The Flash API offered in the DoubleClick Studio is similar to the one used in the Motif Ad Kit, but it has been simplified and improved in a number of ways. The chart below describes the differences between the ActionScript code, including the scoping of the functions.
The three most significant differences between the Ad Kit and DoubleClick Studio are scoping, child movies, and event naming.
Scoping
For scoping, we have moved the functions from the _root.conduit movieclip to the Enabler component. The Enabler component is global, so you can access it without the path. So instead of:
_root.conduit.functionName();
Most functions can now be called:
Enabler.functionName();
Child movies
In the Ad Kit whenever you loaded or referenced a child SWF or other asset you wrapped the asset's path in the getFilename function. To load a movie into myMC your code looked like this:
myMC.loadMovie(_root.conduit.getFilename("child.swf"));
In the DoubleClick Studio this is no longer necessary. You can use the standard Flash method of loading a child like this:
myMC.loadMovie("child.swf");
getFilename is still required when using the syntax loadMovie(mc, child)).Events
One of the most common tasks when you create rich media creatives is the coding of tracking events. In the Ad Kit, this was a two-step process: First you defined your events (either in the conduitData movieclip or using the Ad Kit panel), and then you used the ID of the event in an ActionScript call like this:
_root.conduit.exit(1); //calls exit 1, as defined in conduitData
In DoubleClick Studio this process is significantly simpler. Instead of defining events separately, you can now simply pass strings into the event ActionScript like this:
Enabler.exit("my click"); //calls exit "my click", name can be changed in web UI
Enabler.counter("my counter");
Complete API comparison
The chart below compares the Ad Kit API with the DoubleClick Studio API. For simplicity the function parameters and returned values are only shown in cases where they have changed.
| Motif Ad Kit API |
DoubleClick Studio API | Notes |
| Events |
||
| _root.conduit.exit(id:Int) |
Enabler.exit(name:String, URL:String) | Numeric IDs replaced with string. URL parameter is optional. |
| _root.conduit.exit(id:Int, obj:Object) |
N/A |
Passing in a movie clip object is no longer supported. Use exit instead. |
| _root.conduit.exitURL(id:Int, URL:String) | N/A |
Use exit instead. |
| _root.conduit.exitQueryString(id:Int, params:String) | Enabler.exitQueryString(name:String, params:String) |
Numeric IDs replaced with string. |
| _root.conduit.counter(id:Int, isCumulative:Boolean) | Enabler.counter(name:String, isCumulative:Boolean) | Numeric IDs replaced with string. |
| _root.conduit.event(id:Int, isCumulative:Boolean) | N/A |
Use counter(). |
| _root.conduit.startTimer(id:Int, isCumulative:Boolean) | Enabler.startTimer(name:String, isCumulative:Boolean) | Numeric IDs replaced with string. |
| _root.conduit.stopTimer(id:Int) | Enabler.stopTimer(name:String) | Numeric IDs replaced with string. |
| _root.conduit.loadMovie(id:Int) | N/A |
Not supported. To track movie loads use a counter on the first frame of the child movie. |
| _root.conduit.unLoadMovie(id:Int) | N/A |
Not supported |
| _root.conduit.customEvent |
N/A |
Used exclusively for Flash-in-Flash, not available in DoubleClick Studio beta. |
| Video ads | ||
| myvideo.getNetStream | N/A |
|
| _root.conduit.getMotifVideoComponents | Enabler.getVideoComponentByName |
|
| myvideo.getPercentProgressed | Same |
|
| myvideo.getPercentLoaded | Same | |
| myvideo.getSound | Same |
|
| myvideo.getStreamProgress |
Same |
|
| myvideo.getVideoLength |
Same |
|
| myvideo.hide | Same |
|
| myvideo.isComplete | Same | |
| myvideo.isMuted | Same |
|
| myvideo.isPaused | Same |
|
| myvideo.isPlaying | Same |
|
| myvideo.mute(customConduitEvent:Number) | myvideo.mute() | Custom video events defined in web UI instead of Flash API. |
| myvideo.unmute(customConduitEvent:Number) | myvideo.unmute() | Custom video events defined in web UI instead of Flash API. |
| myvideo.pause(customConduitEvent:Number) | myvideo.pause() | Custom video events defined in web UI instead of Flash API. |
| myvideo.play(customConduitEvent:Number) | myvideo.play() | Custom video events defined in web UI instead of Flash API. |
| myvideo.restart(customConduitEvent:Number) | myvideo.restart() | Custom video events defined in web UI instead of Flash API. |
| myvideo.seek |
Same |
|
| myvideo.setBandwidth |
Same |
|
| _root.conduit.shutdown | Enabler.stopAllVideos |
|
| N/A | myvid.getConnectionType |
|
| N/A | myvid.getName |
|
| N/A | myvid.getState |
|
| N/A | myvid.getVolume | |
| N/A |
Enabler.muteAllVideos |
|
| N/A | myvid.setBufferTime |
|
| N/A | myvid.setConnectionType |
|
| N/A | myvid.setLoops | |
| N/A | myvid.setOnPlayCompleteCallback | |
| N/A | myvid.setOnPostBufferPlayOnFrame | |
| N/A | myvid.setProgressiveFallbackVideos | |
| N/A | myvid.setSmoothing |
|
| N/A | myvid.setVideos |
|
| N/A | myvid.setVolume |
|
| myvid.show() |
Same |
|
| myvid.stop(customConduitEvent:Number) | myvid.Stop |
Custom video events defined in web UI instead of Flash API. |
| _root.conduit.stopMotifVideoComponents |
Enabler.stopAllVideos |
|
| Expanding ads | ||
| motifExpandingController.addExpandingPanel | N/A |
See "Note on Expanding Creatives," below. |
| motifExpandingController.conduitCollapse | N/A |
See "Note on Expanding Creatives," below. |
| motifExpandingController. setCollapseOnMouseOut | N/A |
See "Note on Expanding Creatives," below. |
| _root.conduit.expand | Enabler.expand |
|
| _root.conduit.collapse | Enabler.collapse |
|
| Floating and Overlay ads |
||
| _root.conduit.close | Enabler.close |
|
| _root.conduit.closeSelfPop |
N/A |
Use close() instead. |
| _root.conduit.closeSelfFloat | N/A | Use close() instead. |
| _root.conduit.closeThisAsset | N/A |
Use close() instead. |
| _root.conduit.hideCompanionAsset | Enabler.closeCompanion | Same functionality, new name. |
| _root.conduit.showCompanionAsset | Enabler.displayCompanion | Same functionality, new name. |
| Data passing |
||
| _root.conduit.getDartSiteId |
Enabler.getDartSiteId | |
| _root.conduit.getDartAdId |
Enabler.getDartAdId | |
| _root.conduit.getDartPageId |
Enabler.getDartPageId | |
| _root.conduit.getDartRenderingId |
Enabler.getDartRenderingId | |
| _root.conduit.getDartCreativeId |
Enabler.getDartCreativeId | |
| _root.conduit.getUserCountry |
Enabler.getUserCountry | |
| _root.conduit.getUserState |
Enabler.getUserState | |
| _root.conduit.getUserZipCode |
Enabler.getUserZipCode | |
| _root.conduit.getUserBandwidth | Enabler.getUserBandwidth | |
| _root.conduit.getUserAreaCode | Enabler.getUserAreaCode | |
| _root.conduit.getUserDMACode | Enabler.getUserDMACode | |
| _root.conduit.getMotifParameter | Enabler.getParameter | |
| Fullscreen | ||
| _root.conduit.isFullScreenVideoAvailable | Enabler.isFlashFullScreenAvailable |
Fullscreen functionality now available with or without video. |
| _root.conduit.launchFullScreenVideo | Enabler.launchFullScreen | Fullscreen functionality now available with or without video. |
| Miscellaneous functions | ||
| _root.conduit.getExitURL | Not supported |
|
| _root.conduit.politeMovie() | Not supported | Instead an event is dispatched as onPageLoaded. |
| _root.conduit.getFilename() | Enabler.getFileName | Function no longer needed for child movie loading except when used with loadMovie function. |
| N/A | Enabler.setTraceActions | |
| _root.conduit. getStreamingMediaHostDomain | Not supported | |
| _root.conduit.getStreamingPath | Not supported | |
| _root.conduit.getProgressivePath | Not supported | |
| _root.conduit.forceAnimation | Not supported |
Function for legacy support of a Flash 6 rendering bug. |
| _root.conduit.reportManualClose | Enabler.reportManualClose |
Callback functions
| Ad Kit callbacks |
DoubleClick Studio callbacks |
Notes |
| mtfContinue |
onPageLoaded | The mtfContinue is a variable set on pageload, not technically a callback. |
| onExit |
||
| onFullScreen |
||
| onFullScreenReturn |
||
| onInteractionMouseOver |
||
| onStageMouseOver |
||
| onStageMouseOut |
||
| Video component |
||
| onVideoComplete |
Same |
|
| onVideoMidpoint | Same | |
| onVideoPause | Same | |
| onVideoMute | Same | |
| onVideoUnmute | Same | |
| onVideoPlay | Same | |
| onVideoStop | Same | |
| onVideoBackup | onError |
In the Motif component there was an option to set an image if the video fails. In the DoubleClick Studio it is up to the developer to handle this case. |
| onCuePoint |
||
| onMetaData | onMetaData |
|
| onVideoBuffered |
||
| onVideoLoopsComplete |
||
| motifExpandingController |
||
| onExpand |
N/A |
See "Note on Expanding Creatives," below. |
| onExpandComplete |
N/A |
See "Note on Expanding Creatives," below. |
| onCollapse |
N/A |
See "Note on Expanding Creatives," below. |
| onCollapseComplete |
N/A |
See "Note on Expanding Creatives," below. |
Note on Expanding creatives
In the Motif Ad Kit, you could only create expanding ads using a component, the MotifExpandingController. This component included both a UI for setting basic parameters (collapse on mouse out, etc.) and an API for setting up the panels used for expansion.
In contrast, DoubleClick Studio has two distinct ways to develop expanding ads, either by using a component or using an API. Using the new Expanding component, you can access a UI that includes all the panel definitions and callback functions needed to create a complex multi-panel expanding ad. For example, instead of including a callback function on collapse, the new component includes a field in the interface to allow you to define the function to call on collapse.
Using the API from the Enabler, you can create an expanding ad without a component, simply by calling the Enabler.expand(), Enabler.collapse(), or Enabler.onMouseOut functions.