Tripod5G >> Recipe 22.2. Using the Mobile Emulator

Flash MX 2004 included a very simple (and often confusing) Flash Lite emulator. Flash 8 includes a new Mobile Emulator, which provides greatly enhanced Flash Lite testing capabilities. To use the Mobile Emulator:

When issuing the Test Movie command on a Flash Lite document, the Mobile Emulator is launched in place of the standard Test Movie window. If you created the movie using a device template (see Recipe 22.1 for discussion of device templates), the Test Device list is pre-populated with the appropriate devices. If you set the document's publish settings to Flash Lite manually, the Test Device list is populated with your default device list or <None Selected>.

Flash 8 initially ships with more than 90 device emulators for your testing needs. The devices are grouped by content type, manufacturer, carrier, and platform.

There are 22 different Flash Lite content types (also known as application modes). Each Flash Lite device supports a subset of this group. Some devices, for example, can support Flash animations for incoming calls. In this chapter, and in the Flash Lite development community, focus is on content for the Standalone Player and Browser content types, as these content types support the most advanced set of features. The Standalone Player is the content type we will be working with in Recipe 22.4. The Browser content type is used when you want to deploy Flash content inline to mobile web browsers that support Flash Lite content.

From the Test Device drop-down menu, select Device Settings…or on the document pane, click on the Settings…button next to the Device label. The Device Settings window is opened.
From the Content type drop-down menu, select a content type. For example, if you want to distribute your SWF as a standalone movie that can be played on the handset, select Standalone Player.
Folders that are tinted blue (Mac) or enabled (PC) in the Available Devices selection box contain devices that support your selected content type. Note that a device may be listed in multiple foldersthe Nokia 7610, for example, is listed in both Manufacturers Nokia and Symbian Series 60, as it is a Nokia phone running the Symbian Series 60 platform.
As you drill down into the folder hierarchy, you will see that certain device icons are also tinted blue (Mac) or enabled (PC)these are the devices that support your selected content type.
You can highlight individual device(s) and click Add to move them to your Test Devices list. You can also highlight a folder to move all devices in that folder (and subfolders) to your Test Devices list, though doing so is often undesirable, as it will move a device even if that device doesn't support your selected content type.
If there are certain devices that you want to use often for testing Flash Lite content, arrange those devices in the Test Devices list and click Make Default. Each time you test a Flash Lite movie in the Flash Lite emulator that was not created from a device template, these devices will appear for testing.
Devices supporting Flash Lite are expected to be released quite frequently in the future. The Device Settings window has a link titled "Check for new devices," which takes you to a page on Macromedia's web site that allows you to download the latest device emulators. You can also visit the web site directly at .
When you are satisfied with your selections, click OK to save these settings. Note that the settings apply to only the currently active Flash document.

The devices you have selected are now available in the Test Device menu. Each time you change your selection, the selected device loads in the right panel, and your movie loads into that device. You can test the interactivity of your movie using either the keyboard or by mousing over the buttons on the device skin.

By default, the Trace and Warnings checkboxes are enabled. The output window will warn you if, for example, an ActionScript function you have called is unsupported by the selected device. Additionally, try enabling the Information checkbox for more instruction. When the movie loads, you are presented with detailed information regarding this device's features and capabilities.

See Figure 22-1 for an example of testing a remote webcam monitoring application in the Flash Professional 8 Mobile Emulator.

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Recipe 22.2. Using the Mobile Emulator

Problem

Solution

Discussion

Figure 22-1. Testing a remote webcam monitoring application in the Flash Professional 8 Mobile Emulator

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