Cannot connect to the Amethyst Compilier Service

[Rix]

Hi.

I have the latest amethyst_VS2008_1_5_2_1253, running on Windows 7 Professional SP1 (everything run in admin mode).

I don't have anything Adobe installed, apart from the Flash Player (debugger version).

If I make a straight, simple new Flash project, and then try to compile then I get this message box:
"Cannot launch build: Cannot connect to the Amethyst Compiler Service"

Build Log says:
Using Compiler Service Amethyst2008CompilerService on port 14408 ... Error: The operation could not be completed
========== Build: 0 succeeded, 1 failed, 0 up-to-date, 0 skipped ==========

Looking in the services, it is there (Amethyst Compiler Service) and the service has started.
I've tried making some Inbound\Outbound firewall rules to allow the service, as well as trying with the Windows Firewall service OFF.

Looking in the Event Viewer I get varying different error messages including any or all of the following:
Waiting for connection
Error: Unable to read data from the transport connection: An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host.
Connection accepted

Is this something stupid like I HAVE to have the Flash IDE installed or something.

Thanks in advanced.

[Dermot]

Hi,

Looks like the Compiler Service is out of sync with something. Two things I can suggest ...

1) try restarting the service. Go to the Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services, select the Amethyst Compiler Service, right click and click Restart from the context menu. Then try recompiling.

2) If that doesn't work, you can turn off the Compiler service and use the (slower) 'command line' compiler. To do this, in Visual Studio, select Tools, Options, Projects, Amethyst and then set 'Use Compiler Service' to false. This will allow you to compile a program while we figure out why the service isn't working properly.

We have seen this before. In the past, it's been due to a older version of Amethyst not being cleaned out properly when a newer version was installed. Is this a first time install or have you installed a newer version of Amethyst over an older version?

Dermot

[Rix]

A brand new version of Amethyst I 've never installed it before. No luck with #1, and had tried that a few times before.

#2 Now says it cannot find the bin\mxmlc.exe compiler. Which looks like the MXML compiler which I guess would come from the Flex SDK, which I don't have installed.

Does the compiler service need the flex sdk as well?

Are there some commands I can try entering from the command line to the compiler service for diagnostics?

Rix

[Dermot]

I think the lack of the SDK might be the problem.

The compiler service does need the SDK (but it could do with a more intelligent error message in this case).

You need the SDK (free from Adobe here http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/entitlement/index.cfm?e=flexsdk) which has the mxmlc compiler in it. It has a load of other stuff as well, which you may or may not be interested in depending on what you want to do.

You'll need to set the SDK path explicitly in the project since the Amethyst Installation wont have detected it (it does if you install the SDK first). You do this by going to Project properties and look under the Application tab. You then probably want to set the default by setting it in the global Amethyst Tools | Options |Project |Amethyst properties.

Dermot

[Rix]

OK. I uninstalled Amethyst. Installed the sdk. Reinstalled Amethyst, and on install no complaint this time about missing sdk.
Now I build and and complains about a missing Flash IDE compiler.
I've tried to create a new Flash project, and converting an existing flash project I have, both have the same error of the missing Flash IDE compiler.
Not that I pretend to understand, but this makes no sense to me.  Does it need Compilier service, the flex sdk compilier and the Flash IDE compilier all to make to simplest of projects, a flash project?
btw, I think the installation guide flowchart should be updated to say that you need to install the flex sdk.

[Huw Collingbourne]

Amethyst supports a wide range of project types. Flash projects are specifically intended for integration with the Flash IDE and they use that compiler. If you want to build a project that is independent both of Flex and the Flash IDE you need to create an ActionScript project. If you are new to Amethyst you may find our video tutorials useful: http://www.sapphiresteel.com/Tutorials/Amethyst-Tutorials/article/amethyst-tutorials-index

best wishes

Huw

[Rix]

Well to be fair, I can at least create \ run a pure ActionScript project which is at least something, and that will keep me amused, for the most part, so thankyou very much for that
but the main reason I came here originally is that I have a few old flash projects that I did on an old PC, and I need a *complete alternative* Flash compiler to Adobe's ?750 one. So this part is not clear, that you will still *need* to have FlashIDE installed if you have a .fla file in your project. I guess this is the part when your clutching your sides laughing that how could anyone not already know that. Well I didn't, and after trying to do some background reading it would appear that this part is "Adobe" proprietary only. This part is also missing from the over simplified installation guide flowchart. If you need a ?750 pre-requiste, then try and warn people early.

[Dermot]

If you need a complete Flash IDE compiler, the Adobe is the only vendor as far as I know. We did look at doing one, but decided that effort would be too great for the return.

However, if you don't need the whole works, you can export the bits (graphics and other stuff like that from the .FLA file and then use the MXMLC compilers to assemble the graphics plus the ActionScript into a functioning program *without* the Adobe Flash IDE. In fact, the assembly job is really part of what the Flash IDE does - it uses the same compilers and linkers to produce the SWF or SWC as an non-Flash IDE program does. We've done this several times in the past - once you've got the bits out of the FLA file, you just build a standard ActionScript project and link in the exported items. To be fair to Adobe, the Flash IDE is good at doing graphics and animations ... it's just that it's not so good a letting you use ActionScript code. So we've built animations in the Flash IDE and written the ActionScript that does the image loading and frame handling in Amethyst. You don't need an Amethyst/Flash project to do this and so you don't need the Adobe Flash IDE.

The problem of course is how to export the bits from your legacy FLA files ... well, Adobe have a 30 day trial on the Flash IDE, so you might want to use that to get the bits you want to rescue

Dermot