Foundation Fireworks CS4- P8

Foundation Fireworks CS4- P8: The chapters in this book are divided into three parts: “Part 1: Learning Fireworks,” “Part 2:Using Fireworks,” and “Part 3: Fireworks in Action.” In this first part, we start by introducingyou to the Fireworks application where it lives within the Creative Suite, what makes itunique, and why you would use it. You’ll be introduced to the bitmap and vector tools andlearn how to export your artwork to the Web.
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Foundation Fireworks CS4- P8Chapter 11EXTENDING FIREWORKS:DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE WORKFLOWUSING JAVASCRIPT AND FLASH Adobe Fireworks includes a rich extensibility model that allows advanced users to create sophisticated custom panels (Flash panels) using a combination of JavaScript and Flash. In fact, many of the panels that ship with Fireworks, including the Align panel and the Path panel, are Flash panels. Because the Fireworks engineering team has exposed practically every aspect of Fireworks through a JavaScript extensibil- ity model, you’re really only limited by your imagination (and technical abilities, of course). This chapter is designed to give you an understanding of the entire Flash panel development process and presents a workflow I have refined through developing a number of Fireworks panels, including the Fireworks to XAML Exporter panel and the Gradient panel. You’ll see how to author Fireworks JavaScript and integrate that JavaScript in both Flash- and Flex-based custom panels for Fireworks. This chapter is written for advanced users of both Fireworks and Flash and may be a bit overwhelming if you do you not have programming experience. If you’re not a programmer, you may choose to skim through the chapter and gain a greater appreciation of what goes into creating custom panels that enhance your Fireworks experience. However, if you are a programmer and are ready to enhance to your favorite design application (Fireworks of course!), you need to be proficient with the following environments and programming languages: 189CHApTer 11 JavaScript: Intermediate to advanced ActionScript 2 or 3: Intermediate to advanced Adobe Flash: Intermediate to advanced Adobe Flex: Optional Foundation terminology The following terms will be used throughout the chapter and should be considered as foundational to the conversation. We’ll go into more detail on these as the chapter progresses, but take a few minutes to absorb these before moving on. Fireworks command: A Fireworks command is similar to a macro in other programs. In the simplest sense, it is a recorded set of actions that can be replayed by the application. Fireworks ships with a number of predefined commands, all accessible from the main menu under Commands. JSF: JSF stands for JavaScript Fireworks. JavaScript is the programming language used to define Fireworks commands. JSF is the term used to refer to JavaScript written specifically for Fireworks. Fireworks commands are simply JavaScript files named with the .jsf extension. Fireworks panel/Flash panel: Most of the floating panels in Fireworks, such as the Align panel and the Path panel, are either Flash or Flex based. These panels are referred to as Flash panels. ActionScript: ActionScript is the programming language used by both Flash and Flex and is required when authoring Flash panels. SWF: Files compiled by Flash and Flex are saved in the SWF file format. We will use the term “SWF” throughout the chapter to refer to an exported file. FLA: Flash source files are saved in the FLA file format. We will use the term “FLA” throughout the chapter to refer to source files. Fireworks API: The Fireworks ApI, or application programming interface, is a set of meth- ods and properties accessed via JSF to perform Fireworks core actions or apply changes to objects on the canvas. For example, to show the color picker in Fireworks, you call the fw. popupColorPickerOverMouse method in JSF. Learning the basics of an advanced workflow Before you start creating anything—JavaScript, Flash files, Flex projects, and so forth—it’s important that you understand the big picture of Fireworks extensibility and get a firm grasp of the basic con- cepts and ideas. Consider for a moment all of the various actions you’ve performed while working in Fireworks: you’ve drawn elements on the canvas, scaled them, rotated them, applied filters to them; you’ve create layers and pages and named and renamed them; you’ve applied fill colors and strokes and edited them endlessly; and much more.190 eXTeNDING FIreWOrKS: DeVeLOpING AN eFFeCTIVe WOrKFLOW USING JAVASCrIpT AND FLASH All of these actions that you have performed are core actions (or combinations of actions) that Fireworks supports. And, as we mentioned in the introduction, all of these core ac ...