OpenFL event lifecycle missing stages

Haxe
#1

OpenFL event lifecycle is missing stages that exist within the Flash player runtime.

For example, two events I use extensively are EVENT.FRAME_CONSTRUCTED and EVENT.EXIT_FRAME.

Event lifecycle, per Flash runtime:

  • EVENT.ENTER_FRAME dispatched
  • Constructor code of children MovieClips is executed
  • EVENT.FRAME_CONSTRUCTED dispatched
  • MovieCip frame actions executed
  • Frame actions of children MovieCips executed
  • EVENT.EXIT_FRAME dispatched
  • EVENT.RENDER dispatched

Frame constructed was new in Flash Player 10. Within a frame, this indicates when it’s safe to reference newly added display list children.

Exit frame was also new in Flash Player 10. Within a frame, this provides an opportunity to manipulate the display list after all script has executed.

Do these events not translate well? Is there an equivalent?

#2

Walking the display list and generating events for each display object can be expensive. Before adding these, I think I would want to think about optimizing (or making sure we are optimizing) these calls first, particularly skipping them if nothing is expecting to receive it. Surely there’s got to be a way to do that.

I was not familiar with these events, but I’d definitely like to see them implemented – just in a way that minimizes any negative impact the extra two walks through the list might have :slight_smile: