IDE walkthrough

To create Flash applications for mobile devices, use Adobe Device Central. You can use Adobe Device Central to create mobile projects to manage assets, target device profiles, and export options.

Before starting a Flash project, decide which target device or devices you want your application or project to run on. Device Central can simulate a wide range of mobile devices, allowing you to test your project. This is the basis for creating and testing the project. However, when creating mobile Flash projects you will often notice that your project is compatible with a wide range of mobile devices.

Adobe regularly updates device profiles and the latest version of Device Central CS4 includes profiles for the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, which is used in the Hands-on section of this module. Nokia 5800 XpressMusic includes a touch screen, GPS, and S60 plaform services, all features required for our standalone Flash Lite location aware application. If you have Device Central CS4, use the Online Library feature to get the latest device profiles. If you have Device Central CS3, check for device profile updates regularly by selecting Devices > Check for device updates...

Browsers on many of the latest mobile devices have native support for Flash Lite 3.x and Flash 8 content. This means that you can embed your Flash content into a standard web page and it is displayed in a web browser both on a mobile device and a conventional computer.

Starting a project in Adobe Device Central

1. When you open Adobe Device Central you are shown a start screen where you can create a new project, open an existing project, or browse devices for features they support.

   
   

2. To create a new Flash project, select Flash File.

   
   

3. Select the Flash Lite version you want to use.

   
   

4. From the Device profiles list select the target device

   
   

5. To create a project with these settings, click Create. A new Flash document in Flash Professional with these settings opens.

   Before you begin working on the project save it by selecting File > Save.

6. To test run your project, press Ctrl Enter (Command Enter on a Mac). Since this is a Flash Lite project Adobe Device Central opens and your project is run on a simulation of the mobile device model you chose during the setup.

   
   

   During testing to run the application inside another device, double click a selected device in the left pane.

7. The right panel in Device Central offers multiple settings you can use to test your application in a variety of common situations and mobile device configurations. For instance, there you can see how much memory your application uses. If your application is using over 100 percent of memory, it most likely will not work properly on a real device.

   

   

   Even when testing an application in Device Central, trace() commands or error messages appear in the Output window of the main Flash application. If you want to see this information within Device Central, select View > Flash Output > Show.

8. When you are ready to test your application on a real device, publish your project. You can access the settings for project publishing by selecting File > Publish Settings...

   Result of a published project is a .swf file. If the project is a web-based Flash application, upload it to either internal or external testing web server. Then point your device's web browser to the right address on that server. If you are using an internal testing server you can publish directly to the server from Device Central.

   If you are creating a stand-alone Flash application, you need to transfer the .swf file (and, if needed, any other support files, such as .flv video files) to your mobile device. You can do this either using Bluetooth or a USB connection. Save the Flash file to the device's memory and access it using the Flash Player.

Creating an installable package

In addition to the main .swf file, a Flash Lite application can include a number of external resource files (text, audio, or video) or even additional Flash Lite applications. Since it is inconvenient for the user to download and install every file individually, you can package all the files into a single installable file.

The S60 platform uses the Symbian Installation Source (.sis) package format, which is analogous to the operation of a Windows Installer (.msi file) on Windows. The Series 40 platform uses the Nokia Flash Lite (.nfl) package format.

Packaging content into a single file offers the following advantages: