Macromedia MAX 2005 - Anaheim, CA What’s New In Flash 8
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What's New in Flash Lite Authoring
Flash Professional 8 includes the following new features to help developers create Flash Lite applications:
Flash Lite emulator
The Flash Lite emulator lets you preview your content as it will function on an actual device. The
emulator can configure itself to mimic the features available on any supported device. The emulator
also provides debugging information that alerts you to potential problems and incompatibilities on
the target device.
Device Settings dialog box
You use the Device Settings dialog box to select your test devices and Flash Lite content type.
When you test your content in the Flash Lite emulator, you can choose the test device you want the
emulator to mimic.
Device document templates
Flash Professional 8 includes document templates to let you quickly start creating content for
specific devices and content types.
Workflow for Authoring Flash Lite Applications
The process for creating Flash Lite content is an iterative one that involves the following steps:
Identify your target device(s) and Flash Lite content type
Different devices have different screen sizes, support different audio formats, and have different
screen color depths, among other factors. These factors may influence your application's design or
implementation.
In addition, different devices support different Flash Lite content types, such as screen savers,
stand-alone applications, or animated ring tones. The content type for which you are developing also
determines the features that are available to your application.
Create and test your application in Flash
Flash Professional 8 includes a Flash Lite emulator that lets you test your application without having
to transfer it to a device. You use the Flash Lite emulator to refine your application design and fix
any problems before you test it on a mobile device.
Test the application on your target device or devices
This step is important because the emulator doesn't emulate all aspects of the target device, such as
its processor speed, color depth, or network latency. For instance, an animation that runs smoothly
on the emulator might not run as quickly on the device, due to its slower processor speed. Or a color
gradient that appears smooth in the emulator may appear banded when viewed on the actual
device.
After testing your application on a device, you may find that you need to refine the application's
design in the Flash authoring tool.
The following figure illustrates the iterative development and testing process described above.
