How do I convert an Encore project to an iTunes or Android app?

[filmographie]

I've got a rather complex video project with lots of submenus (that works as a DVD - so it is "debugged") that I need to be able to export from Encore into an app to upload on the iTunes store and Android Market. So far, I've managed to export the project via Encore's Flash output and test the results using a web browser (it works).

Everything got saved in a new folder structure with an index.html file pointing to a flashdvd.swf file pointing to a AuthoredContent.xml file that actually holds all the information on the file structure (there are 99 files totalling over 200 megabytes at the lowest resolution in the Sources subfolder) and uses a Theme.xml file to generate a background.

So I need to somehow convert this "stuff" into something that can be uploaded to the appropriate store. I stumbled upon Jeanette Stalions tutorials on using Flash Builder for this purpose, but can't even figure out how to open the Encore  output in some meaningful way using Flash Builder so I can get started. (yes the swf file can be opened but that doesn't seem to have any particular value since all it does is point to the xml files.)

   1. I've got Flash Builder 4.5 - do I need to upgrade to 4.7 in order to import the project or can this be done in 4.5?

2. Is there some intermediate step that I'm missing? Do I need to do something in Flash Pro first?

3. Will Flash Builder be able to repackage all these files into the file specs required by each target platform (I'm assuming it will - is that a valid assumption)?

And moving downstream a bit...

4. Since this is a video based project with over 200 megabytes of F4V content, how will the content arrive on the end user device? Will it have to be  streamed or can it be downloaded? - this is a big issue should the app become popular and we be forced to maintain a streaming server somewhere. What about server sizing in such an event? For example: is there a way to estimate how much bandwidth is required per 1,000 instances?

<moved by mod from flash pro cc forum - kglad>

[filmographie]

Ok, so I opened Flash Builder, created a new project and after a lot of trial & error was able to bring in all the files from the Encore output using import/general/file_system in one chunk. That at least gets me to something that might have a future!

As to question 1 above: Many of the articles I've found in the Developer Center refer to various versions of tools: Flex, Flex Builder (now called Flash Builder), Flex SDK, Spark, ActionScript and Flash Catalyst. The products seem to have undergone quite a few transformations and specific processes like roundtripping between Catalyst & Flash Builder are now obsolete since Catalyst is now a dead product.  So does this mean that all (or many) of these confusing tools are now united in Flash Builder 4.7?

And this begs the question "how does a newcomer get started building an AIR app without having to learn the entire history of Flash and it's evolution from simple display of vector graphics to a Swiss Army knife environment?"

[urbanimages]

Did you ever get your question answered? I have serched high and low for something sinilar to what you are working on. With no luck.....

[filmographie]

Several people before me also looked for an easy way to get from the FlashDVD.swf export to html to a more generalized MXML Flex project that could actually be used in a mobile environment. The only way this could happen is if the Adobe Encore team were to develop a new project export option such as "Export to MXML", and this is unlikely to happen unless someone high enough in management allocates funding. Right now Encore seems to be seen as a DEAD LEGACY PRODUCT - which is a shame, because it is the perfect tool to go from Video to Mobile.

I've actually been working on rebuilding my Encore project in FlexBuilder 4.7 as an MXML AIR app - so far it is working in my Windows 7 FlexBuilder environment, but the articles on moving it to Google Android are so obsolete as to be useless.

My next step seems to be to attend the next meeting of the Bay Area Cold Fusion User Group and see if I can find someone to mentor me through this mess.