MACROMEDIA FIREWORKS 8-EXTENDING FIREWORKS User manual

Extending Fireworks

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Acknowledgments
Project Management: Debi Robson, Charles Nadeau
Writing: David Sullivan
Editing Management: Rosana Francescato
Editors: Melba Lancaster, Mary Kraemer
Production Management: Patrice O'Neill
Production: John Francis, Adam Barnett, Mario Reynoso, Geeta Karmarkar
Special thanks to Peter Moody, Mike Thrall, David Spells, Alan Musselman, Sheila McGinn, Andrew Wilson, and
Maureen Keating.
First Edition: September 2005
Macromedia, Inc.
600 Townsend St.
San Francisco, CA 94103

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Contents
Chapter 1: Extending Fireworks Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Installing an extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
What’s new in Extending Fireworks 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Conventions used in this guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Additional resources for extension writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter 2: The Fireworks Object Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Using the Fireworks Object Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Global methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Core objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The Fireworks object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Objects within Fireworks documents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
HTML export objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Working with selected objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Chapter 3: Cross-Product Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Cross-product architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Flash panels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Chapter 4: Auto Shapes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
How Auto Shapes work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Creating an Auto Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
Chapter 5: Fireworks JavaScript API. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Using Fireworks API functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Document functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
Fireworks functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Property inspector functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
History panel functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Static Document Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Using the common API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

4Contents

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CHAPTER 1
Extending Fireworks
Overview
To extend Macromedia Fireworks 8, you must write JavaScript code. You can use JavaScript to
write your own objects and commands that affect Fireworks documents and the elements
within them. To accomplish these tasks, you must be proficient in JavaScript and
in Fireworks.
This guide introduces the Fireworks Object Model, explains how to write cross-product
extensions (extensions written in, or for, other Macromedia applications), and discusses the
JavaScript Auto Shape construction. The final chapter is a reference to the Fireworks
JavaScript application programming interface (API)—the custom JavaScript functions that
are built into Fireworks.
Prerequisites
Because Fireworks extensions must be written in JavaScript, this guide assumes that readers
are familiar with JavaScript syntax and with basic programming concepts such as functions,
arguments, and data types. It also assumes that readers understand the concept of working
with objects and properties. This guide does not attempt to teach programming in general or
JavaScript in particular.
Anyone who wants to extend Fireworks should have a good JavaScript reference to help with
syntax questions (for example, is it substring() or subString()?). Useful JavaScript
references include JavaScript Bible by Danny Goodman (IDG), JavaScript: The Definitive
Guide by David Flanagan (O’Reilly), and Pure JavaScript by R. Allen Wyke, Jason D. Gilliam,
and Charlton Ting (Sams).

6 Extending Fireworks Overview
Installing an extension
As you start learning the process of writing extensions, you might want to explore the
extensions and resources already available through the Macromedia Exchange website
(www.macromedia.com/exchange). By installing an existing extension, you will become
familiar with some of the tools that you need to work with your own extensions.
To install an extension:
1. Download and install the Extension Manager, which is available on the Macromedia
Downloads website (www.macromedia.com/software/downloads).
2. Log on to the Macromedia Exchange website (www.macromedia.com/exchange).
3. Click the Fireworks Exchange link.
4. From the available extensions, choose one that you want to use. Click the Download link
to download the extension package.
5. Save the extension package in a directory on your machine.
6. In Fireworks, choose Commands > Manage Extensions to start the Extension Manager (or
you can start Extension Manager, located in the Macromedia program group,
independently from Fireworks).
7. In the Extension Manager, choose File > Install Extension, and choose the extension
package you just saved.
The Extension Manager automatically installs the extension into Fireworks.
You cannot begin using some extensions until you restart Fireworks. If you are running
Fireworks when you install the extension, you might be prompted to quit and restart
the application.
To view basic information on the extension after its installation, go to the Extension Manager
(Commands > Manage Extensions) in Fireworks.
What’s new in Extending Fireworks 8
Fireworks 8 includes the following new features and interfaces that you can use to develop
extensions for the product:
Marquee-to-path and path-to-marquee conversions In Fireworks 8 you can convert
marquees drawn with any of the marquee tools to a vector path. You can also convert any
vector path to a marquee and set its edge to hard, anti-aliased, or feathered.

Conventions used in this guide 7
Vector path compatibility with Macromedia FreeHand Although Fireworks 8 imports
winding fills from FreeHand MX, it does not provide a user interface that lets you create a
winding fill. However, Fireworks 8 has APIs that let third-party developers create an interface
where a user can specify if a path uses an even/odd or winding fill.
Lock individual objects within a layer Instead of having to create a new layer specifically
for an object you want to lock, Fireworks 8 lets you lock specific objects on a layer without
locking the other objects on the same layer. Three new APIs let you specify which object to
lock.
New panels and commands Fireworks 8 introduces three new panels and a new
command. Several new APIs let you set selections within these panels and access the new
command.
Access dialog boxes Fireworks 8 introduces a new Dialogs class as a property of the
Fireworks object. The APIs in this class let you run standard application dialog boxes that are
usually accessible only through the menu.
Get system information The new System class in Fireworks 8 provides APIs that let you
query for information about the operating system.
Conventions used in this guide
The following typographical conventions are used in this guide:
■Code font indicates code fragments and API literals, including class names, method
names, function names, type names, scripts, SQL statements, and HTML and XML tag
and attribute names.
■Italic code font indicates replaceable items in code.
■The continuation symbol (¬) indicates that a long line of code has been broken across two
or more lines to fit on the page. When copying the lines of code, eliminate the
continuation symbol and type the code as one line.
■Curly braces ({ }) around a function argument indicate that the argument is optional.
The following naming conventions are used in this guide:
■You refers to the developer who is responsible for writing extensions.
■The user refers to the person using Fireworks.
■The visitor refers to the person who views the graphic that the user created.

8 Extending Fireworks Overview
Additional resources for extension writers
To communicate with other developers who are writing extensions, you can visit the
Fireworks online forums at www.macromedia.com/go/13012.

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CHAPTER 2
The Fireworks Object Model
If you want to extend the functionality of Macromedia Fireworks 8 by writing or modifying a
JavaScript extensibility file, you must become familiar with the objects that Fireworks makes
available through JavaScript. The hierarchy of these objects comprises the Fireworks Object
Model, which contains the following major components:
■Six global methods that are available from any part of the application and need not be
declared as methods of a particular object. For more information, see “Global methods”
on page 12.
■Six core objects: Dialogs, Document, Errors, Files, Find, and System. For more
information, see “Core objects” on page 13. (The App object that was used in Fireworks 3
is supported for backward compatibility, but its use is deprecated in favor of the Fireworks
object.)
■The Fireworks object (for more information, see “The Fireworks object” on page 26).
■Numerous objects associated with Fireworks documents, such as ExportOptions, Guides,
Path, Image, and Text. For more information, see “Objects within Fireworks documents”
on page 32.
■A set of objects that you can use to specify the format of HTML code when exporting
from Fireworks. For more information, see “HTML export objects” on page 80.
Using the Fireworks Object Model
When scripting extensions for Fireworks, you write JavaScript commands that send calls to
the Fireworks Object Model to determine or change the current settings for a Fireworks
document. For example, the following command calls the Fireworks object (fw) to obtain the
path to the Export Settings directory (appExportSettingsDir), which is expressed as a file:/
/URL. In other words, fw references the Fireworks global object, of which
appExportSettingsDir is a property (for more information, see “The Fireworks object”
on page 26), so a JavaScript command can assign the resulting value to a variable, as follows:
var expSetDir = fw.appExportSettingsDir;

10 The Fireworks Object Model
Accessing a Fireworks document
All the functions listed in “Document functions” on page 132 are methods of the Document
object, which represents a Fireworks document. To perform a function on a Document
object, you must first get the Document Object Model (DOM) of the document. You then
call the functions as methods of that DOM.
■To use a DOM function with a document other than the active document, use the
following syntax; note that documentIndex is a zero-based index that specifies which
document the command will affect.
fw.documents[documentIndex].functionName();
■To use a DOM function with the active document, use
fw.getDocumentDOM().functionName() (for more information, see
fw.getDocumentDOM()).
Passing values
For all properties that are not read-only, you can pass values to change elements of a
document. For example, the following command sets the fifth brush in the third open
document to a square shape:
fw.documents[2].brushes[4].shape = "square";
The preceding example includes the following properties:
■documents is a property of the Fireworks object and contains an array of
Document objects.
■brushes is a property of the Document object and contains an array of Brush objects.
■shape is a property of the Brush object.
Fireworks Object Model calls and API calls
In some cases, you can use Fireworks Object Model calls or API calls to perform the same
operations. In other cases, a certain function might be available in either the Fireworks Object
Model or the API, but not in both.
NOTE
You can use methods that operate on a document’s DOM only on open documents.
NOTE
Throughout this manual, optional arguments are enclosed in {braces}.