Flash PHP Multiuser Server Running on XAMPP Windows

Robin, the Flash PHP Multiuser set of classes, runs on XAMPP with a modification to the administration procedure.  As outlined in the readme.txt file, you do not run the admin page.  Instead, you just run the robin.php file directly.  Robin will run while the robin.php is running but because the posix family of commands is not available on XAMPP windows, this really makes it a testing environment.  If the PHP socket should go down, then there is no effective way to start it again.  Cron jobs would have problems in detecting if Robin is already running without the posix_kill command and thus run the risk of multiple sockets.

The Robin zip file readme.txt has been updated to better explain this.

Also added to the zip file is a clarification on how the provided samples work.  The samples will not work unless they are compiled (open the FLA files and CTRL ENTER to create SWF files) with your domain updated in the Robin.as file as instructed.

All the best,

Dan Zen

Robin for Flash Launches to Help Designers and Developers Create Flexible Multiuser Applications with Adobe Flash and PHP

Robin lets you code flexible Flash real time applications like multiuser games, shared whiteboards and chats.  Robin is a custom AS3 class for Adobe Flash combined with a turnkey PHP socket system.  Please see the VIDEO and the sample CODE.

You only need to code in Flash ActionScript

Robin works on a simple principle.  You save properties such as your x and y position and you get to read other people’s properties such as their x and y positions.

FEATURES

• Any number of application names
• Unlimited users or specify how many people per “room”
• History data for new people joining your application
• Shared unique data available as an array
• Optionally let new users fill in for users who have left
• Get the latest updated property values at any time

If you are familiar with the Flash Media Server, the “latest property value” works like a shared remote object.

Robin’s strength is that, unlike a shared remote object in the Flash Media Server, you have control of everyone’s unique properties simply through an array.  So if you are saving a name property in a chat, you can access everyone else’s name property as:

["Dan Zen", "Colin Moock", "Nonoba", "AMFPHP" "RED5"]

When people update their text,  an event is triggered and this array is updated.

Robin has a host of other methods and properties but really, it just takes a couple lines of code to make use of its power.  Three samples are provided in the download:

• a sample chat showing the history multi-room features
• a multiuser game with avatars under unique control
• a shared ball where anyone can move the ball

There is no back end PHP coding

You just set up PHP and set your Server address in the setUp.php file.  There is a simple admin system that lets you start your socket server.  All the tricky code has been written to provide real time data to the Robin Flash class. We suggest that you start Robin with a cron job although precautions are in place to restart the socket server should it stop.  Details are provided in the readme.txt in the Download ZIP.

FRIENDS AND DONATIONS
Please let us know if you use Robin and we will add you to the Friends area at left.  If you use Robin for a commercial venture and would care to donate that would be super!

FEATHERS
Robin is one of a selection of open source solutions called Flash Feathers available at http://flashfeathers.wordpress.com.

Dan Zen

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