Flash Player 10 feature: Load and Save files using FileReference
The new Flash Player 10 beta will give us direct access to the FileReference object, allowing you to really interact with the users filesystem.
For todays big release of the new Player, we talked to Justin Everett-Church (Flash Player product manager) and Tom Barclay (senior product marketing manager) from the Adobe Platform Business Unit. We've split the interview into multiple pieces for easier reading, and you can also see the demos for yourself on this URL.
Justin showed an example application where he could load a Pixel Bender filter from a file on his desktop. The app parsed the filter file and used it to create the required controls. "In the past we have the ability to load the file that a user choses and then send it directly on to the server, but now in Flash Player 10, we're granting access to files at runtime" Justin says. When asked if this applied to any file, he replied "Sure. Once it's been loaded in, it can be accessed either as a bytearray or a string. And the other side of that is that you can take content from the runtime and save it back down. So [in this app] I'm using an Actionscript library for doing PNG encoding of bitmapdata and I'm passing that in and through the FileReference object to save a PNG image to my desktop."
This new feature alone will open up a whole new set of online applications and it'll probably be what really makes the A in RIA. It'll also open a can of worms if the security fails so expect some pretty strong sandboxing and crippling of this feature. Let's hope they get this right on the first attempt for this can become mighty cool! Imagine designing your business cards online and be able to download a PDF for printing? Or create an online Music studio where you can play, mix and eventually export the master for your latest hit.
Click here to visit Adobe Labs to download and play with the new Player. Click here to see Lee Brimelow explain how to use this feature.
Flash Player 10 feature: 3D support >> << Welcome back M/AXNA!
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