Flash CS3 Documentation

Using ActionScript 2.0 Components > Creating Components > Exporting and distributing a component

Exporting and distributing a component

Flash exports components as component packages (SWC files). Components may be distributed as SWC files or as FLA files. (See the article on Adobe DevNet at www.adobe.com/support/flash/applications/creating_comps/creating_comps12.html for information about distributing a component as a FLA.)

The best way to distribute a component is to export is as a SWC file, because SWC files contain all the ActionScript, SWF files, and other optional files needed to use the component. SWC files are also useful if you are working at the same time on a component and the application that uses the component.

SWC files can be used to distribute components for use in Flash, Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004, and Macromedia Director MX 2004.

Whether you're developing a component for someone else's use, or for your own, it's important to test the SWC file as an ongoing part of component development. For example, problems can arise in a component's SWC file that don't appear in the FLA file.

This section describes a SWC file and explains how to import and export SWC files in Flash.

This section contains the following topics:

• Understanding SWC files
• Exporting SWC files
• Importing component SWC files into Flash

Flash CS3