Dolphin and Macromedia Flash

I'm interested in the idea of using Macromedia's Flash engine as the
GUI for a Dolphin Smalltalk program - principally because I want
access to good antialiasing, splines, and alpha channels without
having to write heaps of poorly optimised graphics code.

The Flash file format is open (well - the graphics part is - I don't
think the ECMAScript bit is) and there's plenty of Java and Python
Flash generation libraries which could be ported to Smalltalk.

I would imagine I'd do this by embedding a Microsoft Explorer browser
in my app, and having the app itself act as an http server, serving
Flash to that window.

My questions:

i) does this sound even remotely sensible?

ii) is there a much easier way to get the beautiful graphics I want

iii) has anyone done something like this before?


                cheers,


                        Steve

> i) does this sound even remotely sensible?

Too complex.

> ii) is there a much easier way to get the beautiful graphics I want

Yes,

Dolphin has excellent support for ActiveX components. Flash player is just
an ActiveX component which IE loads..

In Dolphin:

Tools | Additional Tools | ActiveX Component Wizard | Browse.. Find
Shockwave Flash component in the list,
(C:\WINDOWS\system32\Macromed\Flash\Flash.ocx), complete the Wizard, and
Dolphin should import the control, and all necessary code to use it, and
you'll be half way there

Thanks Sean,
I saw your suggestion and think it's a greate idea. I've got the
Shockwave ActiveX  loaded but  can't quite work out how to get to the
next phase.

Do you (or anyone else) have some sample code to show shockwave output
on
a ShellView?
Cheers, Theo

Theo Pronk wrote:

> Do you (or anyone else) have some sample code to show shockwave output
> on ShellView?

This is only a start, based on AXControlSite class>>example2 and an article on
the Macromedia website about using the Flash player with VB:
    http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/mx/flash/articles/flash_vb.pdf

The following works for me:

 file := 'something.swf'.
 shell := ShellView new
   layoutManager: BorderLayout new;
   create;
   extent: 300@300;
   yourself.
 host := AXControlSite new
   progId: 'ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash.1';
   parentView: shell;
   arrangement: #center;
   create; show;
   yourself.
 shell show.
 host controlDispatch loadMovie: 0 url: file.

Although, as #example2 states, normally you wouldn't have to build the
ShellView and AXControlSite programmatically.

    -- chris

Thanks Chris,
That worked realy well.
Based on this I've been able to get the Windows Media Player to show
and run from within DST as well.
Realy easy with the actice X controls DST provides!
I found the examples too - wish there were more of them, they give you
a head start in working out where to start.
Theo...