About
ABOUT
TypoFlash is a graphical user interface to manage dynamic content for flash websites. The content is stored in the content management system Typo3 and is thus available for any other use, such as html, xml, rss etc. Typo3 was chosen as a base since it is the most advanced and complete open source CMS available. TypoFlash in effect turns Typo3 into a flash CMS.
TypoFlash is also a framework within which one can develop application that can interface with and manage Typo3 amongst other things. Thus it can stand alone, or integrate seamlessly within the Typo3 environment. It does this by means of both a set of extensions within Typo3 and set of ActionScript 2 classes.
THE THREE TYPO3 PARTS OF TYPOFLASH
A fullscreen flash site (like typoflash.net) typically is built using the three parts of TypoFlash
1. Flash page template
2. Flash components
3. Flash page content
A flash page template is similar to a TemplaVoila template in that it can be set on page level, for all subpages. A typical template contains one or several menus and a set of defined content frames, that in effect are movieclips in flash working like html iframes. Typoflash.net has one menu and one foreground frame and one background frame, with different content for each page.
Flash components are any flash elements to go into any of those frames, for instance a video player or an image flicker.
A flash page content is one instance of a flash component on a particular page. A flash page content can thus link for instance a text viewer component with a plain text content element that is used in the html version of a site. The same flash component can be used many times in many page contents. In this way they are similar to Typo3 plugins.
The Typo3 exentsions are:
-an SWX/AMFPHP implementation of flash remoting
-a set of classes for rendering and editing Typo3 content
-a class for user authentication, user registration and management
ACTIONSCRIPT 2 FRAMEWORK
The three parts of TypoFlash are again reflected within the class structure that make up the AS2 framework, where different templates and components are extensions of respective base classes. To make the initial footprint as small as possible, only a few core classes are included out of the box, and the rest included as required for each website.
Commonly used classes include those dealing with extracting any particular part of a page tree to be used in menus, event broadcasters for when content has been loaded, and renderers.
All content of a website can be loaded in one big motherload, or requested in parts as fits one's purposes. Since flash only has a limited support for html the bespoke html generated by the Typo3 Rich Text Editor is first converted to a flash friendly format.
The framework also typically makes use of shared assets and shared fonts that can be preloaded.
OTHER TYPICAL USES
TypoFlash offers a way of managing complex data structures via custom built applications that integrate seamlessly with Typo3. That makes it an ideal way to build applications to manage anything from complex shopping systems, to directmail marketing campaigns and data capture microsites where the normal Typo3 tools may be inadequate.
TypoFlash also contains a set of flash components, such as video players and page flicker, that can be used within a normal html site.
HISTORY
TypoFlash is the brainchild of Andreas Borg of Elevated. He has been working with Flash since version 3 (before ActionScript was even born) and won several awards over the years. He has many Typo3 websites to his name. He is born Swedish but is currently running the pan-european operation of Elevated from the Granada headquarters in southern Spain. Development started in London back in 2005 but took leaps and bounds with the support of an ever friendly sun, flamenco and the almighty Alhambra castle.