TechNote (Archived)

Error when using #include statement to specify an absolute path for AS file

Issue

Using #include in Macromedia Flash 8 to specify an absolute path for an ActionScript (AS) file generates an error "File not found".

Reason

Internally, Flash 8 for Macintosh uses slashes when parsing paths("/"). Previous versions parsed paths using colons ":". This change was necessary for complete compatibility with Mac OS X. However, it did create some pathing problems such as the above.

Ref. (139739)

Solution

You can specify a relative path (or no path). If you do not specify a path, the AS file must be in one of the following locations:

The same directory as the FLA file. The same directory as the script containing the #include statement.
The global Include directory, which is in the following location by default:
Macintosh OS X: Hard Drive/Users/Library/Application Support/Macromedia/Flash8/language/Configuration/Include
The Flash 8 program\language\First Run\Include directory; if you save a file here, it is copied to the global Include directory the next time you start Flash.

Additional Information

It is not recommended to use Absolute Path because it requires the directory structure to be the same on any computer thatcalls the ActionScript file.