Flash CS3 Documentation

Using ActionScript 2.0 Components > About Components > About compiled clips and SWC files

About compiled clips and SWC files

A compiled clip is a package of precompiled Flash symbols and ActionScript code. It's used to avoid recompiling symbols and code that will not be changed. A movie clip can also be "compiled" in Flash and converted to a compiled clip. For example, a movie clip with a lot of ActionScript code that doesn't change often could be converted to a compiled clip. The compiled clip behaves just like the movie clip from which it was compiled, but compiled clips appear and publish much faster than regular movie clips. Compiled clips can't be edited, but they do have properties that appear in the Property inspector and the Component inspector.

Components included with Flash are not FLA files--they are compiled clips (that have been packaged into compiled clip (SWC) files. SWC is the Adobe file format for distributing components; it contains a compiled clip, the component's ActionScript class file, and other files that describe the component. For details about SWC files, see Exporting and distributing a component.

When you place a SWC file in the First Run/Components folder, the component appears in the Components panel. When you add a component to the Stage from the Components panel, a compiled clip symbol is added to the library.

To compile a movie clip:

• Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the movie clip in the Library panel, and then select Convert to Compiled Clip.

To export a SWC file:

• Select the movie clip in the Library panel and right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh), and then select Export SWC File.

  NOTE

  Flash continues to support FLA components.

Flash CS3