MTASC

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MTASC
Nicolas Cannasse
Motion-Twin ActionScript Compiler

• No more Coffee Break while compiling

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Rich Internet Applications RIA

• AJAXDynamic HTML, RAD, Browser Integration
• FlashVector Engine, LowLevel, better control,
  more powerful

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MTASC

• Is an ActionScript version 2 compiler
• Works from CommandLine
• Can be integrated in  your favorite IDE  
• Is not an IDE
• Cant edit Flash Graphics or Code
• Is OpenSource
• GPL License, MotionTwin offering support

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The History of MTASC

• Prehistory ActionScript 1
• MiddleAge 09/2003 FlashMX2004 ActionScript2
• Need More Checks 12/2003 ASML
• Need More Types 04/2004 MotionTypes
• Back to AS2 10/2004 MTASC Beta 1
  01/2005 MTASC 1.0 05/2005 FAME Platform /
  OSFlash.org 07/2005 MTASC 1.09

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ASML ActionScriptMetaLanguage

• December 2003
• Run before Macromedia Compiler
• Add  Type Inference  to AS2
• Check number of parameters (no optional
  parameters)
• Faster compilation process

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Type Inference

• To  Guess  the types at compilation time

function length(o) return Math.sqrt(o.xo.x
o.yo.y)
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Type Inference

• To  Guess  the types at compilation time

function length(o Tmp) Number return
Math.sqrt(o.xo.x o.yo.y) Tmp var x
Number var y Number
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Type Inference

• Pros
• Do not write Types
• Your program is still checked
• Changes propagate everywhere
• Cons
• You need to understand how it works
• Error reporting is difficult
• Typing order matters

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MotionTypes

• April 2004
• More Types need more Syntax
• Different Language ( .mt files )
• Anonymous Types var o x Number, y
  Number
• Lambda Types var onConnect Boolean -gt Void
• First AS1 generation, then SWF generation

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MTASC

• Back to AS2 compatibility
• Improves Macromedia Compiler
• Faster
• More strict
• Use SWF generation developed for MotionTypes
• Ready for RIA
• V2 Components
• ActionStep

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MTASC Internals

• Bunch of AS text files
• Lexing produce tokens
• Parsing build AST
• Typing type-check the AST
• SWF Code-Generation
• MTASC is Written in OCAML (www.ocaml.org)

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Flash Bytecode
function add x reg0 y reg1 push reg0
push reg1 add ret

• function add(x,y)
• return x y

Stack-based Virtual Machine. Registers for local
variables (since Flash7).
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Flash Bytecode
function max x reg0 y reg1 push reg0
push reg1 lt condjump 2 push
reg1 ret push reg0 ret

• function max(x,y)
• if( x lt y )
• return y
• else
• return x

Conditional Jumps
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From AS2 to AS1
if( !Ref ) _global.Ref function(r)
this.r r Ref.prototype.add function(p)
this.r this.r p.r

• class Ref
• var v Number
• function Ref(v)
• this.v v
• function add(r Ref)
• r p.r

AS2 is Class-based AS1 is Prototype-based
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From AS1 to SWF
push Ref eval not compjump XXX push
_global eval push Ref function (rr1)
thisr0 push r0 push r push
r1 objset objset . . . .
if( !Ref ) _global.Ref function(r)
this.r r Ref.prototype.add function(p)
this.r this.r p.r
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MTASC in Numbers

• MTASC sources (without libs) are
• 8 files
• 113 Ko
• 20000 words
• 4000 lines
• It takes 3-4 seconds for compiling more than 300
  Classes (20-30 seconds with Macromedia Compiler)

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The FAMES Platform

• A complete OpenSource platform
• Flashout SWF Preview, Log
• ASDT AS2 Dev. Eclipse plugin
• MTASC AS2 Compiler
• Eclipse IDE
• SwfMill Resources (Fonts, JPEG,)

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The FAMES Platform

• A complete OpenSource platform
• Open Source IDE and Tools
• Edit / Compile / Test
• Ready for RIA dev
• Using Macromedia V2 Components (need license)
• Using OS Components
• More complete everyday
• See http//osflash.org

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Flash OpenSource Tools

• A lot of tools Available on OSFlash.org
• General Purpose
• AS2Lib, ASUnit
• UI Frameworks
• ActionStep, EnFlash, ARP, AsWing
• Debug/Log
• AdminTool
• Protocols
• AMFPHP, OpenAMF
• Tutorials, tips,

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Questions ?