Flash Source Management - Best Practices

Question

I am currently working on a Flash project, and I need to get the designer to use our Source Control (SVN) repository to help manage and track the project. It was a battle battle that allowed him to take full advantage of source control, but it does.

I did not have to use the initial control for the Flash project earlier than in projects where I was the only one who worked on it. I am starting to discover that there are some additional parts of the workflow that need to be implemented around it so that you don't have nightmare binaries.

Since I mainly work on code, I put all ActionScript files in external files, so I can work on them while the designer works in the FLA file with all the graphics. This seems to work well, but when I need to change instance names, etc., I have to make sure that I communicate well, so we don’t encounter any problems.

I was wondering how other people handle Flash in the original management and how they manage the workflow, so the developer and designer can work on the project at the same time.

Thanks.

Answer 1

You pretty much have a solution. Communication is a very important part of version control systems, and with binary files you need to be more careful. Unfortunately, many people simply assume that the software is the ultimate solution, and the team communication comes out of the window.

I made a mistake evangelizing an SVN client with a very large flash code base. I do not know if they will ever be able to enter this building again. Where I failed, I could not change the culture of the organization so that there was more communication between the people working on the project, and as a result there were more shouts about who faced the .fla problem.

Maybe take a daily scrum meeting (some call it worthwhile). Every morning you meet for five minutes and tell that you will work that day and which files you can touch. If there is a possibility that there will be conflicts, be sure to contact during the day during work. So no one is in the dark why svn says there is a conflict in the fla file.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I agree that splitting your ActionScript code is the best way, but for binary assets you can use locking if you encounter a lot of friction.

Blocking also has the advantage that it makes sense for people who are not developers, of course, they must understand the associated risks, so communication, as always, is very important.

Answer 3

This is not so much an answer as a subsequent one. I am a developer working on a web application using aLOT flash files, I also save the AS code in separate files (as much as possible). There are also PHP files and some javascript, libraries, graphics, etc.

Actually, I just created a system of connecting lines / branches on my local drive so as not to break old versions and allow me to experiment safely with functions, etc. It loads fast.

I was recommended to use GIT for version control and see the benefits of this for larger organizations with a large number of developers, as I am the only developer, so I just want to find a good solution for backing up and tracking the changes I made. Ive never used GIT before and it seems to have a steep learning curve ... so I looked at Adobe Version Cue, it’s much easier to configure.

Does anyone have experience using the cue version? Is it easy to revert to previous versions? My main problem with SVN (which I used when working as a development team) is that it is not suitable for Flash, as you indicated.

Answer 4

Repeat: in CS5, Flash finally supports saving in text format!