As a Flash developer, I'm always interested in products that can help me to extend my Flash applications with extra functionality. I've lost count of the number of times I've wished that Flash could manipulate files and folders within the file system or do something simple like checking whether a network connection is present.

Enter MDM Zinc 2.5! This product creates Projector files, Screen Savers and Installers from SWF files. However, it also extends the functionality of Projector files using its own scripting language, {mdm} Script, which works with both PCs and Macs. Zinc 2.5 includes over 800 commands that you can use to add a range of functions to your SWF files.

For developers who've used earlier versions of Zinc, the new version is compatible with Flash 8 and includes a major rewrite of its scripting engine. Zinc 2.5 provides both synchronous and asynchronous scripting, and is native on both Windows and Macintosh computers. You can find out more about this product at the developer's web site - http://www.multidmedia.com/.

The workflow for using Zinc 2.5 in projects is very simple:

1. Create a file capable of generating a SWF using software such as Flash, Swish or LiveMotion. (I prefer to use Flash so I'll refer to that throughout this review.)
2. Add {mdm} Script commands to the file
3. Publish a SWF file
4. Open the generated SWF file in Zinc 2.5
5. Choose the appropriate settings and build the Projector

At first, it seems a little cumbersome to have to work in two different software packages but I found that this slight inconvenience is a small price to pay for the extra features available to my Flash files. Luckily, you can save the Zinc settings as a project so you don't have to re-enter them the next time you create the same Projector or Screen Saver.

I have seen Zinc in action several times but haven't had the chance to explore its features in detail. What a mistake on my part! After digging through the {mdm} Script API, I was very impressed with the range of features available. I found {mdm} Script to be very similar in construction to ActionScript and it's probably even easier to learn. This release seems to be a great improvement on the scripting required in earlier versions of Zinc.

Many people focus on Zinc's ability to control the appearance and other settings within a Projector file. While these features are powerful compared with the publishing capabilities in Flash, my interest lay in the additional features that Zinc could provide to Flash applications. As a developer, I was delighted to find the following features available:

• working with the Clipboard,
• creating and controlling web browser and Adobe Reader instances,
• connecting to databases and executing SQL statements WITHOUT the need for a server-side file,
• manipulating FileSystem folders and files,
• communicating using HTTP and FTP, and
• converting image formats.

There have been many occasions where I've needed access to functions in my Flash applications.

One of the great selling points of Zinc 2.5 is its ability to create extensions from existing DLL files. Once you've registered the DLL, you can access the range of included DLL functions. All you need to do is set the parameters and Zinc will generate the appropriate code for inclusion in your Flash file. If you need specific functionality for your Flash files, you can write a custom DLL and hook it up with Zinc 2.5. This gives you to ability to extend your Projector files in just about any direction.

In my work, I've had many occasions where I needed to perform utility tasks such as:

• checking for the existence of a network,
• running external applications and files,
• determining free disc space,
• setting the master system volume, and
• opening and closing the CD/DVD tray.

I was impressed to find that I could carry out all of these tasks through {mdm} Script.

The Zinc help files are well organised, and made it very easy for me to get started. I worked through several tutorials that walked me through some of the more complicated tasks such as connecting to databases and creating extensions from existing DLLs.  I found that the {mdm} Script API section includes good explanations as well as sample code that demonstrates the use of each class, its methods and properties.

As a busy developer and author, I can't afford to spend a lot of time learning to use new products. I found it refreshing to be able to incorporate Zinc into my existing workflow so effortlessly.

The support provided with Zinc is good. In addition to the comprehensive help files, there is a large support section at http://www.multidmedia.com/support/. This part of the web site offers video tutorials, techNotes, articles and case studies, and support forums.

To show you how easy it is to get started with Zinc, I'll walk through a simple example. I'll add a browser window to a Flash application and control the page displayed within it using a drop down list. The interface consists of a ComboBox component loaded with three site names. The data property for each item in the ComboBox is its URL.

My code consists of the following lines:

[as]var theBrowser = new mdm.Browser(10, 100, 530, 280,"http://www.multidmedia.com/", true);
var siteListener:Object = new Object();
siteListener.change = function(evtObj:Object):Void {
   theBrowser.goto(evtObj.target.selectedItem.data);
}
sites_cbo.addEventListener("change", siteListener);[/as]

The first line creates a new mdm.Browser object and loads the MDM URL. The remaining lines create a change handler function that uses the goto method of the mdm.Browser object to load the selected URL. That's all there is to it!

The following screen shot shows what happens when I publish the SWF file and build a Projector with Zinc.



I get a browser within my Projector file that I can control by choosing a value from the ComboBox component. It was very easy to achieve this functionality with only two lines of {mdm} Script in the Flash file.

I encountered one problem in this simple example. I had to position the browser object below the ComboBox component because it appears at a higher depth and masks the drop down section of the ComboBox. It wasn't immediately obvious from the help files how to address this issue so I'd need to look for a depth management solution in Flash or search through the support section at the MDM web site.

If you want to find out more about Zinc, I suggest that you download a free trial version of the software from http://www.multidmedia.com/software/zinc/trial/. Zinc 2.5 costs £149.99, 229.99€ or US$299.99. This is expensive if all you're looking for is a software package that skins Projectors, or creates Screen Savers and Installers. However, it's terrific value when you consider the additional features that Zinc can add to a product like Flash. I can't wait to start using Zinc 2.5 in my work!

Sas Jacobs
Principal
Anything Is Possible
http://www.aip.net.au
Author: Foundation XML for Flash