Re: [Asapframework-support] Some questions

[Stephan B. <s.b...@hc...>]

Hi Owen!

Owen van Dijk wrote:
> I see the Wiki/Websites is getting some much needed updates, great
> stuff there, like the MovieManagement page. Some questions:
>
> - Are localcontrollers only usefull when you have multiple movies or
> does the principle also apply to classes controlling child classes (
> much like the factory pattern ). Ie i have a People class and want to
> write a PeopleController class. Or is there another structure i'm
> missing?
>   
The LocalController class has been specifically designed for use as the 
main controller for a single fla/swf. Combined with the MovieManager, it 
provides functionality for communicating with controllers of other swfs, 
such as the controller of the container swf. Using several 
LocalController extensions in a single fla might therefore be confusing. 
One of the handy features of the LocalController is that any nested 
MovieClip can find its nearest LocalController 
(MovieManager.getInstance().getNearestController(this)) and send events 
to it. When I encounter this code in a class, I expect this to return 
the single LocalController of the fla I'm in, or, if it doesn't have 
one, the one further up the chain.
On the other hand, if it works, who am I to complain :) Especially if 
you're the only one working on the code, it's what gets the job done 
fastest and easiest that counts.

More generally speaking, there are several ways to connect classes, 
especially if they're far apart. Usually I find the solution that fits 
the application best, on a per-project basis. Some frameworks provide 
Model, View & Controller base classes to be extended, and communication 
mechanisms between them. Although we usually implement some form of MVC 
in our applications, we simply haven't gotten to the point where we 
needed those base classes, other than what is provided in the framework.

> - Is there a roadmap to rewrite the framework to AS3. Is that in the 
> pipeline?
>   
Yes, it's in the pipeline, no, there's no roadmap right now.
There are several issues that have to be resolved:
- AS3 might need or dictate a different approach for the solutions we've 
used in the current framework
- some classes are heavily language-dependent
- some classes might not be needed as Flash 9 comes with a new, much 
larger set of classes of its own
- it will take roughly half a year before the acceptation rate of Flash 
Player 9 is wide enough to start using it in commercial projects
- in half a year the new Flash IDE comes out, so it might be a bit later 
even before we can expect to use Flash 9 in production

We will need time to resolve these, and as you know we all have a full 
time job at Lost Boys. However, since the transition to AS3 will 
definitely take place, and as soon as is practically possible, we're 
already looking at putting up a roadmap for how to get to that point.
> - What is the current roadmap for a new official release? There is
> much action in the trunk but the latest official release was 6 months
> ago.
>   
Release 0.94 is practically ready. There are some classes that need at 
least basic documentation to be usable by anyone who can't ask us in 
person. Furthermore we're making a few refactorings based on our daily 
use of the framework.
As soon as that's done, we're putting out the new release. My guess is 
that we'll be releasing roughly around the time of the new FDT ;)

> Keep up the good work guys :)
>   
Thanks!

Stephan