[Laszlo-dev] extension for modules, dynamically add code at runtime

Mon Jul 13 05:28:15 PDT 2009

I think there is a good possibility of creating embeddable OL  
applications for swf9+ because the laszlo application is compiled as a  
class.  Similarly for DHTML because the laszlo application is loaded  
into its own <iframe>.  There would still be work to be done to  
eliminate the use of the global namespace.  This has been done to a  
large extent (it is the purpose of the `lz` object that now holds most  
LZX objects), but there are still some global references that need to  
be cleaned up.

The <html> tag is intended to allow you to embed arbitrary <html>  
content into an OL app, and this tag has been improved, but not yet to  
the point where you can embed another swf (Max will have more to say  
on this subject, as he is the designer of the embedding system).

Being able to dynamically load a module at run time is theoretically  
possible.  This is essentially how the debugger evaluates expressions  
in swf:  It creates a tiny module that is compiled against the  
application module and then loaded into the application.  This could  
be extended to create dynamic loading.  The current restriction on  
having to compile your entire application at once (even modules that  
will be loaded later) is a matter of bookkeeping in the compiler.   
(Henry may have more to say on this subject, as he is the designer of  
the debugger compiler).

Summary:  we want to do all the things you suggest.  We have just not  
had the resources so far.  As you know, the OL project has only a few  
financial sponsors and they direct what the core team focuses on.   
Implementing extensions like what you propose therefore either falls  
to the community, or if there were a sponsor that required these  
features able to provide funding, we could add resources to the core  
team.

On 2009-07-13, at 04:54EDT, Sebastian Wagner wrote:

> hi,
>
> a long term goal of many users is to embed their existing SWFs into an
> OpenLaszlo Application.
> Or the other way tound: To load a compiled OpenLaszlo SWF into ...  
> weather
> and existing SWF compiled with Flex or into another OpenLaszlo SWF.
>
> Do you have plans for that kind of extension?
> It would be very useful in terms of Modularization to be able to  
> compile and
> load Modules at runtime into a Core without the need to have those  
> Modules
> all available while you are compiling the Core. So that you can load  
> and
> initiate new Classes dynamically at Runtime.
> Or just compile a Core Product and ship Modules separated.
>
> I read some posts in the forums about loading a canvas into another  
> but it
> does not seem to me that it was a solution to the problem. Does  
> anyone work
> or have ideas of that kind of extension?
> I think the main Issue here is just that you have to load two canvas  
> tags
> into another and have to register classes and assets at runtime. The
> *import* tag does something similar. The problem is just => The  
> import tag
> still needs to code of the module to be available while you compile  
> the
> core. So there is no real advantage in using this Tag compared to an
> *include* (if you ignore those Kbits that are loaded at runtime with
> import.load() instead of an initial include).
>
> So my idea for a workaround was: Is there a way of cheating the  
> compiler by
> :
> 1) having a tiny container-class that is linked with an *import* tag
> 2) this gets compiled into the core
> 3) replace this compiled container-SWF at runtime with the actual  
> module?
> the problem would be just that you still need the hole core to  
> compile the
> module ... and some mystery if the this is going to work.
>
>
> Also the other way round is a bummer for users: They see a nice  
> OpenLaszlo
> Application and want to integrate it into their existing Flex, Flash
> environment, but they can't as the canvas tag is not compatible for  
> loading
> it into another SWF.
>
>
> thanks,
> sebastian
>
> -- 
> Sebastian Wagner
> http://www.webbase-design.de
> http://openmeetings.googlecode.com
> http://www.laszlo-forum.de
> seba.wagner at gmail.com