XTrace: Flash Debugging Without The Flash IDE
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XTrace 1.0, a replacement for the horrible trace window in the Flash IDE, was released a few days ago. Take a look at the product page for more information on how it works and how to integrate it into your flash application. This is one of the pieces to the puzzle, I’ll release the BASH script I’ve written that allows better MTASC Xcode integration as soon as possible.
I need more beta testers for the new application I’m going to be releasing, email me if your interested!
Very nice. Glad to see that you’re liking TextMate too. I’ve been using it in conjunction with the LuminicBox flash inspector for to trace() but it’s sluggish in comparison to XTrace.
I’ve been planning for a while to hook the trace() output back to its AS file origin using TextMate’s url system…. maybe this could be an idea for XTrace? I’ve achieved a similar thing by processing MTASC output to automatically send TextMate to compile errors and write linked html for “export not used” lines. All this should be going back into TM’s ActionScript bundle…. once I find those elusive spare n mins to tidy up a few issues.
As far your puzzle goes I do have searching AS2 Actionscript, AS2 Component, and AS2 FlashLite Api help working from within TM working.
Drop me a line if you think I can help out…… or would like any alpha-ish script’s.
Hi Michael,
I have one error compiling with mtasc:
com/mab/util/debug.as:184: type error Cannot access private field socket
I change the socket var to public and work fine.
Now, I like the window style and the socket communication, but this is not more ease with LocalConnection? like this:
http://zarate.tv/proyectos/zlog/
If you don’t know spanish this is the direct link to the demo:
http://zarate.tv/proyectos/zlog/ZLog.html
and then press Send Trace, etc
Is really simple but useful. Look at the use of -trace with mtasc too.
regards
“Now, I like the window style and the socket communication, but this is not more ease with LocalConnection? like this:”
In my opinion, XTrace is much more elegant. To use local connection based tracers you have to have a flash window open that receives trace information over local connection; I would rather have a Cocoa window open that uses less resources and fades away when I dont need it.
“Look at the use of -trace with mtasc too.”
You can use -trace with XTrace too. Just use com.mab.util.debug.trace as the trace function.
Yes, I see what do you mean, I’ll use your tracer for a while and if you want I can be beta tester, write me by email.
Using XTrace for some time I have a few observations. The auto hide maybe can be optional, like a checkbox an a side of the slide transparency or in a preference window. Regularly I read some trace and later read my code, but when I want check again the trace the XTrace is not there hehe.
The trace field at the front of the swf when don’t have connection would be optional too. With a boolean property would be fine. For now I comment the line 73 in the debug class “initDebugField();”
I tried with this but in the browser the text field still there.
var connected = debug.initSocket(“127.0.0.1”);
if (connected == false) debug.disableTracing = true;
For now I’ll use it, I like the use of the scroll mouse whell, I think for now is not possible in a text field of the swf.
Thanks for the feedback, I’ll try to include your ideas in the next release.
Thanks for sharing Xtrace – I use it with Eclipse and FDT (since FDT has no trace feature on Mac at all).
Some suggestions:
– clear output on connect (optional?)
– any kind of filtering would be great (I have seen no better solution for effective tracing display than Flashout had)
– any kind of coloring would be great (currently I use a trace wrapper function, which displays file and class info only for messages starting with ‘!’ – coloring these messages red would be helpful!)
– It’s cool, fast and stable – thank you!