MACROMEDIA MEDIA SERVER 2 Reference

Client-Side ActionScript Language
Reference for Flash Media Server 2

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Acknowledgments

Project Management: Suzanne Smith

Writing: Jody Bleyle

Managing Editor: Rosana Francescato

Editing: Geta Carlson

Production Management: Patrice O’Neill

Media Design and Production: Adam Barnett, Aaron Begley, Mario Reynoso, Paul Benkman, John Franics

Special thanks to Erick Vera and the Flash Media Server engineering and QA teams.

First Edition: October 2005

Macromedia, Inc.
601 Townsend St.

San Francisco, CA 94103

Contents

Chapter 1: Client-Side ActionScript Language Reference. . . . . . . 5

ActionScript classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

ActionScript elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Camera class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Microphone class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

MovieClip class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

NetConnection class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

NetStream class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

SharedObject class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

System class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Video class. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

Appendix A: Client-Side Information Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

Camera information objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

LocalConnection information objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Microphone information objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

NetConnection information objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152

NetStream information objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153

SharedObject information objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

3

4Contents

CHAPTER 1

Client-Side ActionScript
Language Reference

Macromedia Flash Media Server provides two application program interfaces (APIs): a Client­Side Media ActionScript API and a Server-Side Media ActionScript API. This guide explains
the client-side API.

This document is designed to be used in combination with the ActionScript documentation
included with Macromedia Flash. Refer to the Flash documentation for general scripting
information. Use this document to add Flash Media Server functionality to your Flash
applications.

For additional information about developing applications for Flash Media Server and to
understand how objects created on the client-side are paired with those on the server-Rside,
see Developing Media Applications.

NOTE

Most sample code in this document uses ActionScript 2.0 syntax.

1

ActionScript classes

The following table lists all the classes in this guide, Client-Side ActionScript Language
Reference for Flash Media Server 2:

ActionScript class Description

Camera class Lets you capture video from a video camera attached to the

computer that is running Macromedia Flash Player.

Microphone class Lets you capture audio from a microphone attached to the

computer that is running Flash Player.

MovieClip class Lets you specify whether an audio source is to be played locally

(Microphone object) or streamed from Flash Media Server
(NetStream object).

5

ActionScript class Description

NetConnection class Manages a bidirectional connection between Flash Player and a

server, which lets you connect to Flash Remoting or to Flash
Media Server.

NetStream class Opens a one-way streaming connection between Flash Player

and Flash Media Server through a connection made available by
a NetConnection object.

SharedObject class Allows real-time data sharing between multiple client SWF files

and objects that are persistent on the local or remote location.

System class The System class contains properties related to certain

operations that take place on the user's computer, such as
operations with shared objects, local settings for cameras and
microphones, and use of the Clipboard.

Video class Lets you display live or recorded streaming video on the Stage

without embedding it in your SWF file.

ActionScript elements

Entries in this document are alphabetical by class name and then by method, property, or
event handler name. The following table lists all classes, methods, properties, and event
handlers individually in alphabetical order.

ActionScript element See entry

activityLevel

attachAudio

attachVideo

bandwidth

bufferLength

bufferTime

call

clear

close

connect

currentFps

data

Camera.activityLevel

MovieClip.attachAudio()

NetStream.attachVideo()

Camera.bandwidth

NetStream.bufferLength

NetStream.bufferTime

NetConnection.call()

SharedObject.clear()

NetConnection.close()
SharedObject.close()

NetConnection.connect()

Camera.currentFps

SharedObject.data

, Microphone.activityLevel

, NetStream.attachAudio()

, Video.attachVideo()

, Video.clear()

, NetStream.close(),

, SharedObject.connect()

, NetStream.currentFps

6 Client-Side ActionScript Language Reference

ActionScript element See entry

deblocking

flush

fps

gain

get

getLocal

getRemote

getSize

height

index

isConnected

keyFrameInterval

loopback

liveDelay

motionLevel

Video.deblocking

SharedObject.flush()

Camera.fps

Microphone.gain

Camera.get()

SharedObject.getLocal()

SharedObject.getRemote()

SharedObject.getSize()

Camera.height

Camera.index

NetConnection.isConnected

Camera.keyFrameInterval

Camera.loopback

NetStream.liveDelay

Camera.motionLevel

, Microphone.get()

, Video.height

, Microphone.index

motionTimeOut

muted

name

names

onActivity

onCuePoint

onMetaData

onPlayStatus

onStatus

onSync

pause

play

publish

quality

Camera.motionTimeOut

Camera.muted

Camera.name

Camera.names

Camera.onActivity

NetStream.onCuePoint

NetStream.onMetaData

NetStream.onPlayStatus

Camera.onStatus
NetStream.onStatus, SharedObject.onStatus

SharedObject.onSync

NetStream.pause()

NetStream.play()

NetStream.publish()

Camera.quality

, Microphone.muted

, Microphone.name

, Microphone.names

, Microphone.onActivity

, Microphone.onStatus, NetConnection.onStatus,

ActionScript elements 7

ActionScript element See entry

rate

receiveAudio

receiveVideo

seek

send

setBufferTime

setFps

setGain

setKeyFrameInterval

setLoopback

setMode

setMotionLevel

setQuality

setRate

setSilenceLevel

Microphone.rate

NetStream.receiveAudio()

NetStream.receiveVideo()

NetStream.seek()

NetStream.send()

NetStream.setBufferTime()

SharedObject.setFps()

Microphone.setGain()

Camera.setKeyFrameInterval()

Camera.setLoopback()

Camera.setMode()

Camera.setMotionLevel()

Camera.setQuality()

Microphone.setRate()

Microphone.setSilenceLevel()

, SharedObject.send()

setUseEchoSuppression

showSettings

silenceLevel

silenceTimeout

smoothing

time

uri

useCodepage

useEchoSuppression

width

Microphone.setUseEchoSuppression()

System.showSettings()

Microphone.silenceLevel

Microphone.silenceTimeout

Video.smoothing

NetStream.time

NetConnection.uri

System.useCodepage

Microphone.useEchoSuppression

Camera.width

Camera class

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

, Video.width

8 Client-Side ActionScript Language Reference

The Camera class lets you capture video from a video camera attached to the computer that is
running Macromedia Flash Player. When used with Flash Media Server, this class lets you
transmit, display, and optionally record the video being captured. With these capabilities, you
can develop media applications such as video conferencing, instant messaging with video, and
so on. Flash provides similar audio capabilities; for more information, see the Microphone

class entry.

You can also use a Camera object without a server—for example, to monitor a video feed from
a webcam attached to your local system.

NOTE

When a SWF file tries to access the camera returned by Camera.get(), Flash Player
displays a Privacy dialog box that lets the user choose whether to allow or deny access
to the camera. (Make sure your Stage size is at least 215 x 138 pixels for the Camera
class examples; this is the minimum size Flash requires to display the dialog box.) End
users and administrative users may also disable camera access on a per-site or global
basis.

To create or reference a Camera object, use the

Camera.get() method.

Method summary for the Camera class

Method Description

Camera.get() Returns a reference to a Camera object for capturing

video.

Camera.setKeyFrameInterval() Specifies which video frames are transmitted in full

instead of being interpolated by the video compression
algorithm.

Camera.setLoopback() Specifies whether to use a compressed video stream for a

local view of what the camera is transmitting.

Camera.setMode() Sets aspects of the camera capture mode, including

height, width, and frames per second.

Camera.setMotionLevel() Specifies how much motion is required to invoke

Camera.onActivity(true).

Camera.setQuality() Sets the maximum amount of bandwidth per second or

the required picture quality of the current outgoing video
feed.

Camera class 9

Property summary for the Camera class

Property (read-only) Description

Camera.activityLevel A numeric value from 0 to 100 that specifies the amount of

motion the camera is detecting.

Camera.bandwidth The maximum amount of bandwidth the current outgoing

video feed can use, in bytes.

Camera.currentFps The rate at which the camera is capturing data, in frames per

second.

Camera.fps The rate at which you would like the camera to capture data, in

frames per second.

Camera.height The current capture height, in pixels.

Camera.index The index of the camera, as reflected in the array returned by

Camera.names.

Camera.keyFrameInterval A number that specifies which video frames are transmitted in

full instead of being interpolated by the video compression
algorithm.

Camera.loopback A Boolean value that specifies whether a local view of what

the camera is capturing is compressed or uncompressed.

Camera.motionLevel A numeric value from 0 to 100 that specifies the amount of

motion required to invoke

Camera.motionTimeOut The number of milliseconds between the time the camera

Camera.onActivity(true).

stops detecting motion and the time

Camera.onActivity(false) is invoked.

Camera.muted A Boolean value that specifies whether the user has allowed

or denied access to the camera.

Camera.name The name of the camera as specified by the camera hardware.

Camera.names Class property; an array of strings containing the names of all

available video capture devices, including video capture cards
and cameras.

Camera.quality A number that specifies the current level of picture quality

based on the amount of compression being applied to each
video frame.

Camera.width The current capture width, in pixels.

10 Client-Side ActionScript Language Reference

Event handler summary for the Camera class

Method Description

Camera.onActivity Invoked when the camera starts or stops detecting motion.

Camera.onStatus Invoked when the user allows or denies access to the camera.

Constructor for the Camera class

See Camera.get().

Camera.activityLevel

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public activityLevel : Number [read-only]

Description

Property (read-only); a numeric value that specifies the amount of motion the camera is
detecting. Values range from 0 (no motion is being detected) to 100 (a large amount of
motion is being detected). The value of this property can help you determine if you need to
pass a setting to

If the camera is available but is not yet being used because neither

NetStream.attachVideo() has been called, this property is set to -1.

Camera.setMotionLevel().

Video.attachVideo() nor

If you are streaming only uncompressed local video—that is, you are not streaming the video
within a NetStream object and you have not called
property is set only if you have assigned a function to the

Camera.setLoopback()(true)—this

Camera.onActivity event handler.

Otherwise, it is undefined.

See also

Camera.motionLevel, Camera.onActivity, Camera.setMotionLevel()

Camera class 11

Camera.bandwidth

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public bandwidth : Number [read-only]

Description

Property (read-only); an integer that specifies the maximum amount of bandwidth the current
outgoing video feed can use, in bytes. A value of 0 means that Flash Video can use as much
bandwidth as needed to maintain the desired frame quality.

To set this property, use

Camera.setQuality().

Example

The following example changes the maximum amount of bandwidth used by the camera feed.
Create a new video instance by selecting New Video from the Library options menu. Add an
instance to the Stage and give it the instance name
component instance to the Stage and give it the instance name

my_video. Add a NumericStepper

bandwidth_nstep. Then add

the following ActionScript to Frame 1 of the Timeline:

var bandwidth_nstep:mx.controls.NumericStepper;
var my_video:Video;
var my_cam:Camera = Camera.get();
my_video.attachVideo(my_cam);
this.createTextField("bandwidth_txt", this.getNextHighestDepth(), 0, 0,

100, 22);
bandwidth_txt.autoSize = true;
this.onEnterFrame = function() {
bandwidth_txt.text = "Camera is currently using "+my_cam.bandwidth+"

bytes ("+Math.round(my_cam.bandwidth/1024)+" KB) bandwidth.";
};
//
bandwidth_nstep.minimum = 0;
bandwidth_nstep.maximum = 128;
bandwidth_nstep.stepSize = 16;
bandwidth_nstep.value = my_cam.bandwidth/1024;
function changeBandwidth(evt:Object) {
my_cam.setQuality(evt.target.value/1024, 0);
}
bandwidth_nstep.addEventListener("change", changeBandwidth);

12 Client-Side ActionScript Language Reference

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player
7 or later. If your SWF file includes a v2 component (version 2 of the Macromedia
Component Architecture), use the DepthManager class from the component framework
instead of the

See also

Camera.setQuality()

MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

Camera.currentFps

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public currentFps : Number [read-only]

Description

Property (read-only); the rate at which the camera is capturing data, in frames per second.
This property cannot be set; however, you can use
property—

Camera.fps—which specifies the maximum frame rate at which you would like

the camera to capture data.

Camera.setMode() to set a related

Example

The following example detects the rate in frames per second that the camera captures data,
using the

currentFps property and a ProgressBar instance. Create a new video instance by

selecting New Video from the Library options menu. Add an instance to the Stage and give it
the instance name
the instance name

var my_video:Video;
var fps_pb:mx.controls.ProgressBar;
var my_cam:Camera = Camera.get();
my_video.attachVideo(my_cam);
this.onEnterFrame = function() {
fps_pb.setProgress(my_cam.fps-my_cam.currentFps, my_cam.fps);
};

fps_pb.setStyle("fontSize", 10);
fps_pb.setStyle("themeColor", "haloOrange");
fps_pb.labelPlacement = "top";
fps_pb.mode = "manual";
fps_pb.label = "FPS: %2 (%3%% dropped)";

my_video. Add a ProgressBar component instance to the Stage and give it
fps_pb. Then add the following ActionScript to Frame 1 of the Timeline:

Camera class 13

See also

Camera.fps, Camera.setMode()

Camera.fps

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public fps : Number [read-only]

Description

Property (read-only); the maximum rate at which you want the camera to capture data, in
frames per second. The maximum rate possible depends on the capabilities of the camera; that
is, if the camera doesn’t support the value you set here, this frame rate will not be achieved.

■ To set a desired value for this property, use Camera.setMode().

■ To determine the rate at which the camera is currently capturing data, use

Camera.currentFps.

Example

The following example detects the rate in frames per second that the camera captures data,
using the

currentFps property and a ProgressBar instance. Create a new video instance by

selecting New Video from the Library options menu. Add an instance to the Stage and give it
the instance name
the instance name

var my_video:Video;
var fps_pb:mx.controls.ProgressBar;
var my_cam:Camera = Camera.get();
my_video.attachVideo(my_cam);
this.onEnterFrame = function() {
fps_pb.setProgress(my_cam.fps-my_cam.currentFps, my_cam.fps);
};

fps_pb.setStyle("fontSize", 10);
fps_pb.setStyle("themeColor", "haloOrange");
fps_pb.labelPlacement = "top";
fps_pb.mode = "manual";
fps_pb.label = "FPS: %2 (%3%% dropped)";

NOTE

The setMode() method does not guarantee the requested fps setting; it sets the fps you
requested or the fastest fps available.

my_video. Add a ProgressBar component instance to the Stage and give it
fps_pb. Then add the following ActionScript to Frame 1 of the Timeline:

14 Client-Side ActionScript Language Reference

See also

Camera.currentFps, Camera.setMode()

Camera.get()

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public static get([index:Number]) : Camera

NOTE

To assign the Camera object to a variable, use the following syntax:

var active_cam:Camera = Camera.get().

Parameters

index An optional zero-based integer that specifies which camera driver to get, as

determined from the array returned by
(which is recommended for most applications), omit this parameter.

Camera.names. To get the default camera driver

Returns

■ If index is not specified, this method returns a reference to the default camera driver or, if

it is in use by another application, to the first available camera driver. (If there is more
than one camera driver installed, the user may specify the default camera driver in the
Flash Player Camera Settings panel.) If no camera drivers are available or installed, the
method returns

■ If index is specified, this method returns a reference to the requested camera driver, or

null if it is not available.

Description

null.

Method; returns a reference to a Camera object for capturing video. To actually begin
capturing the video, you must attach the Camera object either to a Video object (see

Video.attachVideo()) or to a NetStream object (see NetStream.attachVideo()). (The

NetStream object is available only with Flash Media Server.)

NOTE

The Camera.get() method returns a reference to a camera driver, not to a physical
camera.

Camera class 15

Unlike objects that you create using the new constructor, multiple calls to Camera.get()
reference the same camera driver. Thus, if your script contains the lines

cam1 = Camera.get() and cam2 = Camera.get(), both cam1 and cam2 reference the same

(default) camera driver.

In general, you shouldn’t pass a value for

index; simply use Camera.get() to return a

reference to the default camera driver. By means of the Camera settings panel (discussed later
in this section), the user can specify the default camera driver Flash should use. If you pass a
value for
prefers. You might use

index, you might be trying to reference a camera driver other than the one the user

index in rare cases—for example, if your application is capturing video

from two cameras at the same time.

When a SWF file tries to access the camera returned by
you issue

NetStream.attachVideo() or Video.attachVideo()—Flash Player displays a

Camera.get()—for example, when

Privacy dialog box that lets the user choose whether to allow or deny access to the camera.
(Make sure your Stage size is at least 215 by 138 pixels; this is the minimum size Flash
requires to display the dialog box.)

When the user responds to this dialog box, the

Camera.onStatus event handler returns an

information object that indicates the user’s response. To determine whether the user has
denied or allowed access to the camera without processing this event handler, use

Camera.muted.

The user can also specify permanent privacy settings for a particular domain by right-clicking
(Windows) or Control-clicking (Macintosh) while a SWF file is playing and selecting
Settings. When the Privacy dialog box opens, the user selects Remember.

You can’t use ActionScript to set the Allow or Deny value for a user, but you can display the
Privacy dialog box for the user by using

System.showSettings(0). If the user selects

Remember, Flash Player no longer displays the Privacy dialog box for SWF files from this
domain.

If

Camera.get() returns null, either the camera is in use by another application, or there are

no cameras installed on the system. To determine whether any cameras are installed, use

Camera.names.length. To display the Flash Player Camera Settings panel, which lets the

user choose the camera driver to be referenced by

System.showSettings(3).

16 Client-Side ActionScript Language Reference

Camera.get(), use

Scanning the hardware for cameras takes time. When Flash finds at least one camera, the
hardware is not scanned again for the lifetime of the Flash Player instance. However, if Flash
doesn’t find any cameras, it will scan each time

Camera.get() is called. This is helpful if a

user has forgotten to connect the camera; if your SWF file provides a Try Again button
that calls

Camera.get(), Flash can find the camera without the user having to restart the

SWF file.

Example

The following example lets you select an active camera to use from a ComboBox instance.
The current active camera is displayed in a Label instance. Create a new video instance by
selecting New Video from the Library options menu. Add an instance to the Stage and give it
the instance name
instance name
name

cameras_cb. Then add the following ActionScript to Frame 1 of the Timeline:

var my_cam:Camera = Camera.get();
var my_video:Video;
my_video.attachVideo(my_cam);
var camera_lbl:mx.controls.Label;
var cameras_cb:mx.controls.ComboBox;
camera_lbl.text = my_cam.name;
cameras_cb.dataProvider = Camera.names;
function changeCamera():Void {
my_cam = Camera.get(cameras_cb.selectedIndex);
my_video.attachVideo(my_cam);
camera_lbl.text = my_cam.name;
}
cameras_cb.addEventListener("change", changeCamera);
camera_lbl.setStyle("fontSize", 9);
cameras_cb.setStyle("fontSize", 9);

my_video. Add a Label component instance to the Stage and give it the

camera_lbl, and a ComboBox component instance and give it the instance

See also

Camera.index, Camera.muted, Camera.names, Camera.onStatus, Camera.setMode(),
NetStream.attachVideo(), System.showSettings(), Video.attachVideo()

Camera class 17

Camera.height

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public height : Number [read-only]

Description

Property (read-only); the current capture height, in pixels. To set a value for this property, use

Camera.setMode().

Example

The following code displays the current width, height and FPS of a video instance in a Label
component instance on the Stage. Create a new video instance by selecting New Video from
the Library options menu. Add an instance to the Stage and give it the instance name

my_video. Add a Label component instance to the Stage and give it the instance name
dimensions_lbl. Then add the following ActionScript to Frame 1 of the Timeline:

var my_cam:Camera = Camera.get();
var my_video:Video;
my_video.attachVideo(my_cam);
var dimensions_lbl:mx.controls.Label;
dimensions_lbl.setStyle("fontSize", 9);
dimensions_lbl.setStyle("fontWeight", "bold");
dimensions_lbl.setStyle("textAlign", "center");
dimensions_lbl.text = "width: "+my_cam.width+", height: "+my_cam.height+",

FPS: "+my_cam.fps;

See also the example for Camera.setMode().

See also

Camera.setMode(), Camera.width

Camera.index

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

18 Client-Side ActionScript Language Reference

Usage

active_cam.index

Description

Property (read-only); a zero-based integer that specifies the index of the camera, as reflected in
the array returned by

Example

Camera.names.

The following example displays an array of cameras in a text field that is created at runtime,
and tells you which camera you are currently using. Create a new video instance by selecting
New Video from the Library options menu. Add an instance to the Stage and give it the
instance name
instance name

var camera_lbl:mx.controls.Label;
var my_cam:Camera = Camera.get();
var my_video:Video;
my_video.attachVideo(my_cam);

camera_lbl.text = my_cam.index+". "+my_cam.name;
this.createTextField("cameras_txt", this.getNextHighestDepth(), 25, 160,

160, 80);
cameras_txt.html = true;
cameras_txt.border = true;
cameras_txt.wordWrap = true;
cameras_txt.multiline = true;
for (var i = 0; i<Camera.names.length; i++) {
cameras_txt.htmlText += "<li><u><a

href=\"asfunction:changeCamera,"+i+"\">"+Camera.names[i]+"</a></u></

li>";
}
function changeCamera(index:Number) {
my_cam = Camera.get(index);
my_video.attachVideo(my_cam);
camera_lbl.text = my_cam.index+". "+my_cam.name;
}

my_video. Add a Label component instance to the Stage and give it the
camera_lbl. Then add the following ActionScript to Frame 1 of the Timeline:

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player
7 or later. If your SWF file includes a v2 component (version 2 of the Macromedia
Component Architecture), use the DepthManager class from the component framework
instead of the

See also

Camera.get(), Camera.names

MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

Camera class 19

Camera.keyFrameInterval

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public keyFrameInterval : Number [read-only]

Description

Property (read-only); a number that specifies which video frames are transmitted in full
(called keyframes) instead of being interpolated by the video compression algorithm. The
default value is 15 (every 15th frame is a keyframe).

See also

Camera.setKeyFrameInterval()

Camera.loopback

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public loopback : Boolean [read-only]

Description

Property (read-only); a Boolean value that specifies whether a local view of what the camera is
capturing is compressed and decompressed as it would be for live transmission using Flash
Media Server (

true) or uncompressed (false). The default value is false.

To set this value, use Camera.setLoopback(). To set the amount of compression used when
this property is

Example

true, use Camera.setQuality().

See the example for Camera.setLoopback().

See also

Camera.setLoopback(), Camera.setQuality()

20 Client-Side ActionScript Language Reference

Camera.motionLevel

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public motionLevel : Number [read-only]

Description

Property (read-only); a numeric value that specifies the amount of motion required to invoke

Camera.onActivity(true). Acceptable values range from 0 to 100. The default value is 50.

Video can be displayed regardless of the value of the
information, see

Camera.setMotionLevel().

motionLevel property. For more

Example

The following example continually detects the motion level of a camera feed. Create a new
video instance by selecting New Video from the Library options menu. Add an instance to the
Stage and give it the instance name
and give it the instance name

motionLevel_nstep, and a ProgressBar with the instance name motion_pb. Then add the

my_video. Add a Label component instance to the Stage

motionLevel_lbl, a NumericStepper with the instance name

following ActionScript to Frame 1 of the Timeline:

var my_cam:Camera = Camera.get();
var my_video:Video;
my_video.attachVideo(my_cam);

// Configure the ProgressBar component instance.
var motion_pb:mx.controls.ProgressBar;
motion_pb.mode = "manual";
motion_pb.label = "Motion: %3%%";

var motionLevel_lbl:mx.controls.Label;
// Configure the NumericStepper component instance.
var motionLevel_nstep:mx.controls.NumericStepper;
motionLevel_nstep.minimum = 0;
motionLevel_nstep.maximum = 100;
motionLevel_nstep.stepSize = 5;
motionLevel_nstep.value = my_cam.motionLevel;

/* Continuously update the progress of the ProgressBar
component instance to the activityLevel
of the current Camera instance, which is defined in my_cam. */

Camera class 21

this.onEnterFrame = function() {
motion_pb.setProgress(my_cam.activityLevel, 100);
};

/* When the level of activity goes above or below
the number defined in Camera.motionLevel,
trigger the onActivity event handler. */
my_cam.onActivity = function(isActive:Boolean) {
/* If isActive equals true, set the themeColor variable to "haloGreen".

Otherwise set the themeColor to "haloOrange".*/
var themeColor:String = (isActive) ? "haloGreen" : "haloOrange";
motion_pb.setStyle("themeColor", themeColor);
};

function changeMotionLevel() {

/* Set the motionLevel property for my_cam Camera

instance to the value of the NumericStepper

component instance. Maintain the current

motionTimeOut value of the my_cam Camera instance.*/
my_cam.setMotionLevel(motionLevel_nstep.value, my_cam.motionTimeOut);
}
motionLevel_nstep.addEventListener("change", changeMotionLevel);

See also

Camera.activityLevel, Camera.onActivity, Camera.onStatus,

Camera.setMotionLevel()

Camera.motionTimeOut

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public motionTimeOut : Number [read-only]

Description

Property (read-only); the number of milliseconds between the time the camera stops detecting
motion and the time
(2 seconds).

To set this value, use

Camera.onActivity(false) is invoked. The default value is 2000

Camera.setMotionLevel().

22 Client-Side ActionScript Language Reference

Example

In the following example, the ProgressBar instance changes its halo theme color when the
activity level falls below the motion level. You can set the number of seconds for the

motionTimeout property using a NumericStepper instance. Create a new video instance by

selecting New Video from the Library options menu. Add an instance to the Stage and give it
the instance name
instance name

motionTimeOut_nstep, and a ProgressBar with the instance name motion_pb. Then add the

my_video. Add a Label component instance to the Stage and give it the

motionLevel_lbl, a NumericStepper with the instance name

following ActionScript to Frame 1 of the Timeline:

var motionLevel_lbl:mx.controls.Label;
var motion_pb:mx.controls.ProgressBar;
var motionTimeOut_nstep:mx.controls.NumericStepper;
var my_cam:Camera = Camera.get();
var my_video:Video;
my_video.attachVideo(my_cam);

this.onEnterFrame = function() {
motionLevel_lbl.text = "activityLevel: "+my_cam.activityLevel;
};

motion_pb.indeterminate = true;
my_cam.onActivity = function(isActive:Boolean) {
if (isActive) {
motion_pb.setStyle("themeColor", "haloGreen");
motion_pb.label = "Motion is above "+my_cam.motionLevel;
} else {
motion_pb.setStyle("themeColor", "haloOrange");
motion_pb.label = "Motion is below "+my_cam.motionLevel;
}
};
function changeMotionTimeOut() {
my_cam.setMotionLevel(my_cam.motionLevel, motionTimeOut_nstep.value/

1000);
}
motionTimeOut_nstep.addEventListener("change", changeMotionTimeOut);
motionTimeOut_nstep.value = my_cam.motionTimeOut/1000;

See also

Camera.onActivity, Camera.setMotionLevel()

Camera class 23

Camera.muted

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public muted : Boolean [read-only]

Description

Property (read-only); a Boolean value that specifies whether the user has denied access to the
camera (
value changes,

Example

In the following example, an error message could be displayed if my_cam.muted evaluates to

true. Create a new video instance by selecting New Video from the Library options menu.

Add an instance to the Stage and give it the instance name
ActionScript to Frame 1 of the Timeline:

var my_cam:Camera = Camera.get();
var my_video:Video;
my_video.attachVideo(my_cam);
my_cam.onStatus = function(infoObj:Object) {
if (my_cam.muted) {

trace("User denied access to Camera");
System.showSettings(0);
}
};

true) or allowed access (false) in the Flash Player Privacy dialog box. When this

Camera.onStatus is invoked. For more information, see Camera.get().

my_video. Then add the following

/* If user is denied access to their Camera,
you can display an error message here.
You can display the user's Camera/Privacy settings
again using System.showSettings(0).*/

See also

Camera.get(), Camera.onStatus

24 Client-Side ActionScript Language Reference

Camera.name

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public name : String [read-only]

Description

Property (read-only); a string that specifies the name of the current camera, as returned by the
camera hardware.

Example

The following example displays the name of the default camera in a text field and writes the
name to the log file. In Windows, this name is the same as the device name listed in the
Camera Settings panel.

Create a new video instance by selecting New Video from the Library options menu. Add an
instance to the Stage and give it the instance name
ActionScript to Frame 1 of the Timeline:

my_video. Then add the following

var my_cam:Camera = Camera.get();
var my_video:Video;
my_video.attachVideo(my_cam);

this.createTextField("name_txt", this.getNextHighestDepth(), 0, 0, 100,

22);
name_txt.autoSize = true;
name_txt.text = my_cam.name;

The MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method used in this example requires Flash Player
7 or later. If your SWF file includes a v2 component (version 2 of the Macromedia
Component Architecture), use the DepthManager class from the component framework
instead of the

See also

Camera.get(), Camera.names

MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth() method.

Camera class 25

Camera.names

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public static names : Array [read-only]

NOTE

The correct syntax is Camera.names. To assign the return value to a variable, use syntax
like

var cam_array:Array = Camera.names. To determine the name of the current camera,

active_cam.name, where active_cam is the variable to which you assigned the results

use
of

Camera.get().

Description

Class property (read-only); retrieves an array of strings reflecting the names of all available
video capture devices (including video capture cards and cameras) without displaying the
Flash Player Privacy dialog box. This array behaves the same as any other ActionScript array,
implicitly providing the zero-based index of each camera driver and the number of camera
drivers on the system (by means of
Array class entry in the ActionScript 2.0 Language Reference.

Camera.names.length). For more information, see the

Calling the

Camera.names property requires an extensive examination of the hardware, and it

may take several seconds to build the array. In most cases, you can just use the default camera.

Example

The following example uses the default camera unless more than one camera is available, in
which case the user can choose which camera to set as the default camera. If only one camera
is present, the default camera is used.

Create a new video instance by selecting New Video from the Library options menu. Add an
instance to the Stage and give it the instance name

my_video. Then add the following

ActionScript to Frame 1 of the Timeline:

var my_video:Video;
var cam_array:Array = Camera.names;
if (cam_array.length>1) {
System.showSettings(3);
}
var my_cam:Camera = Camera.get();
my_video.attachVideo(my_cam);

See also

Camera.get(), Camera.index, Camera.names

26 Client-Side ActionScript Language Reference

Camera.onActivity

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public onActivity = function(activity:Boolean) {}

Parameters

activity A Boolean value set to true when the camera starts detecting motion, false

when it stops.

Returns

Nothing.

Description

Event handler; invoked when the camera starts or stops detecting motion. If you want to
respond to this event handler, you must create a function to process its

activity value.

To specify the amount of motion required to invoke

Camera.onActivity(true) and the

amount of time that must elapse without activity before invoking

Camera.onActivity(false), use Camera.setMotionLevel().

Example

The following example displays true or false in the Output panel when the camera starts or
stops detecting motion:

// assumes a Video object named "my_video" is on the Stage
var active_cam:Camera = Camera.get();
my_video.attachVideo(active_cam);
active_cam.setMotionLevel(10, 500);
active_cam.onActivity = function(mode) {

trace(mode);

}

See also

Camera.setMotionLevel()

Camera class 27

Camera.onStatus

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server.

Usage

public onStatus = function(infoObject:Object) {}

Parameters

infoObject A parameter defined according to the status message. For more information

about this parameter, see “Camera information objects” on page 151.

Returns

Nothing.

Description

Event handler; invoked when one of the following events occurs:

■ The user allows access to the camera. The Camera.muted property is set to false, and

this handler is invoked with an information object whose

Camera.Unmuted.

code property is

■ The user denies access to the camera. The Camera.muted property is set to true, and this

handler is invoked with an information object whose

code property is Camera.Muted.

When a SWF file tries to access the camera, Flash Player displays a Privacy dialog box that lets
the user choose whether to allow or deny access. To determine whether the user has denied or
allowed access to the camera without processing this event handler, use the

Camera.muted

property.

NOTE

If the user chooses to permanently allow or deny access for all SWF files from a
specified domain, this handler is not invoked for SWF files from that domain unless the
user later changes the privacy setting. For more information, see

Camera.get().

If you want to respond to this event handler, you must create a function to process the
information object generated by the camera. For more information, see Appendix A, “Client-

Side Information Objects,” on page 149.

28 Client-Side ActionScript Language Reference

Example

The following event handler displays a message whenever the user allows or denies access to
the camera:

// assumes a Video object named "my_video" is on the Stage
var active_cam:Camera = Camera.get();
my_video.attachVideo(active_cam);
active_cam.onStatus = function(infoMsg) {

if(infoMsg.code == "Camera.Muted"){

trace("User denies access to the camera");
}
else

trace("User allows access to the camera");

}
// Change the Allow or Deny value to invoke the function.
System.showSettings(0);

See also

Camera.get(), Camera.muted, System.showSettings()

Camera.quality

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public quality : Number [read-only]

Description

Property (read-only); an integer specifying the required level of picture quality, as determined
by the amount of compression being applied to each video frame. Acceptable quality values
range from 1 (lowest quality, maximum compression) to 100 (highest quality, no
compression). The default value is 0, which means that picture quality can vary as needed to
avoid exceeding available bandwidth.

Camera class 29

Example

The following example uses a NumericStepper instance to specify the amount of compression
applied to the camera feed. Create a new video instance by selecting New Video from the
Library options menu. Add an instance to the Stage and give it the instance name
Add a NumericStepper with the instance name

quality_nstep. Then add the following

my_video.

ActionScript to Frame 1 of the Timeline:

var quality_nstep:mx.controls.NumericStepper;

var my_cam:Camera = Camera.get();
var my_video:Video;
my_video.attachVideo(my_cam);

quality_nstep.minimum = 0;
quality_nstep.maximum = 100;
quality_nstep.stepSize = 5;
quality_nstep.value = my_cam.quality;

function changeQuality() {
my_cam.setQuality(my_cam.bandwidth, quality_nstep.value);
}
quality_nstep.addEventListener("change", changeQuality);

See also

Camera.setQuality()

Camera.setKeyFrameInterval()

Availability

■ Flash Player 6.

■ Flash Media Server (not required).

Usage

public setKeyFrameInterval(keyframeInterval : Number) : Void

Parameters

keyframeInterval A numeric value that specifies which video frames are transmitted in

full (called keyframes) instead of being interpolated by the video compression algorithm. A
value of 1 means that every frame is a keyframe, a value of 3 means that every third frame is a
keyframe, and so on. Acceptable values are 1 through 48. The default value is 15.

Returns

Nothing.

30 Client-Side ActionScript Language Reference