewed (if I have viewed 4 topics out of 10 it would show 40%). What I would like to do is also make the progress indicator move when the user moves to a new slide within the captivate movie (if I have viewed 4 out of 10 topics, and viewed 5 out of 10 slides of the current captivate movie it would show 45%).
As I mentioned the multiple captivate movies are being loaded into Flash, and that is where the progress indicator is currently sitting (controlled by Actionscript). Is there any way of Flash finding out when the user has navigated to a new slide within Captivate? I have noticed in the output that every time a new slide is viewed the following code is displayed to the output:
Branching::script:;;
deepak branching : scripteval:[object Object];
Does anyone know what this action/function that Captivate is calling is? Can I call a listener function testing for this action/function?
Kind regards,
Duncan

Hi Duncan,
The "deepack" output is a trace function the developer put inside of Captivate 4 for testing purposes I believe and doesn't serve any other purpose. There is a Captivate 4 system variable available from the Project>Actions>Variables menu that will track the current frame(slide) within Captivate. If you load the published captivate .swf file into Flash, you can access this variable by targeting the instance of the loaded .swf movie and then the name of the variable.
Dan

Open a browser window from flash actionscript 2 in safari or firefox

I am having a problem. I found the actionscript 2 code to open a browser window, but it is not working in Safari, or Firefox. I found an old action script 1 file version 5 for the flash player that works just fine, but I am using 8 and actionscript 2 so that doesn't work for me.
Any body have any idea how I can do this?

if you're testing locally, use:
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HTML swap image command from Flash Actionscript

Is there a way within Flash, with actionscript, to make an
image swap on an html page? Help!

yes it is posible.
set img id for the image in your html, e.g: Image1
<img id="Image1" src="pic01.jpg" width="100" height="100"
alt="" />
lets say you have a button, when click on it, it swap Image1
to pic02.jpg
on(press){
getURL("javascript:MM_swapImage('Image1','','pic02.jpg',1)")
and another button, when click on it, restore original image,
on(press){
getURL("javascript:MM_swapImgRestore()")
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head tag

An flash ActionScript error has occurred

so i keep getting action script errors, when looking on here for answers it seems other people have had this problem as well for a while. i am pretty sure it is due to the ads, and i am pissed that the 8.1 skype client refuses to work now and i am forced into using this crappy disktop client that keeps giving me errors due to ads! i do not want ads! i have skype 7.7 and flash 18. i have uninstalled and reinstalled skype, it hasnt helped. i have also had flash issues in my web browser and had to install the ad block plus extention to stop the flash ads. why the heck does skype have to have ads for pc!?

If you are getting constant actionscript errors then you more than likely have the debug version of Flash for IE installed. To resolve those error you would need to completely uninstall Flash and install the standard version of Flash. https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-windows.html Download and install the latest version of Adobe Flash for IE ( currently 18 )
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Flash / Actionscript URL Request Issue

Morning Smart Peoples.
So I have a dangerously rudimentry knowledge of Flash and Actionscript and the website I tend to is giving me issues.
We have a small Flash Movie on the site that cycles through 3 pictures and each picture links to the corresponding website when you click on it. (To view : http://www.bostonleather.com : Top Right Corner) I updated the links in the Actionscript, and changed the pictures (not my first time doing either), but this time it didn't work so well.
First time it cycles through, everything works as planned. After it loops however, all additional Mouse Event's link to the last URL in the movie.
Frame 1 Actions
play();
btn_inv.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, mouseClick);
function mouseClick (event:MouseEvent):void
var request = new URLRequest("http://www.kanoycommunications.com/");
navigateToURL(request,"_blank");
Other Frame Actions are identical to this minus the "play();" function naming and URL
Final Frame is simply
gotoAndPlay(1);
Thanks.
Marc

If you are assigning different event listeners to the same button then that could be your problem. You should only need to assign that listener once in frame 1. Similarly, you should only need to define the function in frame 1, but pull the request declaration out of the function and then assign it a new URLRequest value at the different point along the timeline...
Frame 1 Actions
play();
var request = new URLRequest("http://www.kanoycommunications.com/");
btn_inv.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, mouseClick);
function mouseClick (event:MouseEvent):void
navigateToURL(request,"_blank");
Frame elsewhere Actions
request = new URLRequest("http://www.someotherurl.com/");

Firefox is having "Script" issues (Not Responding) und possibly Flash issues?

Okay, downloaded Firefox for the first time in like a year yesterday. It was working beautifully, oh, how I've missed it. I hate using Google Chrome with a fiery burning passion.
However, though it was working perfectly yesterday, I have not downloaded anything or got any plug-ins/extensions, whatever.
Today, however, I can go to www.google.com (on firefox), but if I try to go to my banks website, or imvu.com, or something like that, all the sudden Firefox decides to hang. It freezes und I get that annoying "(Not Responding)" at the top. I have to close out of the browser entirely, open it up und forgo the session restore.
Some websites are okay, however, it seems many of them aren't.
I get a script error message, so far the one for imvu.com that popped up was "lookout.bluecava" or something like that. Asked if I wanted to wait for script to respond or if I wanted to stop it. Either way, it ends with me closing out und starting back at google.
Right now, to ask this question, I had to re-download google chrome, und log in from that browser since Firefox doesn't even want to support it's own support forum! Crazy stuff, right?
Anyway, since it's having a "script" issue, I went to java, made sure I had the updated java installed on my computer, then I made sure that I had the updated java plug-in. Und I even downloaded the 64bit java for it as well, both the 7u45 or whatever.
So, my java on my comp und firefox browser are seemingly up to date, und the Add-On thing for Firefox to check if plugins are up to date says they all of them are up to date.
Still having the issue. The moment I go to imvu or another site that has that issue, it freezes within 10 seconds und that's all she wrote.
So, I'm really not wanting to go back to Google Chrome for another year, I miss the hell out of Firefox.
To Add: The issue I am having right now with Firefox is the same issue I had a year ago, when I had to uninstall firefox und go with Chrome in the first place.
But, since it was acting normal yesterday when I installed it, I figured that it was fixed. Wrong in less than 24 hours.
Before I submitted this, I decided to hop back onto Firefox und try something.
I disabled the Shockwave Flash und the Shockwave Director plugins. Now, Firefox is working again.
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
It asks me if I want to install the "flash" plugins needed to view some content on the page (I used imvu.com to try it out after disabling the shockwave), but still runs.
So, what do I need to do for flash? Or better yet, what's going on with it?
I downloaded the flash yesterday within half an hour of starting Firefox up after downloading it. Und it worked just fine for hours.
I shut the comp down, packed it up, went home, come back to work, hop on the net und BAM. All the sudden Shockwave is having issues with Firefox when nothing was done to instigate it? Doesn't make sense.
Other info:
Windows 7 Home Premium on HP laptop.

I will give Firefox 24.1 a try und see if shockwave flash actually works without making it hang und resulting in need of force close.

I have a problem with a php script for loading dynamic pages using flash as menu bar, but the urls in the flash is not processed by the php script only in firefox

'''php script:'''
<?php
$page = $_GET['page'];
if ($page)
include ("inc/".$page.".php");
else
include ("inc/home.php");
?>
'''Action script 2.0 in flash:'''
on(release){
getURL("index.php?page=new");
}

A good place to ask questions and advice about web development is at the mozillaZine Web Development/Standards Evangelism forum.<br />
The helpers at that forum are more knowledgeable about web development issues.
You need to register at the mozillaZine forum site in order to post at that forum.
See http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewforum.php?f=25

Scripting /Expressions in AE: Similar to Flash/ActionScript?

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