Representing AIM in Flash
When InDesign exports into SWF or XFL, it needs to describe objects using the Flash object model, rather than the Adobe Imaging Model (AIM).
As a general rule, InDesign attempts to use matching native Flash constructs whenever possible, and when that is not possible, it uses whatever means available in Flash it can to maintain the visual appearance of the source objects in InDesign.
In this post I begin a more detailed discussion of the technical background of InDesign’s SWF and XFL export processes. This series will be based largely on a white paper researched and written by Adobe’s Matt Laun.
Both of InDesign’s Flash export formats are designed to represent InDesign content as accurately as possible, with emphasis placed on preserving the visual appearance of the InDesign document.
InDesign CS4 delivers the ability to move your InDesign layouts to the web and beyond via SWF and XFL export features. The former creates a web-ready .swf file that’s intended to be the final form for delivery, and not editable. XFL, on the other hand, is a new, XML Flash native file format. The purpose of this export path is to enable you to take your InDesign layouts and convert them into a native Flash CS4 documents that can then be opened and enhanced with all the powerful interactive capabilities of Flash CS4.
Ajar Productions has produced a free extension for Flash that combines multiple selected text frames into one text frame for easier editing.
