The hidden describeTypeJSON function is faster than the XML-based describeType function by default, but we can make it even faster. Today’s article describe just how this is done and achieves a nearly 10x speedup!
Posts Tagged performance
flash.utils.describeType has been around since Flash 9 and is the standard way to find out interesting information about a Class type, including its metadata/annotations. However, there’s a hidden function called describeTypeJSON that provides an interesting alternative. Since describeType is notoriously slow, could describeTypeJSON be the speedy alternative we’ve been looking for? Today’s article puts them to the test!
There are lots of ways to check the type of an object in AS3. These include the is operator, the deprecated instanceof operator, the constructor field, and a combination of getQualifiedClassName and getDefinitionByName. Which is fastest, cleanest, and most effective? Today’s article puts them all to the test to find out!
The if-else keyword is not free. So, how expensive is it? Today’s article finds out.
The do-while loop is slower than the for and while loops… at least in Flash. Why? Today’s article digs into the bytecode the compiler generates for a variety of these loops to find out why.
The ByteArray class is not as straightforward as you might think. In certain situations, it has surprising, undocumented functionality. Today’s article goes into some of these strange behaviors so you’ll get a better handle on exactly what’s going on behind the scenes.
Today’s article is both a reminder to optimize your algorithms and data structures before your code and a demonstration of the payoff you’ll get by doing so. By choosing the most effective algorithm and data structure to solve your problem you’ll reap huge rewards in performance. A 10x, 100x, or even bigger boost is easily attainable.
Function calls in Flash are notoriously slow. Recursive algorithms require lots of function calls by definition. So are iterative versions faster? Today’s article explores whether or not it’s worth converting your recursive algorithm into an iterative one.
Given that Object and Dictionary can have int keys and that int keys are faster than String keys, a natural performance test follows: which class is fastest at reading from and writing to those int keys? Is there a difference between the four Vector classes? Today’s article performs just that test and comes up with the answers.
Now that we know you can use int keys with Object, it’s time to test whether or not this is any faster than String keys. Today’s article does just that and also tests int and String keys with Dictionary.