AutoBuilder

The AutoBuilder is a little tool that will greatly improve your workflow around Flash and SWF Studio.
It allows you to automate your SWF Studio builds as well as any other tools you might use together with SWF Studio and Flash.

How does it work?

Well, first you select the SPF you want to autobuild. The AutoBuilder will pick up your main movie and monitors it.
As soon as the AutoBuilder notices a change to the file it will wait for the file to be available again, launch SWF Studio and build your SPF file for you.

Download & Installation

  1. Download the self-contained exe file from here (zipped, approx. 4.3 MB)
    If you don´t need all SWF Studio Plugins you can download a 400kb smaller version that starts a bit faster here (zipped, approx. 3.8 MB)
  2. Extract the exe file to the folder you´d like to install the AutoBuilder to.
  3. Now run the exe. It will autoextract and create an INI file as well as a JScript subfolder.

Congratulations, your AutoBuilder is up and running!
Make sure to adopt the settings to your needs and select the JScript module you want to use.

Now where is the difference to the “old” AutoBuilder you want to know?
Glad you ask!

new Features since the first AutoBuilder

  • JScript API

    • The all-new JScript API allows you to take full control about the build process and everything that happens inbetween.
    The AutoBuilder fires certain events than can be handled by your own code.
    Your JScript modules have access to all SWF Studio commands (including all Plugins).
    This leads us to the next point,…

  • predefined JScript modules

    • The AutoBuilder comes with several predefined JScript modules you can use, modify and learn from. Among the predefined modules are

    • a Logfile module to create a Logfile of all activities
    • a FLASM module that uses the Flash Assembler to optimize your swf file before SWF Studio compiles it.
    • and an “Inject Vars” module that lets you set variables in your SWF file at compile-time. No modification of your FLA is required.

    All modules can be loaded and modified at runtime.

  • all-new GUI and context menu

    • Added some convenient functions and said Goodbye to the Texas-Winter-Style Interface ;)

… and many small bugfixes and feature improvements.

additional JScript modules

As you see the new JScript module system allows you to easily expand the AutoBuilder functionality.
Currently only the modules that come with the AutoBuilder are available, but there will be more modules available from time to time.
If you have created a JScript module you would like to share with the world feel free to mail them to me at Andre ät Flashcoder dot org.

Documentation

There is no Documentation yet for the GUI, however it should be pretty self-explaining.
The JScript API Documentation can be found in the Logfile.js file in the JScript subdirectory. You´ll find the documentation of all available JScript commands/events there, including a flowchart of the events.
For an example on how to integrate other tools with the AutoBuilder check out the FLASM.js file.

Enjoy :)

Please leave your comments and suggestions at the AutoBuilder Blog post