Temporary Files and Directories in ActionScript

Our first example demonstrates how to create temporary files and directories in ActionScript. This is useful when we need to create data that isn’t needed after the program exits, preventing unnecessary pollution of the file system over time.

package {
    import flash.filesystem.File;
    import flash.filesystem.FileMode;
    import flash.filesystem.FileStream;
    import flash.utils.ByteArray;

    public class TemporaryFilesAndDirectories {
        public function TemporaryFilesAndDirectories() {
            // Create a temporary file
            var tempFile:File = File.createTempFile();
            trace("Temp file name:", tempFile.nativePath);

            // Write some data to the file
            var fileStream:FileStream = new FileStream();
            fileStream.open(tempFile, FileMode.WRITE);
            var data:ByteArray = new ByteArray();
            data.writeBytes([1, 2, 3, 4]);
            fileStream.writeBytes(data);
            fileStream.close();

            // Create a temporary directory
            var tempDir:File = File.createTempDirectory();
            trace("Temp dir name:", tempDir.nativePath);

            // Create a file in the temporary directory
            var fileInTempDir:File = tempDir.resolvePath("file1");
            fileStream = new FileStream();
            fileStream.open(fileInTempDir, FileMode.WRITE);
            data = new ByteArray();
            data.writeBytes([1, 2]);
            fileStream.writeBytes(data);
            fileStream.close();

            // Clean up
            tempFile.deleteFile();
            tempDir.deleteDirectory(true);
        }
    }
}

In this ActionScript example, we’re using the flash.filesystem package to work with files and directories. Here’s a breakdown of what the code does:

1. We create a temporary file using File.createTempFile(). This method automatically generates a unique file name in the system’s temporary directory.

2. We display the path of the temporary file using trace().

3. We write some data to the file using a FileStream object.

4. We create a temporary directory using File.createTempDirectory().

5. We display the path of the temporary directory.

6. We create a new file within the temporary directory using resolvePath() and write some data to it.

7. Finally, we clean up by deleting the temporary file and directory. Note that deleteDirectory(true) removes the directory and all its contents recursively.

In ActionScript, there’s no built-in mechanism to automatically delete temporary files when the program exits, so we need to manage cleanup manually. It’s good practice to delete temporary files and directories as soon as they’re no longer needed.

To run this code, you would typically embed it in an ActionScript project and compile it with the Adobe AIR SDK. The exact output will depend on your system, but it might look something like this:

Temp file name: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Temp\fla823tmp
Temp dir name: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Temp\fla824tmp

Remember that working with the file system in ActionScript requires appropriate permissions, especially when running in a browser environment. This code is more suited for AIR desktop applications or AIR for mobile where file system access is less restricted.