Flex SDK is bundled with two command-line compiler tools—one for compiling component library SWC files and the other for compiling executable Shockwave Flash (SWF) files.
The SWC files are Flex component archive files that include compiled binaries and embedded assets of a component. The SWC files can be referenced by Flex application as the external library of component definition. You can think of SWC files as JAR files in Java. To read more about the SWC format, visit http://livedocs.adobe.com/flex/3/html/help.html?content=building_overview_5.html.
The SWF files are complied binaries of Flex application. Think of these files as executables of the Flex applications which are executed by Flash Player either inside the Internet browsers or standalone Flash Player. To read more about the SWF file, visit http://www.adobe.com/devnet/swf/.
You use the component compiler to generate SWC files from component source files and other asset files, such as images and stylesheets. The SWC files are more like the .jar files in Java. They are typically used as library files in a Flex project.
This is the general compc syntax:
compc -namespace http://www.mynamespace.com manifest.xml
-source-path .
-include-namespaces http://www.mynamespace.com
-include-classes com.mycomponents.Component1 com.mycomponents.Component2
-include-file icon.png mx/containers/icon.png
-output=bin/MyComponents.swc
Note
Type the preceding command on a single line. It appears here on multiple lines for the sake of clarity.
You can use the -namespace and -include-namespaces options to include any number of components. This can keep the command line from being untidy.
The source-path option includes the current directory in the source path. This is how compc finds the various classes that are listed in the include-classes option.
The output option specifies the output location of the SWC file. In this case, compc writes the MyComponents.swc file to a folder named bin.
The include-classes option specifies the classes that you want to include in the SWC file. The compc component compiler is typically used in Flex for creating an external components library that can be referenced into Flex application or for creating Runtime Share Libraries, and so on. This is different from the mxmlc application compiler, which generates a Flex application executable.
You use the mxmlc application compiler to compile your Flex application source into an SWF binary file. The SWF files are executables of the Flex application that are executed into Flash Player. You can use the SWC files generated by component compiler, that is compc, when compiling MXML files. You typically use the library-path option to specify which SWC files the application uses.
This is the general mxml syntax:
mxmlc -library-path+=..../MyLibraries/bin/Main.mxml
The -library-path option includes the SWC files from the MyLibraries/bin folder for referencing any component referenced inside Main.mxml. For example, if Main.mxml is referencing any component which is part of the MyComponents.swc file, then you will need to include MyComponents.swc into the -library-path option. This is similar to what you do by including JAR files in -classpath while compiling the Java source.