Recently I created a work using Flash to play video file to create a computer-generated narrative by playing the files in certain orders. When done writing the ActionScript for the project and sure that it was going to work as designed, I came across another problem: how to install it in the gallery space so that it can be running by just turning the projector on and booting the computer. Due to the fact that the space in which the work is installed is run by mostly non-techies, the ability to make the work run just by turning it on is a requirement.

The problem that emerged later during installation was that to make the Flash projector run fullscreen on boot up was quite difficult. I tried using task scheduler to make the application run at full screen after the auto-logon feature of Windows XP, but the taskbar always appeared in front of the projector. I even tried to tweak the registry to hide the the taskbar on startup without success. In the end, I managed to run the projector fullscreen on bootup by putting a shortcut to the projector in the startup folder in the start menu.

With the shortcut installed in the startup folder of the start menu, Windows XP will boot and the computer will automatically logon to the desktop and then when the sequence is completed, the projector will be started at fullscreen.

As it turned out, running the projector at fullscreen in a fully-automated sequence was the least of my problems. I also had to deal with the memory leak issue in Flash player 9 and 10, especially with the use of the timer object. The whole installation would grind to a halt after a couple of hours due to these problems.

ActionScript · art · Flash · installation · kiosk mode

While I had some spare time today, I went to the Adobe Roadshow 2009 at the Darling Harbour Convention Centre, Sydney. It was quite interesting to see the demos of some of the applications from their new CS4 suite. A lot of work and thought seemed to have been put into applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Flash (that I sat through). Tighter integration and UI improvements seem to be the name of the game, but in Flash I noticed that they had included some of the tools that were more closely associated with other programs such as (mainly) AfterEffects. Looking forward to running some of the demos myself.

2009 · Adobe · AfterEffects · CS4 · Flash · roadshow