Flash CS4/AS3 Writing local file from local game without save dialog prompt?

Question

I'm writing a game to be run locally, on the user's computer. NOT over the internet.

I want to have a file that will hold the usernames and avatar indices (they're in an array).

I want to know if there's a way to write to files through Flash with AS3. I'm using CS4.

I'd also like to know if you can delete files through Flash, though that's just optional.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Answer 1

if i understand what you are trying to do then why dont you use Adobe AIR? this is flash for the desktop

Answer 2

If you want to make a game that runs locally on someone's computer, you should make it in Adobe AIR. AIR apps can read and write files, and do all sorts of useful things like show updates in the taskbar, etc. Whereas a simple SWF that you download and run locally can't do anything useful that it couldn't already do in the browser - it can't write or delete local files, for a start. (It can read local files, but only if you disable it from accessing the network.) Moreover, the standalone Flash player is not generally disseminated, so unless the user is a Flash developer they're just going to view your SWF in a browser anyway (unless you plan to publish projectors, which I also wouldn't recommend).

With all that said, however, even if you do your game as local flash content, you can still store information by using SharedObjects. They work the same way offline as online. You can't write the data out as a separate file, but you can store it between sessions easily enough.