We can use array_filter function for rescue. When we call array_filter with out passing the filter function it removes all values that evaluate to FALSE.

I’m using a getsource.php which will return the source code of any php file when the relative path is passed as a query parameter. It is dangerous as any one can take a peek at any of the PHP files in my server including Wordpress config files to reveal the database access details. Safe mode can only save folders outside my web root.

Scott Hurring has his version of source code viewer and does the following to protect sensitive php files from viewing

You may hide certain directories from the user via the use of the $protected array (see code). 

The script takes in the URL ($url), strips out all non-alphanums, all double dots (..), will pre-pend the $DOC_ROOT of your webserver, then resolve that (using realpath()) into a directory on the server. It will then verify that the resulting directory is NOT in the $protected array, and that the file actually exists on disk.

I’m using a different approach, by converting the relative path to realpath and making sure it starts with the same base path check the following code to see the implementation

What else can be done? Please share your thoughts

I believe that haXe is the right platform for developing api’s and code libraries.

Why haXe?

If you use just the haXe core libraries.

HaXe

• Can compile to Javascript by generating a single

  1

  .js

  file

• Can compile to Flash 6-8 by generating a single 

  1

  .swf

  file

• Can compile to Flash 9-10 / Tamarin by generating a single 

  1

  .swf

  file

  • generate optimized integer arithmetic
  • autocast when reading typed arrays
• Can compile to NekoVM by generating a singl 

  1

  .n

  bytecode file

  • can be run from the commandline
  • can be run on Apache Web server (with mod_neko or mod_tora)
• Can compile to AS3 source code
• Can compile to PHP 5

Making it ideal as write once and use it in many platforms solution.

Why HaXe to SWC?

Adobe has an initiative called alchemy which is a research project and tool chain that allows users to compile C and C++ code that is targeted to run on the open source ActionScript virtual machine (AVM2). The C/C++ code is compiled to ActionScript 3.0 as a SWF or SWC that runs on Adobe Flash Player 10 or Adobe AIR 1.5. Alchemy is intended to be used with existing C/C++ libraries that have few OS dependencies.¬†

Code generated by it will be much more optimized (for speed) and will run considerably faster than AS3 compiled byte code because compiling with LLVM tools (included as part of Alchemy) allows compile and link time optimizations to be applied that the ActionScript compiler does not use as yet. In addition, for operations involving ByteArrays there are opcodes that are optimized for performance, which the ActionScript compiler does not generate today. these opcodes exposes a special api which allows a byte array to be used as memory for the c, c++ code which bypasses the garbage collection mechanism, thus adding to the speed

HaXe can bring the same advantages for libraries that are yet to be written. It gives you the freedom of using all of the flash (10) specific api if you are not planing to use it in other platforms. It already supports the special opcodes that are used by alchemy and does lot of byte code optimization. Even though it is already capable of generating AS3 code, compiling it using mxmlc or compc will loose most of the advantages that are provided by the haXe compiler.

Let me list the advantages that the haXe compiler provides us

• In-line Methods and Variables
• Runtime Type Information
• Optimized Generics (for Flash9, 10)
• External File Resources
• Conditional Compilation
• Flash virtual memory API (made available in Flash player 10 and used exclusively by alchemy)

We can compile the final swf using haXe. While doing so we can incorporate our flex swf as well, but this will need this new workflow every time you need to modify and compile your flex application

So, ideal solution is to have haXe to swc compiler which compiles the libraries with all the optimization benefits it can give us and then we use the swc like any other compc or alchemy compiled swc in our flex/flash project.

We get best of both worlds

I’m very happy to say that we are very near to this dream. Thanks to Nicolas Cannasse,  haXe to SWC is already made possible with the latest version of haXe which is available in the CVS repository. You may follow this thread to know more on the progress

FDT Memory Dialog

Using the free flex 3.0 sdk I could compile, trace, and debug action script projects. Another glitch I came across is re-factoring. Even though I’m trying enterprise version and the 30 days trial supposed to be fully functional, I keep seeing the following window

Refactor Dialog

I needed a good as3 project to try out FDT. So I created a template engine which supports expressions that contain string and numeric literals actionscript variables and functions, if then else condition as part of the template text. Since Flex builder is the first Eclipse based IDE I’ve used for action script development I can’t resist comparing them. FDT is much closer implementation to the Java editor and brings in all the favorite eclipse ide features that java developers love is ported and made available to actionscript developers. The advantages that I see are

• Problems view is not totally tied to compiler, it does not even need the file to be saved, it can show problems as we type
• Code template support for easy code generation of all the boilerplate code like for loops event listeners
• We can customize and even add our own code templates, and access them by typing Ctrl/Command + Space after typing few characters
• Problem solving by generating needed code, say for example if you make use of a function that does not exist FDT can create it for you. It can even create a missing class for you
• Code Auto formatting, I love it
• Source code generation from compiled swc libraries

Flexbuilder excels in the following

• Tighter integration with the compiler
• MXML support and live preview
• Profiling
• Pricing

It is even possible to get best of both worlds, we can install FDT to Flexbuilder and add Flash Nature to Flex Projects and then get the FDT goodness to all as files in there. FDT supports opensource by providing their ide for free, which is a good news for the community. I’m also planing to opensource my templating engine, that will be the content for another post

Here are the important links for that presentation

Eclipse Monkey
Eclipse Monkey allows you to write scripts that run inside Eclipse and through DOMs are able to access and control(script) parts of the Eclipse Platform.

• Overview
• Eclipse Monkey Scripting Information
• Eclipse Monkey Exchange

Action Script 3 – Code Generation Scripts

• Scripts
• Demo Video

Adding Snippets panel to Flex Builder

• How to
• WST Snippets install instructions

FCG : a Flex Code Generator
FCG is an AIR application, currently under development, which primary goal is to automatically provide the base code for your RemoteObject based Flex applications. Basically, it means that it reads some code from the server side, and creates a bunch of MXML and AS files to boost your productivity. Its goal is not to create a ready-to-use application, but to provide the tools you need to do so as quickly as possible

• Install
• Review

Here are the slides for that presentation

Once I clean up the code I will post the source as well

Thanks to 3dsense guys, I met with Aral Balkan and we talked a lot. It was great talking to Aral and I look forward to talk more. We both were given a chance to know about the activities of 3dsense Media School. They are passion driven people and really addicted to their field. Seeing the 3D animation of their students tempts me to jump back to 3D animation

I’m happy that they will also be focusing on flash, and will be bringing in more international flash experts like Aral to speak to us.

depthColors="[0xFFFFFF, 0xF2F6F7, 0xEDF5F7, 0xE8F0F2, 0xD3E2E6]"

If I find any workaround I will update this post. If you know a workaround please post it as a comment

Open Window > Preferences… menu

Select General > Editors > File Associations in the Tree

Add *.swf as the New File Type

Select the newly added *.swf file type and Add “Internal Web Browser” as the Associated Editor

Download the TracerV2.swf from this site. Read this blog entry for more info.

Using File > Open File… open TracerV2.swf

Configure the TracerV2.swf and follow the steps as shown

Move this TracerV2.swf for your convenience

Now you should see the trace output from any swf played through Debug Player as shown below

Thanks to Veejay who made me think of making Tracer panel more usable.

By the way, Happy 2007