dynamically generated swf files

outlawboarder · 01-19-2009, 05:16 AM

I was wondering if I one knows where I could find how to generate swf files on the fly. I know that ming is one option but due to my server environment for a particular website I'm working on, that is not an option. So, I need to use some combination of flex, actionscript, php, and javascript. I know in some forums people haven't wanted to delve into this issue because I'm told it's somewhat an advanced topic. However, I'm not really worried about it being too advanced. I would be gratefull if someone could just point me in the right direction. I'm hoping to accomplish this task for two purposes. One is just to gain the knowledge of how to do it so that I can use the knowledge in future applications. So, generallity and abstraction is fine. The more immediate reason is that I'm designing a website for a client that wants to be able to upload digital videos in avi format to the web and using a combination of the scripting languages I mentioned above, have the videos display in swf format. Thanks in advance for any advice you might give.

gnomeontherun · 01-19-2009, 07:53 AM

Well for a video sharing site like that, you don't need to develop SWF files on the fly. You need to produce .FLV files, and then have a default video player that loads the FLV.

Flex isn't needed, the only Javascript needed is to embed the files, and the PHP would be the most needed.

http://www.adobe.com/products/flashmediaserver/ here is the official products to do this.

You can also use FFMPEG (http://ffmpeg.org/) which can convert AVI to FLV.

Its not as much an advanced topic as it is just difficult to get it all to work properly together. I haven't tried FFMPEG but know others say its great. If the s cale of your project is relatively small, it should be fine, otherwise you'd have to go enterprise with media server.

outlawboarder · 01-21-2009, 05:17 AM

I know that I don't necessarily need to generate swf files on the fly for the application that I'm working on. However, I would like to know for curiosity's sake. Right now I'm just trying to expand my computer science and programming knowledge base.

gnomeontherun · 01-21-2009, 09:03 AM

I've never used anything, but I saw a library that seems to do it besides MING

http://sphing.sourceforge.net/

I don't think that its a very useful tool to attempt if you want an opinion, so if you want to expand then I would pick up Flex, there is an emerging market for developers in Flex.

Samhain13 · 01-21-2009, 03:45 PM

A bit OT, but:

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeremywilken

I haven't tried FFMPEG but know others say its great.

It depends on which source you get. I use Ubuntu (8.04) and the stock FFMpeg in the repositories AFAIK doesn't do FLV. So I get the stock from the Medibuntu repositories— but I've heard it's no longer available for 8.10, or something to that effect.

But yeah, using the right source, it's a formidable tool.