flash connecect()

[The Little Guy]

I wrote a PHP chat server, that works fine. I can connect to it from within Flash CS3 but when I go to http://localhost:6666/testChat.html it can't connect to the php server, why? I have tried it on a the same computer, and a different computer.

 

I opened both ports 6666 (web server), and 6667 (php socket server) in my firewall, and I did port forwarding in my router for both, I just don't know why it works in Adobe Flash, but not on the web server.

 

flash connect code:

mySocet.connect("97.91.103.81:6666/chatBox.php"); // Connect to the socket server

[corbin]

http://97.91.103.81:6666/ loads fine for me.

 

When I add the chatBox.php, it doesn't.  It times out.

 

 

If I had to guess why it works in Flash, I would guess that the connect method of sockets probably does not automatically handle HTTP stuff, so it's not actually getting that webpage.

 

[The Little Guy]

chatBox.php is an endless loop, because all it does is wait for connections.

 

the site I got it from does it like this:

 

mySocket.connect("dyn.obi-graphics.com", 9999);

[corbin]

Uhmmm....

 

 

Accessing a PHP page that makes listening sockets through HTTP doesn't make much sense.

[The Little Guy]

Uhmmm....

 

 

Accessing a PHP page that makes listening sockets through HTTP doesn't make much sense.

 

Why?

[corbin]

Well HTTP is not equivalent to a bare socket (or another protocol).

 

 

I really don't feel like explaining the concept of sockets.....  Bleh.  It just doesn't make sense.  What you'll want to do is run the PHP script such that it's listening on port X, and then you'll want to connect to host:X.

[The Little Guy]

Here is what I want to do... Maybe I am doing this all wrong.

 

OK, I have my page located here: http://97.91.103.81:6666/testChat.html It contains my SWF file.

 

Next I want to connect to my chat server written with the sockets. So I thought I had to place that file in the web root directory, but maybe I am wrong... Do I or should I place it in a different directory outside the web root?

[corbin]

That's just Apache listening on 6666, right?

 

 

If so, then going to the PHP page and trying to write back and forth to it isn't going to work.

 

 

 

The PHP script is creating a listening socket, yes?  Somewhere there is a socket_create() call?

 

 

If so, then your other stuff needs to connect to it on what ever port it is that it's listening on.

[The Little Guy]

Apache is listening on port 6666 is correct

 

The PHP:

#!/usr/bin/php -q
<?php
/*
Raymond Fain
Used for PHP5 Sockets with Flash 8 Tutorial for Kirupa.com
For any questions or concerns, email me at ray@obi-graphics.com
or simply visit the site, www.php.net, to see if you can find an answer.
*/


error_reporting(E_ALL);
set_time_limit(0);
ob_implicit_flush();
//$address = '192.168.1.75';
$address = 'localhost';
$port = 1213;

//---- Function to Send out Messages to Everyone Connected ----------------------------------------

function send_Message($allclient, $socket, $buf) {
   foreach($allclient as $client) {
      socket_write($client, "$client talk: $buf");
   }
}

//---- Start Socket creation for PHP 5 Socket Server -------------------------------------

if (($master = socket_create(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, SOL_TCP)) < 0) {
   echo "socket_create() failed, reason: " . socket_strerror($master) . " ";
}

socket_set_option($master, SOL_SOCKET,SO_REUSEADDR, 1);
if (($ret = socket_bind($master, $address, $port)) < 0) {
   echo "socket_bind() failed, reason: " . socket_strerror($ret) . " ";
}

if (($ret = socket_listen($master, 5)) < 0) {
   echo "socket_listen() failed, reason: " . socket_strerror($ret) . " ";
}

$read_sockets = array($master);

//---- Create Persistent Loop to continuously handle incoming socket messages ---------------------
while (true) {
   $changed_sockets = $read_sockets;
   $num_changed_sockets = socket_select($changed_sockets, $write = NULL, $except = NULL, NULL);
   foreach($changed_sockets as $socket) {
      if ($socket == $master) {
         if (($client = socket_accept($master)) < 0) {
            echo "socket_accept() failed: reason: " . socket_strerror($msgsock) . " ";
            continue;
         } else {
            array_push($read_sockets, $client);
         }
      } else {
         $bytes = socket_recv($socket, $buffer, 2048, 0);
         if ($bytes == 0) {
            $index = array_search($socket, $read_sockets);
            unset($read_sockets[$index]);
            socket_shutdown($socket,2);
            socket_close($socket);
         }else{
            $allclients = $read_sockets;
            array_shift($allclients);
            send_Message($allclients, $socket, $buffer);
         }
      }
   }
}
?>

 

The Flash:

mySocket  =  new XMLSocket();
mySocket.onConnect = function(success) {
   if (success) {
      msgArea.htmlText += "<b>Server connection established!</b>";
   } else {
      msgArea.htmlText += "<b>Server connection failed!</b>";
   }
}
mySocket.onClose = function() {
   msgArea.htmlText += "<b>Server connection lost</b>";
}
XMLSocket.prototype.onData = function(msg) {
   msgArea.htmlText += msg;
}
mySocket.connect('localhost', 1213);
//--- Handle button click --------------------------------------
function msgGO() {
   if (inputMsg.htmlText != "") {
      mySocket.send(inputMsg.htmlText);
      inputMsg.htmlText = "";
   }
}
pushMsg.onRelease = function() {
   msgGO();
}
keyListener = new Object();
keyListener.onKeyDown = function(){
   xk = parseInt(Key.getAscii().toString());
   if(xk == 13){
      msgGO();
   }
}
Key.addListener(keyListener);

 

The tutorial can be found here: http://www.kirupa.com/developer/flash8/php5sockets_flash8.htm

[corbin]

Try running the PHP script through the command line.

 

 

 

Edit:  If you want someone to be able to connect to the chat server from the outside through that Flash applet, you will have to make it say your IP address or host name and open your firewall, by the way.

[The Little Guy]

I do run the php through the command line.

 

I have also tried using my IP, and now the connection fails in flash...

[The Little Guy]

I have tried changing the port the socket runs on to port 9999, then I tried http://canyouseeme.org and put in the port, and it doesn't find it. Even when the socket is running.

 

-- Edit --

the port is forwarded on the router, and the firewall is accepting it.

[corbin]

lol you're way over complicating this.... I just did the following and it worked fine for me:

 

 

Downloaded the ZIP at the end of that tutorial.

Ran the PHP file.  (php socketTut.php)

Opened the Flash file and changed the host to localhost.

Exported the Flash file and opened it.

 

 

And it connected fine.

 

 

 

I'm not sure what you're doing wrong lol.  Also, try to get it working locally using localhost first before you try to port forward and what not.

[The Little Guy]

When you exported it to flash, and ran it did you run it from the browser, or from within the flash application its self?

 

I did all those things, and nothing is working for me, I can only connect to the php file from the adobe flash software, and not the web.

 

Mine: http://97.91.103.81:6666/testChat.html

[corbin]

Ohhhh.....  You're problem is actually firewall related.  By accessing it from your WAN ip, it's trying to go through your firewall.  Setup your router to forward what ever port, and make sure your firewall is open on that port.

 

 

telnet 97.91.103.81 <port> should work.

[The Little Guy]

I have it forwarded to the port, and I have my firewall off, and it still doesn't work.

[corbin]

Obviously something isn't opened, or it would work ;p.

 

 

Does it work via localhost?  If it works via localhost, then it's a forwarding/firewall issue.  If it doesn't work via localhost, it's a problem with actually running the script.

[The Little Guy]

When you mean localhost do you mean browser or code?

[The Little Guy]

well... Here is my EXACT CODE

 

PHP SOCKET:

#!/usr/bin/php -q
<?php
/*
Raymond Fain
Used for PHP5 Sockets with Flash 8 Tutorial for Kirupa.com
For any questions or concerns, email me at [email]ray@obi-graphics.com[/email]
or simply visit the site, [url=http://www.php.net]www.php.net[/url], to see if you can find an answer.
*/


error_reporting(E_ALL);
set_time_limit(0);
ob_implicit_flush();
//$address = '192.168.1.75';
//$address = 'localhost';
$address = '127.0.0.1';
$port = 45063;

//---- Function to Send out Messages to Everyone Connected ----------------------------------------

function send_Message($allclient, $socket, $buf) {
   foreach($allclient as $client) {
      socket_write($client, "$client talk: $buf");
   }
}

//---- Start Socket creation for PHP 5 Socket Server -------------------------------------

if (($master = socket_create(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, SOL_TCP)) < 0) {
   echo "socket_create() failed, reason: " . socket_strerror($master) . " ";
}

socket_set_option($master, SOL_SOCKET,SO_REUSEADDR, 1);
if (($ret = socket_bind($master, $address, $port)) < 0) {
   echo "socket_bind() failed, reason: " . socket_strerror($ret) . " ";
}

if (($ret = socket_listen($master, 5)) < 0) {
   echo "socket_listen() failed, reason: " . socket_strerror($ret) . " ";
}

$read_sockets = array($master);

//---- Create Persistent Loop to continuously handle incoming socket messages ---------------------
while (true) {
   $changed_sockets = $read_sockets;
   $num_changed_sockets = socket_select($changed_sockets, $write = NULL, $except = NULL, NULL);
   foreach($changed_sockets as $socket) {
      if ($socket == $master) {
         if (($client = socket_accept($master)) < 0) {
            echo "socket_accept() failed: reason: " . socket_strerror($msgsock) . " ";
            continue;
         } else {
            array_push($read_sockets, $client);
         }
      } else {
         $bytes = socket_recv($socket, $buffer, 2048, 0);
         if ($bytes == 0) {
            $index = array_search($socket, $read_sockets);
            unset($read_sockets[$index]);
            socket_shutdown($socket,2);
            socket_close($socket);
         }else{
            $allclients = $read_sockets;
            array_shift($allclients);
            send_Message($allclients, $socket, $buffer);
         }
      }
   }
}
?>

 

FLASH ACTIONSCRIPT:

mySocket  =  new XMLSocket();
//var host = 'localhost';
//var host = '192.168.1.75';
var host = '127.0.0.1';
var port = 45063;
msgArea.htmlText = "Host: "+host;
msgArea.htmlText += "Port: "+port;
mySocket.onConnect = function(success) {
   if (success) {
      msgArea.htmlText += "<b>Server connection established!</b>";
   } else {
      msgArea.htmlText += "<b>Server connection failed!</b>";
   }
}
mySocket.onClose = function() {
   msgArea.htmlText += "<b>Server connection lost</b>";
}
XMLSocket.prototype.onData = function(msg) {
   msgArea.htmlText += msg;
}
mySocket.connect(host, port);
//--- Handle button click --------------------------------------
function msgGO() {
   if (inputMsg.htmlText != "") {
      mySocket.send(inputMsg.htmlText);
      inputMsg.htmlText = "";
   }
}
pushMsg.onRelease = function() {
   msgGO();
}
keyListener = new Object();
keyListener.onKeyDown = function(){
   xk = parseInt(Key.getAscii().toString());
   if(xk == 13){
      msgGO();
   }
}
Key.addListener(keyListener);

 

Using this, When I run it from: http://localhost:6666/testChat.swf it DOES NOT WORK

[corbin]

Whoa....

 

 

After googling and testing my self for like 10 minutes, I finally found the problem....

 

http://www.adobe.com/support/flash/action_scripts/actionscript_dictionary/actionscript_dictionary860.html

 

The XMLSocket.connect method can connect only to computers in the same subdomain where the SWF file (movie) resides. This restriction does not apply to movies running off a local disk. (This restriction is identical to the security rules for loadVariables , XML.sendAndLoad , and XML.load .)

 

 

I've tried every host combination I can think of, and nothing seems to work.

 

We're either doing it entirely wrong or it's a bug.  It must just be something simple that I'm missing.

 

If I host the file on corbin.no-ip.org and make it connect to corbin.no-ip.org, you would think it would work, since I know my ports are all forwarded correctly, but no....  Hrmmm....  Even if I use null as the first arg of the connect method (null tells it to connect to the host that is hosting the Flash movie) it still doesn't work.  Wtf?

[The Little Guy]

I see that AS3 has a new Socket class

 

http://livedocs.adobe.com/flash/9.0/ActionScriptLangRefV3/flash/net/Socket.html

[corbin]

Yeah..... AS3 still has the same security model though I think.

[tomfmason]

you will also need to address a policy request from flash or your connections will continue to fail. Here is an example from a python xml socket server I wrote using twisted

 

class PushServerProtocol(XmlStream):
def __init__(self):
	self.factory = PushServerFactory()
	self.policyFile = '<cross-domain-policy><allow-access-from domain="*" to-ports="your_app_port" /></cross-domain-policy>'
	self.policyRequest = '<policy-file-request/>'
def connectionMade(self):
	self.id = len(self.factory.clients) + 1
	self.factory.clients.append(self)
def connectionLost(self, reason):
	self.factory.clients.remove(self)
def dataReceived(self, data):
	print 'data received'
	if data.find(self.policyRequest) >= 0:
		print 'policy request'
		self.writeToClient(self.policyFile, self.id)
	else:
		self.handleData(data)

also, the delimiter is \0 so testing data as a literal <policy-file-request/> would fail. When flash requests your policy you will need to respond with <cross-domain-policy><allow-access-from domain="*" to-ports="your_app_port" /></cross-domain-policy>

[The Little Guy]

I put that in a file named crossdomain.xml would that be a valid way to do it?

[tomfmason]

I put that in a file named crossdomain.xml would that be a valid way to do it?

 

I don't think that it will work as the very first thing flash will do is request the cross domain policy from the socket server.