Here’s a few fun facts I collected about haXe:

• HaXe doesn’t like classes that begin with a lowercase letter.
• You can write three consecutive return statements in a haXe function. It compiles (same in Obj-C).
• haXe doesn’t allow spaces after the dot operator:
  this. foo = “bar” // doesn’t compile
• while java/C#/AS3 style annotations aren’t defined as core language features, haXe can support whatever annotation style you wish – check this link for limited supported for java style annotations.
• haXe supports multiple inheritance (but not all haXe targets do).

You can debug haXe code

At least, if you are targetting AS3, FlashDevelop 3.2.1 supports debugging haXe code, viz., setting breakpoints, checking locals and globals, even profiling.

haXe provides several ways to work with the Flash target. For example, you can both export to AS3 and directly compile a swf file.

Since our designers will definitely want to create their UIs with the flash IDE, I need haXe and Flash to work together. While explanations on the haXe site could still be useful, this step by step guide shows how haXe makes it possible to:

• Separately maintain one or several asset files (just standard swfs) created using Flash CS3/4
• Write all your code in haXe.
• Export the result to a unique swf including both the code and imported assets.

If you are new to haXe/never heard of it, discover haXe benefits (link to haXe homepage)

At the moment, FlashDevelop is probably the best IDE to work with haXe (autocompletion, responsive interface, etc…)

Create a Flash file including your assets

1. Create the test file, eg. assets.fla (new AS3 document or something like that)
2. Create a movie clip and convert it to a symbol called ‘BlueSquare’
3. Check Export for ActionScript in the movie clip properties. Ignore the notice telling you that flash will create a class automatically. That’s OK.
4. The above automatically assigns a ‘BlueSquare’ class to the movie clip.

Create a new haXe project.

1. Create a haXe project in FlashDevelop (project >> new project or similar)
2. Create a resources folder along the src and bin folders created by FDevelop.
3. Set the AS3 test file to publish to the resources folder as ‘assets.swf’.

Link the Assets file to your project

By default, FDevelop compiles your source files using the following command line:

haxe
-cp "C:\Users\tea\haxe_fl_test\src"
-cp "C:\src\ext\haxe"
-cp "C:\Program Files\FlashDevelop\Library\HAXE\classes"
-swf-header 800:600:30:FFFFFF
-main Main
-swf "C:\Users\tea\AppData\Local\Temp\tmpEE3B.tmp"
-swf-version 9
-v
-debug

Add the following setting (in Project Properties > Compiler Options > Additional Compiler Options)

-swf-lib assets.swf

You can also configure the document size and the target (e.g. flash9/10) in project properties, along with quite a few other things.

Don’t forget adding the resources folder path to the classpath, eg:

"C:\MyProject\resources"

Get a movie clip from your assets and show it on-stage

Finally, add the following to your main method:

var panel = flash.Lib.attach("BlueSquare");
panel.x = 20;
panel.y = 20;
flash.Lib.current.addChild(panel);

The above code instantiate the symbol, adding it to the top left corner of the stage – easy?

haXe is a high level object idiom that:

• Compiles to C++, AS3, AS2 and Neko (‘Haxe native’)
• Exports to javascript and PHP
• Compiles and exports to… other stuff.

Have a look at their site! I’m just getting started here.

Setting up

• Download haXe
• Download FlashDevelop 3. FlashDevelop seems to be the best (maybe the only) IDE around with nice Haxe support and integration (auto-completion etc…)

Creating and running a project

• In FD3 Go to [Project > new], scroll down and select any HaXe target. I chose javascript. and typed trace(hi); and Lib.alert(“Hi”); in Main.hx’s main function (default project template).
• Press the play button in FD3 and, well, check what happens…

Getting up to Speed

The Haxe website has got docs for all compile/export targets. There is also a very active blog dedicated to Haxe gaming (Going all the way to teaching you how to haXe your iPhone!)