In this really quick, but invaluable tip, we'll look at how to view the output of your Flash movie trace calls in the browser.

Step 1: What is Flash Tracer?

Flash Tracer is a Firefox add-on. It lets you view the output of the trace() method used in your flash movies in the browser. This can be very helpful when testing your application online using browser related tasks like ExternalInterface for example.

Step 2: Requirements

To use Flash Tracer you will need Firefox 2.0 or later and the Flash Player Debug version installed. You can view a list of the available Flash Players at the Flash Player Support site.

Step 3: Features

Besides displaying the output generated, Flash Tracer supports other basic features like:

Pros:

• Live Filters: Lets you filter the output using basic patterns.
• Custom Styles: Applies a custom CSS formating to the output.

Step 4: Download it!

You can get Flash Tracer using the Mozilla add-ons website or at the author's site.

Step 5: Testing

Time to try a SWF file to test Flash Tracer.

Select a file that outputs a value and navigate to it using Firefox to see the result:

Conclusion

This is an easy way to test your applications in the browser and still receive the output from trace calls, try it!

Thank you for reading!