d7.02 flash memoryLeak and workaround
This page fulfilled its purpose, MACR acknowledged the problem, fixed it in a new version of the flash asset xtra
and here is how to cure it.
There is a TechNote now
and there still is something to watchout for.
Steps to repro
>create a movie with just 2 frames. Drag the flash member into sprite 1,
>make sure its really 1 sprite. Put a framescript into frame 2 with a script
>which increments a counter.
>
>Play and it runs and runs no problemo.
>
>Stop, delete frame 1 of sprite 1. Play again. Now we have frequent
>new()/endsprite of that flash and soon hit the ground.
>
After some further testing here is a possible workaround:
attach a Behavior like the one below to every flash member in a score cell.
(Please note: 'sprite(spriteNum).frame = 1' didn't help at all, to help
around the problem it has to be another frame)
-- Behavior script
property SpriteNum
on beginSprite me
sprite(spriteNum).frame = 2
end
-- end behavior script
VectorShapes
(Someone else recommended to reinstall director to counter the slowwing down effect)
Well, I'm not sure whether I'd believe the installer with this one, unless
maybe it says 7.025 or something. The description sounded familiar and as
far as i remember someone even mentioned it here that the
director-slowwing-down effect with flash sprites happens with vector
shapes, too.
Same steps to repro as with the flashs:
NT4 (w95?/w98?). Start director. Create a vector shape. Draw it on the
stage and cut it in the score until there is a sprite of 2 frames length
with that vector shape member. put a frame script in frame 2:
on exitFrame
global gCounter
gCounter = gCounter +1
if gCounter >100 and gCounter mod 10 = 0 then put gCounter
end
Click the looping-button in the control panel down. Start the playhead. It
will run and run, no problem. Stop the playhead. Clear the counter, delete
frame 1 of the sprite (so now there is only 1 cell in the score occupied,
and above it the framescript). Start the playhead. I get up to 150, after
that director is done, drunken, stoned, bananas. The STOP or REWIND buttons
in the toolbar take a minute to react on a mouseclick. There is only one
option left: save and quit director.
Happens in 1024x768, 16bit color depth, 96MB ram just like on 2560x1024,
16Bit, 128MB.
ZIP archive (5k) of the test file.
Cure
Dave,
thanks for the info. I did as you recommended and apparently the problem is gone.
Now this is good news and worth to get made known.
Just one uncertainty remains. You wrote:
>(However - don't touch your Flash Asset Options Xtra -
>leave the existing 7.0 Options Xtra in your Director Xtras folder.)
I somehow assume this is a typo and should read "the existing 7.02 Options Xtra"
Maybe I'm somewhat anal with this but since this is version mixing I am scared to create chaos.
Would you please confirm that indeed theese are the correct versions of the two xtras?
Flash Asset Options.x32 ( 7.0.2r85 )
Flash Asset.x32 ( 7.0.2r140 )
TIA
Daniel Plaenitz
dc:
Yes, you are correct. Sorry - the basic idea is,
leave the Options Xtra that shipped with the
7.0.2 authoring app alone (not 7.0), and replace
only the Asset (playback) Xtra with the one
from your Shockwave 7.0.2 installation.
dc
This is an intentional full quote:
At 12/45 16/08/99 -0700, David Calaprice wrote:
>This problem was introduced in Director 7.0.2, but (I believe) was
>fixed in time for the *Shockwave* 7.0.2 release. So, try
>downloading Shockwave 7.0.2, then remove the Flash Asset Xtra
>from your Director Xtras folder (keep it as a back-up!), and replace
>it with the Flash Asset Xtra copied from your Shockwave 7.0.2
>installation. (However - don't touch your Flash Asset Options Xtra -
>leave the existing 7.0 Options Xtra in your Director Xtras folder.)
>
>This is Windows-only. You shouldn't need to modify your
>Director Mac installation.
>
>If you still experience this problem with the new Xtra, please let
>us know (you can e-mail me privately).
>
>Thanks,
>
>dc / Macromedia Director Engineering
>
>Daniel Plaenitz wrote:
>
>> At 17/12 14/08/99 -0400, you wrote:
>> >Greetings.
>> >
>>
>> Hallo!
>>
>> >I have been hoping since May for a fix to this new bug. Vector sprites,
>> >used in either the authoring or projector environments, eventually
>> >overwhelm the processor and everything grinds to a halt. My PC system uses
>> >winNT4 (200mhz, 64mb ram).
>> >
>> >Last month, on Direct-L, it was clearly established the fact of a bug in
>> >version 7.0.2 using vectors and flash elements (winNT4, and possibly on
>> >some win95 and 98 boxes)
>> >
>>
>> yep, its a win only 7.02 specific effect. In other words: d7.0 doesn't show
>> it.
>> It may have been at lingo-L where jd forwarded a technote-in-the-making on
>> that issue. Unfortunately I read it from another computer and have no copy
>> at hands. Even more unfortunately, lingo-L has no archive, so I have no url
>> to direct you to.
>>
>> >From the top of my head, short version:
>>
>> with flash there are 2 possible workarounds,
>> #1 is described at , (MACR took it
>> from there with only slight modifications and didn't have any better
>> explanation, why it works, than my own speculations)
>> #2 is only workable if you do _not_ use flash4 members:
>> take the flash xtras from a dfw7.0 installation and use them with dfw7.02
>> (replacing the d7.02 flash xtras !)
>>
>> with vectors #1 is not feasable, therefore replacing the xtra is the way to
>> go. Bear in mind that you still loose the ability to use flash4 members
>> since flah and vector members rely on the very same xtra.
>>
>> In jd's words that technote was "in the pipeline". Now, I have no idea what
>> sort of pipe that line may be connected to but with that remote topic at
>> their necks I can really understand if this or that takes a bit longer than
>> expected...
>>
>> >
>> >Where is that technote? Is there a workaround? Is this asking for the
>> >world? ;)
>> >
>> >Thanks.
>> >
>> >Barbara Lattanzi
>> >
>> >
watch out
Ben Ellison wrote:
Okay, I've finally run head-first into the crawling vectors problem... looked through my
old direct-L digests and found the following solution:
Take the Flash Asset xtra from the Shockwave 7.02 install & copy it over the one for Director,
leaving the Asset Options xtra alone. And So It Was Done ... and is now really messed up.
I guess my version of the xtra does not match with the version that I was supposed to copy.
Below are the version #'s I found in the digests, the correct ones to have:
> Flash Asset Options.x32 ( 7.0.2r85 )
> Flash Asset.x32 ( 7.0.2r140 )
I have downloaded the most recent version of shockwave, so my Flash Asset.x32 version is
something like ( 7.0.2r201 ) When placed in the Director Xtras folder, it lets me import flash
movies as vector art, that's it... I've since put my system back to the way it was originally, slow
vectors & all, but am wondering if anyone out there has a solution or can email/point me the
correct version of the asset... ?
Thanks,
and then:
Doh! Doh! Doh! Please disregard my earlier post - evidently I had only downloaded the MSIE
version of Shockwave 7.02, not the NS version. Got my new Flash Asset and everything seems
to be working OK now...
