Flash iOS Apps Cookbook Flash iOS Apps Cookbook Copyright © 2012 Packt Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews. Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book. Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information. First published: January 2012 Production Reference: 1130112 Published by Packt Publishing Ltd. Livery Place 35 Livery Street Birmingham B3 2PB, UK. ISBN 978-1-84969-138-3 www.packtpub.com Cover Image by Charwak A (<[email protected]> ) Credits Author Christopher Caleb Reviewers Daniel Albu JP Berrie Simon Buckley Mark Doherty Richard England Stuart McLeman Brian Rinaldi David Wagner Acquisition Editor Douglas Paterson Lead Technical Editor Dayan Hyames Technical Editor Kedar Bhat Copy Editor Neha Shetty Neha Shetty Project Coordinator Alka Nayak Proofreader Mario Cecere Indexer Rekha Nair Graphics Valentina D'Silva Manu Joseph Production Coordinator Arvindkumar Gupta Cover Work Arvindkumar Gupta About the Author Christopher Caleb has been developing rich interactive experiences with the Flash platform for almost a decade. He remembers a time when browsers didn't support images, and has witnessed technologies such as Flash help drive the web to where it is today. During that period he has been fortunate enough to have worked with a wide range of clients including the BBC, Activision, Samsung, and Aardman Animations on projects encompassing film, games, education, and children's entertainment. He has a love for all things mobile and has been a proponent of Flash in this space since its emergence. He is also an active member of the Flash community, both through his personal blog and the various articles he contributes elsewhere. Whenever he finds a spare minute, Christopher likes to chip away at the many apps and experiments he has inspired to undertake. Christopher is currently a lead Flash developer at WeeWorld—an avatar-based social network and virtual world for teens. He blogs at www.yeahbutisitflash.com and tweets as @chriscaleb. Acknowledgement This book would not have been possible without the help and support of so many individuals. First and foremost, I'd like to thank the people at Packt Publishing; in particular, Steven Wilding for providing me with this wonderful and unexpected opportunity; Maitreya Bhakal for his guidance and encouragement; and Kedar Bhat for his assistance and endless patience. I'm extremely lucky to have had such talented technical reviewers (Daniel Albu, JP Berrie, Simon Buckley, Mark Doherty, Richard England, Stuart McLeman, Brian Rinaldi, and David Wagner) who, despite their workloads, managed to find the time to provide invaluable feedback. Dave and JP: I really owe you both for your perseverance over the last few weeks. Various individuals at Adobe have also helped me along the way. Particularly, I'd like to thank Mark Doherty and Brian Rinaldi for their immense contribution and enthusiasm towards the project. I'd also like to extend thanks to Robert Christensen for always taking the time to answer my questions over the past twelve months. A huge debt of gratitude is also owed to my brother Alan (alancaleb.com), Steve Koren (popjunk.co.uk), and Selina Wagner (blobina.com) whose creative talents grace the many code examples found within these pages. Also, a mention must go out to Matt McKenna (maketh.com) and Andrew Nicolson (drewnotweird.co.uk) for the part they both played. I would also like to thank Graham MacDonald for affording me the time to write and, at the same time, earn a living; Helen and my little nephew Freddy (I love him even more than Flash) for making me smile; Gregory for providing the arm wrestling training that helped develop my typing stamina; and Amanda who makes every day better than the last. Special thanks must also be extended to Bobby better than the last. Special thanks must also be extended to Bobby Farmer who has always made time for me over the years and has been a constant source of encouragement. Finally, to my father, mother, brother, and sister, I cannot thank you enough for your love and support, without which I am nothing. About the Reviewers Daniel Albu is a freelance Flash platform developer with more than ten years of experience in the production and deployment of rich media websites, games, and applications. Daniel has unique expertise in production and integration of Flash and Flash platform-based technologies. Most recently, Daniel entered the mobile development field by using Adobe AIR to develop for the Android and iOS platforms. Daniel also provides worldwide remote training and consultancy around Flash platform technologies for companies and individuals alike. JP Berrie first encountered Macromedia Director 4 in 1995 while at university studying Multimedia Technology, and subsequently embarked upon a career as a Multimedia Developer, specializing in Director Lingo and latterly Flash ActionScript 3.0 programming. He was appointed lead programmer for several BBC games titles, including Walking with Beasts, Bill & Ben the Flowerpot Men, and Rotten Ralph. Other titles include the Chicken Run game for Activision / Aardman Animations, and a title for interactive publishing giants Dorling Kindersley. Since 2002, JP has freelanced for many clients including global brands such as AstraZeneca, BP, Diageo, Guinness, Kellogg's, Pepsi, Pfizer, and the Post Office. Website: www.jpberrie.com. Simon Buckley received his M.Sc in Physics from the University of Birmingham, England, in 2007 before moving into Computer Science to gain a M.Sc in Intelligent Systems Engineering at the same university in 2008. After graduating, Simon spent some time as an enterprise Java developer before opting to go freelance. He is now a Flex Adobe Certified expert and his company, Techjump, specializes in developing workflow tools and Rich Internet Applications for desktop and mobile platforms. He loves working with new technologies, developing rich user experiences, and solving tough programming problems. Mark Doherty is the Platform Evangelist for Mobile and Devices at Adobe, working to create a vibrant ecosystem around Flash Player and Adobe AIR for devices. He has spent ten years in the mobile and devices industry, including seven at Adobe, holding Engineering, Consulting, Business Development, and Marketing roles. Prior to this, Mark has worked with leading OEMs at Mobile Innovation, Nokia, Samsung, and Panasonic. Richard England is an award winning freelance developer, who has worked with Flash technology for over 10 years, including building BAFTA-nominated educational games, interactive learning resources, and truly Rich Internet Applications. An eternal student of all things digital, Richard is enthused by the ever-evolving mobile development landscape, creating applications for iOS both natively in Objective-C and with Adobe AIR. Richard can be contacted through Twitter—@englandrp. Stuart McLeman has been involved with web and mobile software development for ten years since his previous life in electronic engineering. From working on educational Flash content for the BBC through to his current role as lead iOS developer at WeeWorld, he has always been passionate about aesthetics and usability as well as good code. Although Objective-C is his new love, he still has fond memories of AS3. He can't wait to see how the mobile landscape will evolve so he can decide what to learn next! Stuart can be contacted through his website: www.stuartmcleman.com where he promises to someday start a