Flex ExternalInterface call and AutoIT

[iDenoQ]

I am having problems communicating to and from Flash with AutoIT. I have embedded SWF which is working perfectly but no communication from Flash to AutoIT, and when I try to call Flash from AutoIT I receive 80020009 COM error... My problems may be platform specific: Win7x64, flash player 10.

I am sure that these methods were working before. I am interested if anybody has tried lately to embed flash and communicate with it.

I have searched web and forums and I couldn't find solution.

[JohnOne]

I suggest you post some code that people can test, and answer your question if they wish.

"communicate with it" is a rather broad term.

[iDenoQ]

Right. What I have discovered is:

1. If I call objectflash.CallFunction before Flex framework is loaded ExternalInterface never gets exposed to AutoIT and I receive undefined 80020009 COM error.

2. If I make button with objectflash.CallFunction and wait for Flex application to load in embedded player, and then click it - function call is working AutoIT->Flex.

3. Calling function from Flex to AutoIT is never fired, no response, nothing. If I try to register ObjEvent at anytime - I don't get any response, function is never called.

Here is the code:

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#NoTrayIcon
#RequireAdmin
#Region ;**** Directives created by AutoIt3Wrapper_GUI ****
#AutoIt3Wrapper_UseX64=n
#AutoIt3Wrapper_AU3Check_Stop_OnWarning=y
#EndRegion ;**** Directives created by AutoIt3Wrapper_GUI ****
#cs ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  FLEX <--> AUTOIT
#ce ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
; Options
Opt("GUIOnEventMode", 1)
Opt( "TrayMenuMode", 3 )
AutoItSetOption ( "WinSearchChildren", 0 )
_Singleton("FLEXAU3A-B5D6-11E0-B31A-4EA04824019B")
_runOnlyCompiled()
; Includes
#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3>
#include <EditConstants.au3>
#include <ButtonConstants.au3>
#include <StaticConstants.au3>
#include <WindowsConstants.au3>
#Include <WinAPI.au3>
#include <Misc.au3>
; Tray menu
Local $flashitem = TrayCreateItem("Call Flash")
Local $exititem = TrayCreateItem("Exit")
TraySetState()
; Shockwave Object
Global $oSWF = ObjCreate("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash.1")
Global $g_eventerror = 0
$oMyError = ObjEvent("AutoIt.Error","MyErrFunc")
Global $SinkObject = ObjEvent( $oSWF, 'swf_' )
; Main GUI
$MG = GUICreate( "SWF Interface", 600, 430, -1, -1, $WS_DLGFRAME )
$oSWF_Object = GUICtrlCreateObj ( $oSWF, 0, 0, 600, 430 )
GUICtrlSetStyle ( $oSWF_Object,  $WS_VISIBLE )
With $oSWF
  .Movie = @ScriptDir & "\autoitgui.swf"
  .ScaleMode = 3
  .bgcolor = "C3DDFE"
  .Loop = True
  .WMode = "opaque"
  .allowScriptAccess = "Always"
  .Quality = 1
  .Playing = 1
  .Menu = 1
EndWith
GUISetState( @SW_SHOW, $MG )
; Main loop
While 1
$msg = GUIGetMsg()
Select
  Case $msg = $GUI_EVENT_CLOSE
   ; no close
EndSelect
Local $mssg = TrayGetMsg()
Select
  Case $mssg = 0
   ContinueLoop
  Case $mssg = $exititem
   ExitLoop
  Case $mssg = $flashitem
   $oSwf.CallFunction('<invoke name="hideMC"><arguments><string></string></arguments></invoke>')
   ; ObjEvent( $oSWF, 'swf_' )
EndSelect
WEnd
Exit
 

#cs --------------------------------
  FUNCTIONS
#ce --------------------------------
; Called from Flex like this
;
; if ( ! ExternalInterface.available)
; {
;  Alert.show( "No external interface available..." );
; }
; else
; {
;  ExternalInterface.call( "flexcall", "<string>Hello AutoIT</string>" );
; }
;
Func swf_flexcall( $params )
MsgBox( 0, "YEAH", "Executed ffff" )
EndFunc
Func _runOnlyCompiled()
If @compiled = 0 Then
  MsgBox( 0, "ERROR", "Sorry, run EXE not AU3!" )
  Exit
EndIf
EndFunc
Func MyErrFunc()
  $HexNumber=hex($oMyError.number,8)
  Msgbox(0,"AutoItCOM Test","We intercepted a COM Error !"     & @CRLF  & @CRLF & _
    "err.description is: "    & @TAB & $oMyError.description    & @CRLF & _
    "err.windescription:"    & @TAB & $oMyError.windescription & @CRLF & _
    "err.number is: "        & @TAB & $HexNumber              & @CRLF & _
    "err.lastdllerror is: "   & @TAB & $oMyError.lastdllerror   & @CRLF & _
    "err.scriptline is: "    & @TAB & $oMyError.scriptline   & @CRLF & _
    "err.source is: "        & @TAB & $oMyError.source       & @CRLF & _
    "err.helpfile is: "    & @TAB & $oMyError.helpfile     & @CRLF & _
    "err.helpcontext is: "    & @TAB & $oMyError.helpcontext _
   )
  SetError(1)
Endfunc

I will do the same in C# today and compile Form with Flex to see what happens. I will report here after.

[iDenoQ]

Finally I decided to use C# to create form using "Interop.ShockwaveFlashObjects.dll" and "AxInterop.ShockwaveFlashObjects.dll" (you can generate them from flash ocx using .net) and then use that form in my AutoIT project. If anybody is interested I can post or attach code.

The main reason for doing all this was to achieve more flexible interface. Flex was perfect for this task.

[JohnOne]

I wonder if the BETA function ObjectCreateInterface() would be something you could explore for this.

I say "wonder" because I don't have any idea what it's capable of.

[iDenoQ]

I have succeeded creating what I want in C#, now I will go back to AutoIT and try to achieve the same. If I do I promise to post everything on this great community code examples page.

[JohnOne]

I don't know if this is the place to be posting C# code, but since you offered, I wouldn't mind taking a look at your code if you would PM me.