====== SWF 9 File Format ======

Flash Player 9 is now available, which means additions to the SWF file format. This page is dedicated to documenting the new things that have been added.

//As a side note, the method used to document the format is [[red5/discovery|Discovery through Observation]] which is perfectly legal.//

Note: More accurate information on the [[http://lxr.mozilla.org/mozilla/source/js/tamarin/core/abcFormat.txt|ABC format]] has been released by Adobe through the open source [[http://www.mozilla.org/projects/tamarin/|Tamarin project]]. In addition, the official [[http://www.adobe.com/licensing/developer/|SWF and FLV File Format Specification]] is available under certain [[http://www.adobe.com/licensing/developer/fileformat/license/|license terms]].





====== Tags ======

The following tags have been added into the SWF9 format :

  * 0x48 : ActionScript3 tag (command line compiler output)
  * 0x4C : ActionScript3 tag (flex 2 ide output, just slightly different)
  * 0x52 : ActionScript3 startup class ?
     * int32 : ???
     * 0-ending string : class name
  * 0x56 : ???
    * all swf exported by Adobe flash 9 public alpha contain this tag,mybe it is scene table.   
  * //other tags : please list them and provide ways of at least producing them//


The following tags have been changed in the SWF9 format:

  * 0x45 : FileAttributes tag; the previously reserved bits 3-1 in the first byte after the record header may now be non-zero

====== ActionScript 3 ======

The AS3 tag content is completely different from previous AS2 one. In particular, the complete classes and methods types are included in the format, whereas AS1/AS2 was only opcodes needed to run the program.

===== AS3 structure =====

The AS3 tag structure is composed of several lists of elements. The lists are either 0-based or 1-based. 
  * 0-based lists means that you read an as3-integer followed by ''n'' items.
  * 1-based lists means that you read an as3-integer. If 0 then there is no elements in the list else there is ''(n-1)'' items following.

===== AS3 integer =====

The AS3 Integer can be encoded into between 1 and 5 bytes.
  * if the integer is between 0x00 and 0x7F then only one byte (representing the integer)
  * if between 0x80 and 0x3FFF then 2 bytes :
    * ''(i & 0x7F) | 0x80''
    * ''(i >> 7)''
  * if between 0x4000 and 0x1FFFFF then 3 bytes :
    * ''(i & 0x7F) | 0x80''
    * ''(i >> 7) | 0x80''
    * ''(i >> 14)''
  * if between 0x200000 and 0xFFFFFFF then 4 bytes :
    * ''(i & 0x7F) | 0x80''
    * ''(i >> 7) | 0x80''
    * ''(i >> 14) | 0x80''
    * ''(i >> 21)''
  * if more or equal than 0x10000000 :
    * ''(i & 0x7F) | 0x80''
    * ''(i >> 7) | 0x80''
    * ''(i >> 14) | 0x80''
    * ''(i >> 21) | 0x80''
    * ''(i >> 28)''

The format is actually quite easy to read, since you read bytes until you get one that is lower than 128.

===== Struture Details =====

Here's the structure of the AS3 tag :
  * if the tag is 0x4C, then there is the following header : 
    * int32 : ????
    * 0-ended string : frame name (which usage ?)
  * int32 : magic value (version ?)
    * 0x002E0010 with Flex Builder Beta 3
  * 1-based list of AS3 integers : integer table
  * the ''\0'' byte ???
  * 1-based list of 8-bytes doubles : float table
  * 1-based list of 0-ending strings : identifier table
  * 1-based list of AS3 rights : base-rights table
  * 1-based list of AS3 rights groups : rights table
  * 1-based list of AS3 type : type table
  * 0-based list of AS3 method type : method type table
  * 0-based list of AS3 metadatas : metadata table
  * 0-based list of AS3 class : class table
    * followed by ''n'' AS3 static declarations : static table
  * 0-based list of AS3 initializer : init table
  * 0-based list of AS3 function : function table

This is very similar to Java Bytecode structure. Several tables are declared, with everytime indexes into previously declared tables. For instance base-rights table will consists in indexes into the identifier table, and rights table of indexes into the base-rigths table.

Indexes into table can start either at 1 or 0, depending on the data structure. It is unrelated to the way the table is stored. Optional indexes are stored are either 0 (no binding) or ''(index + 1)''.

The meaning of each table is following.

===== integer table =====

32-bit integers used in the program

===== float table =====

64-bit floating point values used in the program

===== identifier table =====

strings are identifiers used in the program and class structure.

===== base-right table =====

Each base-right is composed of the following data :
  * a byte giving the type of the right (see below)
  * an AS3 integer giving the index in the identifier table

The byte can be one of the following :
  * 0x05 : private
  * 0x08 : ???
  * 0x16 : public
  * 0x17 : internal
  * 0x18 : protected
  * 0x1A : ???

The integer in the identifier table is the namespace associated with the rights

===== rights group table =====

Each rights group is composed of the following data :
  * 1 byte : indicating the number of rights
  * one AS3 int per index in the base-right table
  
===== type table ===== 

Each type starts with one byte the can be one of the following :
  * 0x09 : a class or interface ??
      * one AS3 int index into the identifier table
      * one AS3 int index into the base rights table
  * 0x07 : a method or variable type
      * one AS3 int index into the base rights table
      * one AS3 int into the identifier table
  * 0x1B : ???
      * one AS3 int data
  * 0x0E : ???
      * two AS3 int data

===== method type table =====

Each method type has the following datas :
  * one byte : number of arguments
  * one AS3 int optional index into the type table : return type
  * one AS3 int optional index into the type table per argument : arguments types
  * one AS3 int : ???
  * one byte : some bit-flags
     * 0x01 : ???
     * 0x02 : ???
     * 0x04 : the method as variable arguments
     * 0x08 : the method as default params
        * default params data is following flags
     * 0x10 : ???
     * 0x20 : method is marked "native"
     * 0x40 : ???
     * 0x80 : method as debug parameter names
        * one AS3 int index into identifier table per parameter is following

The optional default parameters data consist of the following :
  * one byte for the number of values
  * one optional AS3 value per argument value

For instance if the method has 5 arguments and a default value for the second one, it will store "4" as the default values count, then the value itself followed by three 0.

===== as3 value =====

to complete...

===== metadata table =====

to complete...

===== class table =====

to complete...

===== statics table =====

to complete...

===== initializers table =====

to complete...

===== function table =====

to complete...