• 
• Forums
• Calendar
• CMX Info
• Join CMX
• My CMX

•  Home
•  All Content
•  Dreamweaver
•  ColdFusion
•  Flash
•  Fireworks
•  Freehand

• Articles
• Tutorials
• Extensions

• Articles
• Tutorials
• Extensions

• Articles
• Tutorials
• Extensions

• Articles
• Tutorials
• Extensions

• Articles
• Tutorials
• Extensions

• Articles
• Tutorials

Latest Free Content

• Introducing Masterpiece Photo Collection 12: To Autumn
• Professional Adobe Flex 3: The Flex 3 Ecosystem - Part 2
• Create Your Own Custom CMX Fireworks Course - Updated
• The CMX JumpStart Catalog Update 2009
• How to Apply Smart Filters to an Image in Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Part 1

View All
Free Content

Accessibility

• Main content
• Log in
• Power Search
• Today's Content

Community MXtra for Macromedia Central

By: Paul Newman

Page 1 of 2

Set for printing

Next

One of the reasons I created CMXtra for Dreamweaver and CMXtra for Flash is that I was hoping the application would be portable to Macromedia Central once the Developer Beta was announced. Turns out, it was. In fact, most of the code for the original Flash application was copied into Central intact. For the most part, the only changes I made were to conform to the Central coding requirements described in Developing Central Applications:

• Avoid using global variables (e.g., _global.myVariable). If you do use them, make sure to delete them in the onDeactivate function.
• Do not reference _root or _level0 (e.g., _root.myMovieClip_mc.myTextField_txt). Use relative paths or _parent instead.
• Do not use Stage.height or Stage.width. Use the Shell.getBounds function instead.
• Use the onUninstall function to delete shared objects.

Aside from these restrictions, almost any application you create in Flash should be able to run in Central, as long as you publish it to Flash Player version 6,0,65,0 and invoke the Central initialization functions (onActivate, Central.initApplication, etc.).

What is Macromedia Central?

Macromedia Central is essentially a desktop version of Flash Player. Instead of embedding Flash movies (SWFs) inside a browser, Central loads them into a traditional desktop application. This enables you to add or remove Flash applications from Central as you would Windows (or Mac) software. The advantage of using Central, as opposed to a Flash projector file, is that it gives you access to additional features and enhancements that are not available in Flash Player. For instance, when the final version of Central is released, it will include a built-in payment system to handle transactions. In addition, there is talk that Central may offer some access to the user's local file system, which will facilitate uploads and file manipulation. The good news is that Macromedia Central is free, and anyone who is fluent in Flash and ActionScript can easily create applications for Central (see "Your First Central App", for more information).

Installing Community MXtra for Central

To install CMXtra for Central, click Install Now below:

If you haven't already installed Central, the installation badge above will read Install Now with Macromedia Central. This will install Macromedia Central, followed by the CMXtra application. Once installation is complete, you can launch Central by choosing Start > Programs > Macromedia > Central (the actual location of the Central program on Windows XP is C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player\www.macromedia.com\bin\central\central.exe).

Page 1 of 2 1 2 Next

Download Support Files

Keywords
macromedia central, flash mx professional, actionscript, beta, Community MXtra, CMXtra