SWF2XAML: A Tool to Convert Flash Files to XAML

Finally! After months of tinkering around in my spare time, I've managed to assemble a relatively useful tool called SWF2XAML. The first version of this tool allows you to open a Flash/SWF file and advance through the frames one-by-one. When you've found a frame that you like, you can easily export it to a file or copy its XAML to the clipboard. Import or paste the XAML into your tool of choice, and off you go.

Now, before you start converting files, let me set your expectations. Flash files contain a lot of information, including shape definitions, animations, and code in the form of ActionScript. The version of SWF2XAML I'm releasing today only converts shapes on a frame-by-frame basis. In other words, there is no conversion to native WPF animations, and there is certainly no code conversion. Both of these are possible, and they'd require a lot more work.

If you'd like to know more about the technical details, Karsten Januszewski, a fellow Technical Evangelist, filmed a short Channel 9 interview that provides insight into the structure of a SWF file, what is currently converted, and the general algorithm used to bring shapes into WPF. Plus, there is a very quick walkthough and demo at the beginning of the video.

I've written two blog posts about some of my earlier experimentation: Converting Flash Shapes to WPF, and Example C# Code for Reading Flash (SWF) Files. If you plan to write your own utility, these should be very useful.

I'd love your feedback! Is this tool useful? What other features would you like to see supported? Would anyone really want to convert ActionScript to something like C#?

Update: I just posted a 11½ minute screencast that gives a quick walk-through of the tool.

Comments

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2006
  Well done! I'm particularly impressed by the compound shape -> standard shape conversion. I haven't even tried doing that myself, as I've heard a lot about how difficult it would be... All the more kudos to you! So, any chance of posting the source for that part of the program?

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2006
  I'm glad you've written this, but I wonder how Adobe will feel. AFAIK it is actually contrary to the SWF specification license to implement a viewer, which I wouldn't mind seeing challenged.

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2006
  Michael Swanson has released a free converter to take SWF to XAML converter. "Finally! After months of

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2006
  SWF2XAML: An Adobe/Macromedia Flash to XAML Conversion Tool Adobe FlushのファイルをXAMLにトランスレ

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2006
  Cryptic!! but for those in the industry they'll recognize it straightaway. Thanks to Mike Swanson, a

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2006
  Just in case you haven't read about this on all the other blogs: Michael Swanson , a Technical Evangelist

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2006
  Incredible work! "Relatively useful"? A kind of understatement I haven't heard in a long time. A call from Adobe lawyers coming in 3..2..1..

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2006
  Vous en réviez ? Michael Swanson l'a fait ! SWF2XAML est un outil qui va convertir les fichiers Flash

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  November 21, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  November 24, 2006
  A month ago I blogged about the WPF conversion contest. The blog discussed creating a tool which converts...

• Anonymous
  December 21, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  February 09, 2007
  Na maioria das palestras que faço a respeito de WPF a primeira pergunta é; existe uma ferramenta de converão

• Anonymous
  March 14, 2007
  Now you know why I don't write headlines professionally. After all, who (other than me) would ever use

• Anonymous
  June 13, 2007
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• Anonymous
  June 29, 2007
  excellent! When you launch the xaml, make sure that you launch IE. Had Firefox as my default browser and had to reboot my system to get the tabs to stop coming up.

• Anonymous
  February 14, 2008
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  July 30, 2010
  i need to change my file(swffile) resoloution or size in xaml code.thats possibole?