You cant use ActionScript to set the Allow or Deny value for a user, but you can display the Privacy panel for the user by using System.showSettings(0). If the user selects Remember, the Flash Player no longer displays the Privacy dialog box for movies from this domain. If Microphone.get returns null, either the microphone is in use by another application, or there are no microphones installed on the system. To determine whether any microphones are installed, use Microphones.names.length. To display the Flash Player Microphone Settings panel, which lets the user choose the microphone to be referenced by Microphone.get, use System.showSettings(2).
The following example lets the user specify the default microphone, then captures audio and plays it back locally. To avoid feedback, you may want to test this code while wearing headphones.
System.showSettings(2); myMic = Microphone.get(); _root.attachAudio(myMic);
Microphone.index, Microphone.muted, Microphone.names, Microphone.onStatus, MovieClip.attachAudio, NetStream.attachAudio

Microphone.index

activeMicrophone.index
Read-only property; a zero-based integer that specifies the index of the microphone, as reflected in the array returned by Microphone.names.
Microphone.get, Microphone.names

Microphone.muted

activeMicrophone.muted
Read-only property; a Boolean value that specifies whether the user has denied access to the microphone (true) or allowed access (false). When this value changes, Microphone.onStatus is invoked. For more information, see Microphone.get.
In the following example, when the user clicks the button, Flash publishes and plays a live stream if the microphone is not muted.
on (press) { // If the user mutes microphone, display offline notice. // Else, publish and play live stream from microphone. if(myMic.muted) { _root.debugWindow+="Microphone offline." + newline; } else { // Publish the microphone data by calling // the root function pubLive(). _root.pubLive(); // Play what is being published by calling // the root function playLive(). _root.playLive(); } }

NetStream object as source. (The same NetStream object can contain both audio and video information. To play back video from a NetStream object, use the Video.attachVideo method.) You dont have to use this method to play back incoming streamed audio; audio sent through a stream is played through the subscribers standard audio output device by default when the subscriber issues NetStream.play. However, if you use this method to route streaming audio to a movie clip, you can then create a Sound object to control some aspects of the sound.
The following code attaches a microphone to a movie clip.
myMic = Microphone.get(); this.attachAudio(myMic);
Microphone (object), NetStream (object), NetStream.attachAudio, Sound (object) in the online Flash ActionScript Dictionary in the Flash MX Help menu

NetConnection (object)

The NetConnection object manages a bidirectional connection between the Flash Player and a server, which lets you connect to Flash Remoting or to the Flash Communication Server. The Flash Communication Server enables you to share audio, video, and data using the Macromedia Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP). For information on using Flash with an application server, see Using Flash Remoting. For information on using Flash with Flash Communication Server, see the following entries in addition to NetConnection:
NetStream (object)for any RTMP communication Camera (object)for capturing and transmitting video Microphone (object)for capturing and transmitting audio SharedObject (object)for sharing data Camera (object)for displaying video
For information on creating a NetConnection object, see Constructor for the NetConnection object on page 55. Method summary for the NetConnection object
Method NetConnection.call NetConnection.close NetConnection.connect Description Invokes a command or method on the server. Closes the connection with the server. Connects to an application on the Flash Communication Server.
Property summary for the NetConnection object
Property (read-only) NetConnection.isConnected NetConnection.uri Description A Boolean value that indicates whether the Flash Player is connected to the server (true) or not (false) through the specified connection. The target URI that was passed in with NetConnection.connect.
Event handler summary for the NetConnection object
Method NetConnection.onStatus Description Invoked when a status change or error is posted for the NetConnection object.

nc.connect("rtmp://myserver:443/myapp"); nc.connect("rtmp://myserver:80/myapp"); nc.connect("rtmpt://myserver:80/myapp");
This connection sequence can enable connections to succeed that otherwise would not. However, during this connection sequence users may wait several seconds for multiple connection attempts to time out.
Note: This automatic retry sequence will occur only if the initial connection specifies the RTMP protocol and uses the default portfor example, nc.connect("rtmp:/myserver/myapp").
If you want to use this connection for publishing or playing audio or video in real time, or to publish or play previously recorded audio or video streams, you must connect to the Flash Communication Server and then create a NetStream object within this NetConnection object. For more information, see the NetStream (object) entry.
If you want to use this connection for synchronizing data among multiple clients or between the client and a server, you must connect to the Flash Communication Server and then create a remote shared object within this NetConnection object. For more information, see the SharedObject (object) entry. When you call this method, the NetConnection.onStatus event handler is invoked with an information object that specifies whether the connection succeeded or failed. For more information, see NetConnection.onStatus. If the connection is successful, NetConnection.isConnected is set to true. Because of network and thread timing issues, it is better to place a NetConnection.onStatus handler in a script before a NetConnection.connect method. Otherwise, the connection might complete before the script executes the onStatus handler initialization. Also, all security checks are made within the connect method, and notifications will be lost if the onStatus handler is not yet set up.
If the specified connection is already open when you call this method, an implicit method is invoked, and then the connection is reopened.
During the connection process, any server responses to subsequent NetConnection.call, NetStream.send, or SharedObject.send methods are queued until the server authenticates the connection and NetConnection.onStatus is invoked. The call or send methods are then processed in the order received. Any pending updates to remote shared objects are also queued until the connection is successful, at which point they are transmitted to the server. Video and audio, however, are not queued during the connection process. Any video or audio that is streaming from the server is ignored until the connection is successfully completed. For example, confirm that the connection was successful before enabling a button that calls the NetStream.publish method. If your connection fails, make sure you have met all the requirements for connecting successfully:

You can issue a NetStream.attachVideo(source,
500) command 100 times, once every 5 minutes. This takes 500 minutes to record, but the resulting file will play back in 50 seconds (100 frames with 500 milliseconds between frames).
You can issue a Camera.setMode command with an fps value of 1/300 (one per 300 seconds,
or one every 5 minutes), and then issue a NetStream.attachVideo(source) command, letting the camera capture continuously for 500 minutes. The resulting file will play back in 500 minutesthe same length of time that it took to recordwith each frame being displayed for 5 minutes. Both techniques capture the same 500 frames, and both approaches are useful; which approach to use depends primarily on your playback requirements. For example, in the second case, you could be recording audio the entire time. Also, both files would be approximately the same size.
The following function publishes a stream containing the camera output.
function pubLive() { // Create a new source stream. srcStream = new NetStream(connection); // Attach the camera activity to the source stream. This // call causes a warning message to show which service is // requesting access. It also gives the user the option of // not sending the camera activity to the server. srcStream.attachVideo(myCam); // Get the stream name from the user input. mySubj=subject; // Assuming the user named the stream webCamStream, // publish the live camera activity as webCamStream. srcStream.publish(mySubj, "live"); }
See also the example for MovieClip.attachAudio.
Camera (object), Camera.setMode, NetStream.publish, NetStream.receiveVideo,

Video.attachVideo

NetStream.bufferLength

myStream.bufferLength

Read-only property; the number of seconds of data currently in the buffer. You can use this property in conjunction with NetStream.bufferTime to estimate how close the buffer is to being fullfor example, to display feedback to a user who is waiting for data to be loaded into the buffer.

NetStream.bufferTime

myStream.bufferTime
Read-only property; the number of seconds assigned to the buffer by NetStream.setBufferTime. The default value is 0. To determine the number of seconds currently in the buffer, use NetStream.bufferLength.
NetStream.bufferLength, NetStream.setBufferTime

NetStream.close

myStream.close()
Method; stops publishing or playing all data on the stream, sets the NetStream.time property to 0, and makes the stream available for another use. This method is invoked implicitly whenever you call NetStream.play from a publishing stream, or NetStream.publish from a subscribing stream.
If this method is called from a publishing stream, all pending NetStream.play calls on the
stream are cleared on the server; subscribers no longer receive anything that was being published on the stream.
If this method is called from a subscribing stream, publishing continues and other subscribing

so.data.year.month.dayOfMonth = someValue;
If a client changes the value of the year, month, or dayOfMonth attribute, the entire slot is updated, even though only one data item was changed.
Compare this data structure to a shared object with the same attributes, but with a flat design that occupies three slots instead of one:
so.data.year = someValue; so.data.month = someValue; so.data.dayOfMonth = someValue;
In this case, because each slot contains only one piece of information, less bandwidth is required to update all connected clients when a single data attribute is changed. You can use this information when designing your remote shared objects. For example, if an object is designed to be updated frequently by multiple clients in real time, minimizing the amount of data per slot can improve performance. This design can also help minimize data collisions (multiple clients trying to change a single slot at the same time). Conflict resolution If more than one client (or a server application) can change the data in a single slot of your shared object at the same time, you must implement a conflict resolution strategy. Here are some examples:

Use different slots

The simplest strategy is to use a different slot for each player or server that might change data in the object. For example, in a shared object that keeps track of users in a chat room, provide one slot per user and have users modify only their own slots. A more sophisticated strategy is to define a single client as the owner of a property in a shared object for a limited period of time. You might write server code to create a lock object, where a client can request ownership of a slot. If the server reports that the request was successful, the client knows that it will be the only client changing the data in the shared object.

Assign an owner

Notify the client When the server rejects a client-requested change to a property of the shared object, the SharedObject.onSync event handler notifies the client that the change was rejected. Thus, an application can provide a user interface to let a user resolve the conflict. This technique works best if data is changed infrequently, as in a shared address book. If a synchronization conflict occurs, the user can decide whether to accept or reject the change. Accept some changes and reject others
Some applications can accept changes on a first come, first served basis. This works best when users can resolve conflicts by reapplying a change if someone elses change preceded theirs. Local disk space considerations You can choose to make remote shared objects persistent on the client, the server, or both. (Local shared objects are always persistent on the client, up to available memory and disk space.)

By default, Flash can save locally persistent remote shared objects up to 100K in size. When you try to save a larger object, the Flash Player displays a Local Storage dialog box, which lets the user allow or deny local storage for the domain that is requesting access. (Make sure your Stage size is at least 215 by 138 pixels; this is the minimum size Flash requires to display the dialog box.)
If the user chooses Allow, the object is saved and SharedObject.onStatus is invoked with a code property of SharedObject.Flush.Success; if the user chooses Deny, the object is not saved and SharedObject.onStatus is invoked with a code property of SharedObject.Flush.Failed. The user can also specify permanent local storage settings for a particular domain by rightclicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Macintosh) while a movie is playing, choosing Settings, and then opening the Local Storage panel.
You cant use ActionScript to specify local storage settings for a user, but you can display the Local Storage panel for the user by using System.showSettings(1). The following list summarizes how the users disk space choices interact with remote shared objects from a specified domain that request local persistence.
If the user selects Never, objects are never saved locally, and all SharedObject.flush
commands issued for the object return false.
If the user selects Unlimited (moves the slider all the way to the right), objects are saved locally
up to available disk space.
If the user selects None (moves the slider all the way to the left), all SharedObject.flush
commands issued for the object return "pending" and cause Flash to ask the user if additional disk space can be allotted to make room for the object, as explained above.
If the user selects 10 KB, 100 KB, 1 MB, or 10 MB, objects are saved locally and
SharedObject.flush returns true if the object fits within the specified amount of space. If more space is needed, SharedObject.flush returns "pending", and Flash asks the user if
additional disk space can be allotted to make room for the object, as explained above.
Additionally, if the user selects a value that is less than the amount of disk space currently being used for locally persistent data, Flash warns the user that any shared objects that have already been saved locally will be deleted.

After the user responds to the dialog box, this method is called again and returns either true or of
The following function gets a shared object, SO, and fills writable properties with user-provided settings. Finally, flush is called to save the settings and allot a minimum of 1000 bytes of disk space.
this.SyncSettingsCore=function(soname, override, settings) { var SO=SharedObject.getLocal(soname, "http://www.mydomain.com/app/sys"); // settings list index var i; // For each specified value in settings: // If override is true, set the persistent setting to the provided value. // If override is false, fetch the persistent setting, unless there // isnt one, in which case, set it to the provided value. for (i in settings) { if (override || (SO.data[i] == null)) { SO.data[i]= settings[i]; } else { settings[i]= SO.data[i]; } } SO.flush(1000); }
For a remote shared object, calling SharedObject.flush in the client-side ActionScript file flushes the object only on the client, not the server. The following example shows how a serverside script can flush a remote shared object on the server.
// This is a SERVER-SIDE script, not ActionScript // Get the shared object when the application is loaded. application.onAppStart = function() { application.mySO = SharedObject.get("SharedObjName", true); } // When a user disconnects, flush the shared object. application.onDisconnect = function(client) { application.mySO.flush(); } // You can also set a timer to periodically flush the shared object // onto the hard disk on the server application.onAppStart = function() { application.mySO = SharedObject.get("SharedObjName", true); setInterval(function() { application.mySO.flush(); }, 60000); }

SharedObject.getLocal

SharedObject.getLocal(objectName [, localPath])
Note: The correct syntax is SharedObject.getLocal. To assign the object to a variable, use syntax like myLocalSO = SharedObject.getLocal.
objectName The name of the object. The name can include forward slashes (/); for example, work/addresses is a legal name. Spaces are not allowed in a shared object name, nor are the

SharedObject.close, SharedObject.flush, SharedObject.getRemote

SharedObject.getRemote

SharedObject.getRemote(objectName, URI [, persistence])
Note: The correct syntax is SharedObject.getRemote. To assign the object to a variable, use syntax like myRemoteSO = SharedObject.getRemote.
following characters: ~ % & \ ; : " , < > ? #
URI The URI of the server on which the shared object will be stored. This URI must be identical to the URI of the NetConnection object to which the shared object will be connected. For more information and an example, see the SharedObject (object) entry. persistence
An optional value that specifies whether the attributes of the shared objects data property are persistent locally, remotely, or both, and that may specify where the shared object will be stored locally. Acceptable values are as follows:
(default) or false specifies that the shared object is not persistent on the client or server. (These values have the same effect as omitting the persistence parameter.)
true specifies that the shared object is persistent only on the server. A full or partial local path to the shared object indicates that the shared object is persistent on
the client and the server; on the client, it is stored in the specified path. On the server, it is stored in a subdirectory within the Flash Communication Server applications directory. For more information, see the description below.
Note: If the user has chosen to never allow local storage for this domain, the object will not be saved locally, even if a local path is specified for persistence. For more information, see Local disk space considerations on page 86.
A reference to an object that can be shared across multiple clients. If Flash cant create or find the shared object (for example, if a local path was specified for persistence but no such directory exists), this method returns null.
Method; returns a reference to an object that can be shared across multiple clients by means of the Flash Communication Server. To create a shared object that is available only to the current client, use SharedObject.getLocal. After issuing this command, use SharedObject.connect to connect the object to the Flash Communication Server, as shown below.
conn = new NetConnection(); conn.connect("rtmp://somedomain.com/applicationName"); myObject = SharedObject.getRemote("mo", conn.uri, false); myObject.connect(conn);

SharedObject.getLocal, SharedObject.getRemote, SharedObject.onSync
myRemoteSharedObject.onSync = function(objArray) { // Your code here }
objArray An array of objects; each object contains properties that describe the changed members of a remote shared object. (For more information, see Description below.)
Event handler; initially invoked when the client and server shared object are synchronized after a successful call to SharedObject.connect, and later invoked whenever any client changes the attributes of the data property of the remote shared object. You must create a function to override this handler and process the information object sent by this event handler. The properties of each object are code, name, and oldValue. When you initially connect to a remote shared object that is persistent locally and/or on the server, all the properties of this object are set to empty strings. Otherwise, Flash sets code to "clear", "success", "reject", "change", or "delete" as explained below.
A value of "clear" means either that you have successfully connected to a remote shared
object that is not persistent on the server or the client, or that all the properties of the object have been deletedfor example, when the client and server copies of the object are so far out of sync that Flash resynchronizes the client object with the server object. In the latter case, SharedObject.onSync is invoked again, this time with the value of code set to "change".
A value of "success" means the client changed the shared object. A value of "reject" means the client tried unsuccessfully to change the object; instead,
another client changed the object.
A value of "change" means another client changed the object or the server resynchronized

the object.

A value of "delete" means the attribute was deleted.
The name property contains the name of the property that has been changed. The oldValue property contains the former value of the null unless code has a value of "reject" or "change". changed property. This parameter is
To minimize network traffic, this method is not called when a client changes a property to the same value it currently has. That is, if a property is set to the same value multiple times in a row, this method is invoked the first time the property is set, but not during subsequent settings, as shown in the following example:
so.data.x = 15; // The following line invokes onSync so.data.x = 20; // The following line doesnt invoke onSync, // even if issued by a different client so.data.x = 20;

nConn.onStatus = function(infoObject) { if (infoObject.code == "NetConnection.Connect.Success") { trace("Successful connection."); } if (infoObject.code == "NetConnection.Connect.Failed") { trace("Connection failed."); } }; // Attempt to open connection nConn = new NetConnection(); nConn.connect("rtmp://myServer.myDomain.com/myRTMPapp");
Client-Side Information Objects 109
The following tables show the default properties of each information object and the circumstances under which onStatus is invoked with each information object. When referring to the tables, note the following:
By default, every information object has a code property containing a string that describes the
result of the onStatus method, and a level property containing a string that is either "status", "warning", or "error". Some information objects have additional default properties, which provide more information about the reason onStatus was invoked. These properties are noted as footnotes in the tables.
For NetStream, NetConnection, and remote shared objects, which are available only with
Macromedia Flash Communication Server MX 1.5, the properties of the information objects are determined by the methods available in server applications and should be documented by the developers of your server-side application. The properties listed here are the ones available by default; that is, these are the properties available if your server-side application doesnt specify other information object properties. For information on using Flash with an application server, see Using Flash Remoting.
For objects that do not require Flash Communication Server (Camera, Microphone,
LocalConnection, and local shared objects), the properties listed here are the only ones available to onStatus, and no server-side application is required.
Camera information objects
The following events notify you when the user has changed access to a camera, either by muting it, resizing it, or shutting it down.
Code property Camera.Muted Camera.Unmuted Level property Status Status Meaning The user denied access to a camera. The user allowed access to a camera.
LocalConnection information objects
The following events notify you when an attempt to send to a receiving LocalConnection object has succeeded or failed.
Code property None None Level property Status Error Meaning Flash successfully sent a command to a receiving LocalConnection object. Flash was unable to send to a receiving LocalConnection object.
Microphone information objects

The following events notify you when the user denies or allows access to a microphone. To determine whether access to a microphone is currently denied or allowed, use the Microphone.muted property.
Code property Microphone.Muted Microphone.Unmuted Level property Status Status Meaning The user denied access to a microphone. The user allowed access to a microphone.

Appendix

NetConnection information objects
The following events notify you when certain NetConnection activities occur.
Code property NetConnection.Call.Failed Level property Error Meaning The NetConnection.call method was not able to invoke the server-side method or command.* The application has been shut down (for example, if the application is out of memory resources and must be shut down to prevent the server from crashing) or the server has been shut down. The connection was successfully closed. The connection attempt failed; for example, the server is not running. The application name specified during the connection attempt was not found on the server. The client does not have permission to connect to the application, or the application expected different parameters from those that were passed, or the application specifically rejected the client.** The connection attempt succeeded.
NetConnection.Connect.AppShutdown
NetConnection.Connect.Closed NetConnection.Connect.Failed NetConnection.Connect.InvalidApp

Status Error Error

NetConnection.Connect.Rejected
NetConnection.Connect.Success * **

Status

This information object also has a description property, which is a string that provides a more specific reason for the failure. This information object also has an application property, which contains the value returned by the application.rejectConnection server-side method.
NetStream information objects
The following events notify you when certain NetStream activities occur.
Code property NetStream.Buffer.Empty Level property Status Meaning Data is not being received quickly enough to fill the buffer. Data flow will be interrupted until the buffer refills, at which time a NetStream.Buffer.Full message will be sent and the stream will begin playing again. The buffer is full and the stream will begin playing. An error has occurred for a reason other than those listed elsewhere in this table, such as the subscriber trying to use the seek command to move to a particular location in the recorded stream, but with invalid parameters.* The subscriber has paused playback. An error has occurred in playback for a reason other than those listed elsewhere in this table, such as the subscriber not having read access.*
NetStream.Buffer.Full NetStream.Failed

Status Error

NetStream.Pause.Notify NetStream.Play.Failed

SharedObject.Flush.Failed
SharedObject.Flush.Success

SharedObject.UriMismatch

Getting Started with Flash Communication Server
Macromedia Flash Communication Server MX

macromedia

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This guide contains links to third-party websites that are not under the control of Macromedia, and Macromedia is not responsible for the content on any linked site. If you access a third-party website mentioned in this guide, then you do so at your own risk. Macromedia provides these links only as a convenience, and the inclusion of the link does not imply that Macromedia endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content on those third-party sites. Copyright 2002 Macromedia, Inc. All rights reserved. This manual may not be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or converted to any electronic or machine-readable form in whole or in part without prior written approval of Macromedia, Inc. Acknowledgments Director: Erick Vera Producer: JuLee Burdekin Writing: Jay Armstrong, Jody Bleyle, JuLee Burdekin, Barbara Herbert, and Barbara Nelson Editing: Mary Ferguson, Anne Szabla Multimedia Design and Production: Aaron Begley, Benjamin Salles Print Design, Production, and Illustrations: Chris Basmajian First Edition: May 2002 Macromedia, Inc. 600 Townsend St. San Francisco, CA 94103

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 Introducing Flash Communication Server
Flash Communication Server editions. About this manual. Guide to instructional media. Using additional resources.
CHAPTER 2 Installation and Workflow
System requirements for Flash Communication Server. 9 System requirements for the Flash Player. 10 About the installed files. 12 Installing Flash authoring components on the Macintosh. 12 How Flash Communication Server works. 14 How do I use Flash Communication Server?. 16
GLOSSARY Flash Communication Server Terms.

Contents

Welcome to Macromedia Flash Communication Server MXthe easiest way to create rich communication applications in Macromedia Flash MX. Flash Communication Server lets two or more people participate in a real-time conversation using text, audio, or video. For example, you can use Flash Communication Server for meetings, online communities, customer support, sales support, training, remote presence, or instant messaging. Flash Communication Server is a platform for streaming live data across networks for delivery to the Internet, PDAs, interactive TV, and more, and it is part of Macromedias complete solution for database connectivity, directory systems, and presence services. Flash Communication Server can also be used for personal projects such as a house intercom, a pet camera, or video publishing.
Flash Communication Server editions
Flash Communication Server is available in a variety of editions. See the Flash Communication Server website at http://www.macromedia.com/go/flashcom_mx for a description of each edition. The information in the Flash Communication Server documentation applies to all Flash Communication Server editions.

About this manual

This manual contains information to help you get started using Flash Communication Server and the documentation set. It tells where to find all the other manuals and help systems, provides system requirements and instructions for installing the software, presents an overview of the Flash Communication Server architecture, and describes your workflow. The Flash Communication Server documentation set assumes that you already have Macromedia Flash MX installed and know how to use it.
Guide to instructional media
The Flash Communication Server instructional media is designed to be used in conjunction with the Flash MX documentation, namely Using Flash MX and the Flash MX online ActionScript Dictionary. All Flash Communication Server documents are available in PDF format (viewable and printable with Adobe Acrobat Reader) and as HTML help. For the best experience with Flash Communication Server Help, Macromedia strongly recommends that you use a browser with Java player support, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later. Flash Help also supports Netscape 6.1 or later on Windows and the Macintosh. Running Flash MX and Flash Communication Server Help simultaneously on a Macintosh may require up to 32 MB of memory, depending on your browsers memory needs.
The Flash Communication Server instructional media includes the following documentation:
This manual, Getting Started with Flash Communication Server, explains how to install the
server and provides an overview of the software architecture. You can find the PDF version of this manual on the Flash Communication Server CD (FlashCom_GetStarted.pdf ). To view this manual as HTML help within Flash MX, select Help > Welcome to Flash Communication Server, click General, and click Getting Started with Flash Communication Server.
Managing Flash Communication Server explains the details of configuring and maintaining the
server and using the Administration Console. If youre an administrator, you can use the PDF version of this manual on the Flash Communication Server CD (FlashCom_Managing.pdf ). Administrators also have access to HTML help within Flash MX and through the Help button on the Administration Console.

Developing Communication Applications is a how-to book that illustrates the steps involved in
setting up a development environment and creating Flash Communication Server applications, including debugging and testing applications. It describes samples that can serve as templates for your own applications, and it includes tips and tricks to help you optimize your applications. You can find the PDF version of this manual on the Flash Communication Server CD (FlashCom_Developing.pdf ). To view this manual as HTML help within Flash MX, select Help > Welcome to Flash Communication Server, click Developer, and click Developing Communication Applications.
The Client-Side Communication ActionScript Dictionary documents the ActionScript you can
use to create client-side functionality. You can find the PDF version of this manual on the Flash Communication Server CD (FlashCom_CS_ASD.pdf ). To view this manual as HTML help within Flash MX, select Help > Welcome to Flash Communication Server; click Developer, click the right arrow, and click Client-Side Communication ActionScript Dictionary. You can also read this information by clicking the Reference button in the Flash MX Actions panel.
The Server-Side Communication ActionScript Dictionary documents the ActionScript you can
use to create server-side functionality. You can find the PDF version of this manual on the Flash Communication Server CD (FlashCom_SS_ASD.pdf ). To view this manual as HTML help within Flash MX, select Help > Welcome to Flash Communication Server; click Developer, click the right arrow, and click Server-Side Communication ActionScript Dictionary. You can also read this information by clicking the Reference button in the Flash MX Actions panel.

Chapter 1

Using additional resources
The Flash Communication Server Support Center website at www.macromedia.com/go/ flashcom_support is updated regularly with the latest information on Flash Communication Server, plus advice from expert users, advanced topics, examples, tips, and other updates. Check the website often for the latest news on Flash Communication Server and how to get the most out of the program. The Flash Communication Server Designer & Developer Center at http:// www.macromedia.com/go/flashcom_desdev provides tips and support for application developers. The Flash Communication Server Online Forum at http://www.macromedia.com/go/ flashcom_forum provides a place for you to chat with other Flash Communication Server users. Release notes For late-breaking information and a complete list of issues that are still outstanding, read the Flash Communication Server release notes at http://www.macromedia.com/go/ flashcom_mx_releasenotes. Third-party resources Macromedia recommends several websites with links to third-party resources on Flash Communication Server: These include the following:

Macromedia Flash community sites Macromedia Flash books Object-oriented programming concepts
You can access these websites at http://www.macromedia.com/go/Flashcom_resources.
Introducing Flash Communication Server
Macromedia Flash Communication Server MX is a development framework and a deployment environment for rich communication applications. A developer uses Macromedia Flash MX and Flash Communication Server MX to write a communication application, and then uses Flash Communication Server to deploy the application and its scripts. Flash Player 6 is the end users interface. The server is available only for Microsoft Windows. However, you can also use either Windows or the Macintosh for your development environment. This chapter provides system requirements and installation instructions, presents an overview of the Flash Communication Server architecture, and describes the workflow for developers and administrators.
System requirements for Flash Communication Server
The following hardware and software are required to run Flash Communication Server. Development You can develop Flash Communication Server applications on a computer running either the Windows operating system or the Mac OS.
For Microsoft Windows: Macromedia Flash MX; an Intel Pentium 200 MHz or equivalent
processor running Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home, Windows 2000 Professional, or Windows NT 4.0 Workstation SP6 or later (Windows 98 and Windows ME are supported for application authoring, but not deployment); 64 MB of available RAM (128 MB recommended); 50 MB of available disk space; a 16-bit color monitor capable of 1024 x 768 resolution; and a CD-ROM drive.
For the Macintosh (application authoring only): Macromedia Flash MX; a Power Macintosh
running Mac OS 9.1 (or later) or Mac OS X version 10.1 (or later); 64 MB of available RAM (128 MB recommended); 10 MB of available disk space; a 16-bit color monitor capable of 1024 x 768 resolution; and a CD-ROM drive. Deployment Flash Communication Server applications must be deployed on the Windows operating system. Your deployment system requires a Pentium III 500 MHz processor or greater (dual Pentium 4 or better recommended) running Windows 2000 Advanced Server or Windows NT 4.0 Server (SP6 or later); 256 MB of available RAM (512 MB recommended); 50 MB of available disk space; and a CD-ROM drive.
System requirements for the Flash Player
Because the client side of a Flash Communication Server application runs in Flash Player 6, you (and your users) need to run one of the following operating systems and browsers.
Platform Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME Browser Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later Netscape Navigator 4 or later Netscape 6.2 or later, default installation America Online 7 Opera 6 Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later Netscape Navigator 4 or later Netscape 6.2 or later, default installation CompuServe 7 (Windows 2000 and XP only) America Online 7 Opera 6 Netscape Navigator 4.5 or later Netscape 6.2 or later Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later Opera 5 Netscape 6.2 or later Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.1 or later Opera 5

Microsoft Windows NT, 2000, XP, or later
Mac OS 8.6, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2
Mac OS X version 10.1 or later
Installing Flash Communication Server
The Flash Communication Server must be installed on Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server or Windows NT 4.0 Server (SP6 or later). Installing the server is easy. Be prepared to choose an administrator user name and password during the installation; youll need them to use the servers administration, monitoring, and debugging tools. You can change them later if necessary. In addition to the Flash Communication Server, the installer adds two windows to the Macromedia Flash MX authoring environment if you have it installed on the same computer. These two windows are the Communication App inspector and the NetConnection Debugger. For more information about these windows, see Developing Communication Applications. During installation, you can choose either a Developer Install or a Production Install of the product. If you choose Developer Install, you can run the samples and test your applications from the \flashcom\applications directory under the directory you specify. For convenience during development, client-side application files (SWFs and HTMLs) are stored in the same directory with your server-side application files (ASCs, FLVs, FLAs). When you deploy applications, you'll need to separate client files from your server-side source files. While your SWF and HTML files should be accessible through a web server, your serverside ASC files, your audio/video FLV files, and your ActionScript FLA source files should not be accessible to a user browsing your Web site. You can either install the server again on your production machine and choose Production Install, or you can change the configuration settings in the administration XML files as described in the Managing Flash Communication Server manual.

Chapter 2

If you choose Production Install, you can specify both the location of your client-side application files (SWFs and HTMLs) and the location of your server-side application files (ASCs, FLVs, and FLAs). The server will look for your client-side files under \flashcom\applications in the Web servers root directory and will look for your server-side application files under \applications under the directory you specify. System configuration You can set up your software in one of a few configurations:

You can install the Flash Communication Server software on the same computer that is
running Flash MX and the Flash Player.
You can install the Flash Communication Server software on one computer and use another
computer for Flash MX and the Flash Player.
To install Flash Communication Server:
Locate the FlashComInstaller.exe file. This file is on your installation CD, or you may have downloaded it. Double-click the installer icon. The installer launches. Enter your name and serial number in the dialog box that appears. Click OK. Read the license agreement and click Yes to accept the agreement. The installer suggests a default location for the server installation. The default location is C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Flash Communication Server MX. Click Next to accept the default location or Browse to choose another location. Choose either the typical installation or a custom installation. (A typical installation is recommended.) Click Next. Enter the user name and password you have chosen. You must enter a password. The server does not accept administrators with empty passwords. The installer copies your user name and password into the servers XML configuration files. You can edit or add administrators later using the Administration Console. For more information, see Adding and editing administrators in Managing Flash Communication Server.
Choose Developer Install or Production Install. If you choose Production Install, you will be asked to provide two directories: a directory for the Flash SWF files and accompanying HTML files, and another directory for server-side files that should not be accessible to users browsing your site. If you choose Developer Install, both types of files will be installed in the same location. Next, the installer suggests a location for the server administration tools and sample files, including the Administration Console. If you have a web server installed on the same computer, the installer asks if you want to install these files into the web servers publishing directory. You can install these files into the web servers publishing directory or click Browse to choose another location. Click Next when you are satisfied with the installation location. Click Next to accept the new program icons. Click Next to accept the installer settings and install Flash Communication Server.
Installation and Workflow
Click Finish. The Flash Communication Server service starts up. The server runs as a service, which means it runs in the background and starts automatically when the computer is started up.

The installation is complete. If you choose not to start the Flash Communication Server service right away, you can start it later. See Starting and stopping the server in Managing Flash Communication Server.
About the installed files
When the server has been installed, youll find several files together with it in the installation directory. If you chose the default directory in the installer, these files are located in C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Flash Communication Server MX\. Its a good idea to familiarize yourself with the contents of the Flash Communication Server MX directory before continuing with this chapter. The Flash Communication Server MX directory contains these items:
FlashCom.exe is the server application. FlashComAdmin.exe is the servers administration controller. License.htm contains the text of the Flash Communication Server license agreement. Js32.dll contains the servers Server-Side Communication ActionScript engine. TcSrvMsg.dll, xmlparse.dll, and xmltok.dll are additional components of the server. The conf directory contains the servers hierarchy of XML configuration files. The Tools directory contains BAT files that can be used to start and stop the server. The flashcom application directory contains sample client applications you can use to experiment with the server and get an idea of the kinds of things that can be done with it. Also included is the Administration Console (admin.swf ) that you can use to connect to the server to monitor and control its activity remotely. connect to the server to monitor and control its activity remotely.
The admin directory contains the Administration Console (admin.swf ), which you can use to You can find running samples in \flashcom\applications and additional documentation
samples in flashcom_help\help_collateral, both of which can serve as templates for your own applications.
If you have Flash MX installed on the same computer, the Flash Communication Server
installer adds the new Communication App inspector and the NetConnection Debugger to Flash MX. These provide support for creating and debugging communication applications. For more information on using these features, see Developing Communication Applications.
Installing Flash authoring components on the Macintosh

To install the Communication App inspector, NetConnection Debugger, and related help files into an existing copy of Macromedia Flash MX on a Macintosh computer, you use the Macintosh FlashComInstaller.
To install the authoring components:
Locate the FlashComInstaller file. This file is on your installation CD, or you may have downloaded it. Double-click the installer icon. The installer launches. The installer locates your existing copy of Flash MX automatically. Click Install to install the authoring components and help. The installer copies files to your hard disk.
When the installation is complete you can launch Flash MX and begin using the new windows to create communication applications. For more information about creating communication applications, see Developing Communication Applications.
How Flash Communication Server works
The Flash Communication Server platform comprises the server that provides the means of communication and a Flash application (a SWF file that runs in Macromedia Flash Player) that provides the end users interface. You use the Flash MX authoring tool as your development environment to create applications that use Flash Communication Server services. You can also use server-side scripting to add functionality to your application. Communications pass through Flash Communication Server and are delivered to the clientthe Flash Player on a users computer. When a Flash movie uses Flash Communication Server, the player connects to the server, which provides a flow of information, called a network stream, to and from the client. Other users can connect to the same server and receive messages, data updates, and audio/video streams.
Flash Communication Server
Sends/receives data stream
Clients running the Flash Player
You can design Flash Communication Server applications so that the Flash Communication Server and the application server communicate with each other. Flash Communication Server can talk to other application servers such as Macromedia ColdFusion MX Server, Macromedia JRun, Microsoft.NET Framework, IBM WebSphere, and Apache Tomcat. For a more detailed explanation, see Developing Communication Applications.
Client connections to Flash Communication Server use the Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), which, unlike HTTP, provides a persistent socket connection for two-way communication between Flash Player clients and the Flash Communication Server.

Web server

Sends SWF 1

Client

Plays SWF using Flash Player 2
3 Flash Communication Server
Flash Communication Server applications include two basic items: a server-side data stream that plays from the server thin client, and shared objects.
Sever-side data stream The server-side data stream is managed by two objects: the NetConnection object and a Stream object.

The NetConnection object tells the Flash Player to connect to an application on the server. You can use NetConnection objects to create powerful Flash Communication Server applications. For example, you could get weather information from an application server, or share an application load with other Flash Communication Servers or application instances. The Stream object lets you handle each stream in a Flash Communication Server application. A user can access multiple streams at the same time, and there can be many Stream objects active at the same time.

Shared objects

Shared objects are used to store data from the client. They let you manage distributed data with ActionScript in the Flash Player. If youre a developer, you can use shared objects to create your own models for how the data is managed. For more information about NetConnection objects, Stream objects, and shared objects, see Developing Communication Applications.
How do I use Flash Communication Server?
The following sections describe your workflow, depending on what you intend to do with Flash Communication Server. For the locations of the manuals mentioned in the following sections, see Guide to instructional media.
Developer workflow If youre a developer, you can create a Flash Communication Server application that has a client component and, if needed, a server component. The client component is a Flash MX movie (SWF) that you develop using Client-Side Communication ActionScript, and the server component is a program you write using Server-Side Communication ActionScript. After you create the application, register it on the Flash Communication Server; if there are any server-side scripts, upload them to the Flash Communication Server. You can then test the application using the Flash Player to connect to the server. While youre testing the movie, you can debug it using the NetConnection Debugger and the Communication App inspector. After the application works properly, you can deploy it.
SWF file Create using client-side ActionScript Flash Communication Server
Register application with server
Server-side scripts Flash Player Create using server-side ActionScript

Test SWF

NetConnection Debugger Communication App inspector

Debug application

Deploy
The following resources will help you develop Flash Communication Server applications.

To begin

To get started in the development process, begin with Developing Communication Applications. This manual describes how to connect to the Flash Communication Server. It also supplies samples that you can use as templates for creating, testing, and debugging applications. To use these samples, open the directory where Flash MX is installed, and go to \flashcom_help\help_collateral\. For scripting reference, consult the following manuals:

Scripting

The Client-Side Communication ActionScript Dictionary explains the ActionScript commands
you use in the Flash MX authoring environment.
The Server-Side Communication ActionScript Dictionary explains the ActionScript commands
you use in scripts that reside on the server.
Using Flash MX describes how to write basic ActionScript, presents samples, and provides
references to additional instructional media that can assist you in becoming a Flash developer. Using Flash MX is available in printed form and as a help system (select Help > Using Flash MX).

Testing and debugging

When youre ready to test and debug your application, use the Communication App inspector and the NetConnection Debugger. application is running. To open this inspector, in Flash MX select Window > Communication App Inspector. When the inspector is open, you can view online help by clicking the Help button.
The Communication App inspector lets you view detailed server information when the
The NetConnection Debugger lets you debug applications when they are running. To open
this debugger, in Flash MX select Window > NetConnection Debugger. When the debugger is open, you can view online help by clicking the Help button.

Additional resources

You may want to explore these other sources of information on Flash Communication Server: flashcom_support provides TechNotes and up-to-date information about Flash Communication Server.
The Flash Communication Server Support Center at http://www.macromedia.com/go/ The Flash Communication Server Designer & Developer Center at http://
www.macromedia.com/go/flashcom_desdev provides tips and samples for creating Flash Communication Server applications.
Administrator workflow If youre an administrator, youll use the Administration Console to configure Flash Communication Server, set up system security, monitor usage, start and stop the server, and add users.

Flash Communication Server Administration Console Configuration Security Monitoring usage
Use the following resources to help you manage Flash Communication Server:
Managing Flash Communication Server tells how to use the Administration Console to install,
manage, start and stop, and configure the Flash Communication Server.
To read online help, open the Administration Console (in Windows, select Start > Programs >
Macromedia Flash Communication Server MX > Server Administrator) and select the appropriate documentation.
The Flash Communication Server Support Center at http://www.macromedia.com/go/
flashcom_support provides TechNotes and up-to-date information about Flash Communication Server.
The Flash Communication Server Designer & Developer Center at http://
GLOSSARY Flash Communication Server Terms

application server

Software that helps a web server process web pages that contain server-side scripts or tags. When such a page is requested, the web server sends the page to the application server for processing before sending the page to the browser. Common application servers include Macromedia ColdFusion MX Server, Macromedia JRun, Microsoft.NET Framework, IBM WebSphere, and Apache Tomcat.
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
The communication protocol used to connect to servers on the World Wide Web. HTTPs primary function is to establish a connection with a web server and transmit HTML pages to a client browser. The object that tells the Flash Player to connect to an application on the server.

NetConnection object

Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP)
The communication protocol that provides persistent socket connection for two-way communication between Flash Player clients and the Flash Communication Server. Objects used to store data locally or remotely. An object that lets you handle each stream in a Flash Communication Server The continuous transmission of audio over a data network. The continuous transmission of video over a data network.
shared objects stream object

application.

streaming audio streaming video
thin client A users computer that stores nothing locally but downloads the program from a server. It performs normal computer processing, but stores data on the server. web client
The client side (user side) of the web. A web client can be the users web browser, plug-ins, or other applications that support the browser. Software that sends web pages in response to requests from web browsers.