More Details on How to Convert Flash SWF content into an EXE, Enhanced Transparent Projector, Standalone Widget or Desktop Application - Mac OS X and Windows

1. You can make amazing stuff.

If you have ever wanted to create great looking connected desktop applications, you have come to the right place.

With Adobe Flash you can create beautiful, powerful Web applications. But you already know that. The trouble is your stuff is stuck several clicks away from the user AND in a browser. mProjector solves this problem beautifully.

mProjector publishes your Flash content to the Mac OSX and Windows desktop. Everything possible in Flash works on the desktop. And mProjector extends Flash ActionScript with powerful desktop classes enabling you to do things like create shortcuts, read and write to the hard drive, check for an internet connection, download files, and more.

So, for example, your application can launch at startup and pop a window when there's news. If your client is a ski area and the end-user is a snowboarder, they will both smile broadly when you show them you can pop a cool stylized "new snow" alert auto-magically on the desktop.

And mProjector renders with pixel perfect transparency. Static, square, opaque windows are so Windows 95. Organically shaped windows with true Flash alpha channels deliver the sex appeal you want.

Let's see your C++ / .Net friends do that.

2. That's right. Windows and Mac!

We started as C++ programmers developing software for both Mac and Windows -- two APIs, two code bases, two sets of bugs. We know what a hassle that can be. mProjector is aimed to solve this problem. In most cases, Flash and mProjector enables you to create an cross-platform application from one FLA and SWF.

Cross-Platform Features:

mApplication Class - methods and events common to most applications.
mWindow Class - manage window properties and events.
mSystem Class - access common operating system APIs and parameters.
mFile Class - read and write files to the user's hard drive.
mMenu Class - methods and event handlers for menus.
mFTP Class - methods to upload and download files to an FTP Server.
Dynamic Flash Shaped Windows with Pixel Perfect Transparency, Alpha Channels, and Anti-Aliasing.
Embedded Browser Content.
Multiple Window Applications.
Window to Window Communication.

Where there platform specific differences, we let you know and in most cases provide a work around.

mProjector itself is now built with mProjector. We have learned a lot and added cross-platform support for many APIs.

mProjector is now written using Flash and mProjector, and compiled from one FLA. "Eating our own dog food", so to speak, not only reduces our UI development time but makes us work through most platform specific issues so you don't have too.

3. Pixel-Perfect Transparency.

Whatever you draw on the Flash Stage will draw directly on the desktop -- in real time. Old-school development tools and the SWF2EXE competition can't touch this.

Check out how the window of "The Closer" changes shape dynamically and the elegant usage of Flash alpha channels in the UEFA application in the Application Showcase.

Mac OS X

4. Know Flash? You know mProjector.

Here's how mProjector works. You develop your application in Flash as you would any web application. Add mProjector methods and event handlers to add any desktop functionality you require such as displaying an icon in the system tray, creating a shortcut, controlling multiple windows, or choosing files. Once you've added the mProjector commands you need, publish your SWF and compile with mProjector. That's it.

See how to build a simple application in mProjector (02:30 mins)

mProjector extends Flash with six powerful ActionScript classes: mRegistry, mFile, mApplication, mMenu, mSystem, and mWindow. mProjector classes follow ActionScript (AS) syntax. mProjector classes are hooked up for Flash IDE "code completion" and documented in Flash Help. mProjector does NOT require any special components.

Sounds easy... Let's look at some code (mProjector ActionScript)!


// Quit button

quit_btn.onPress = function() {mApplication.quit(); } 



// Minimize button 

minimize_btn.onPress = function() { mWindow.minimize(); }



// Draggable window frame 

window_frame_mc.onPress = function () { mWindow.startDrag(); }



// Tells mProjector to trace all commands. Handy for debugging. 

mApplication.enableAutoTrace(true);



// Sets window application and window title

mWindow.setTitle("Basic Application");



// Sets window position to the center of the primary monitor

mWindow.center();



// Adds a button in the Windows taskbar for the application. 

mApplication.showOnTaskBar(true);



// Sample Trace Message

mApplication.trace("initialization complete");

There is a comprehensive list of all mProjector commands online-- sorted [by class] and [alphabetical order].

Check out these videos to see mProjector in action.

Introduction to mProjector (04:50 mins)
Flash IDE Integration (04:35 mins)

Visit our Online Samples page for more code.

5. It just works.

Flash creates small, powerful, great looking content that plays on both Mac and Windows in many different browsers. Flash doesn't do everything but what it does, it does well. Our aim with mProjector is similar.

mProjector includes functionality enabling you to do every essential desktop application task. It doesn't do everything nor does it try. This makes our code base powerful without being bloated and overly complex. Can you say smaller file sizes and less buggy? Customers that have switched from the competition, tell us so.

6. Fast Downloads.

File size is still important. A quick and easy download can be the difference between user adoption and disinterest. mProjector applications are often less than megabyte, much less.

Mac: 800 Kb expanded, 300 Kb zipped.
Windows: 300 Kb expanded, 275 Kb zipped.

7. Multiple Windows.

mProjector supports on-the-fly window creation so your application is not limited to one window or a set of predefined windows. Each window can play a it's own SWF. And windows can communicate with each other via custom-defined synchronous functions.

Multiple Dynamic Windows (3:40 mins)
Synchronous Communication between Windows (7:40 mins)

8. Get Up to Speed Quickly

We've worked hard on making mProjector "just work" but of course you will have questions. So, We've put a lot of effort into high quality, readily accessible documentation and samples.

Mac OS X

mProjector documentation is available in the Flash Help Panel and online. Dev Central organizes all mProjector documentation on one web page. This is the first place to go when you have a question. In additions to link to samples and development topics this page presents all mProjector commands sorted alphabetically and by class.

mProjector installs help directly into the Flash Help panel and support code completion.. To open mProjector Help in Flash, press F1 or click "Flash Help" in the Help menu, click the book icon to open the Help topics pane, and select mProjector. The documentation includes a section for each mProjector class as well as classes on "Getting Started", "Using mProjector", and "Samples".

There are about 50 online samples online that demonstrate nearly every desktop application concept and mProjector command.

Of course there is User Forum when you can post your questions.

.If all else fails, you can email us directly at support-at-screentime.com.

9. Set your widget free.

Making a widget that is trapped in a Dashboard or Konfabulator layer just isn't the same. It's "out of site, out of mind". Build a true desktop application.

10. Growing User Community

mProjector is building a diverse user community. Movie studios are using mProjector to create themed widgets to support for movie and DVD releases. EUFA.com (European Football Association) has built an alert application to deliver up-to-the-minute news and scores to their fans. Developers are building shareware and full-blown application to manage and deliver multimedia content. Drop by our Forum to get ideas.