Adobe Scout

In order for applications or games to reach end users in a suitable condition, it needs to undergo thorough testing sessions and a lot of development hours. However, there are various tools available that allow you to gather and analyze data regarding the developing application. One such utility is Adobe Scout CC and offers help when it comes to Adobe Flash Player and AIR application development.

If you're used to any kind of Adobe application, you should expect a similar, modern interface. By default, it's split in several panels, each displaying thorough info on ActionScript, memory allocations, a frame timeline, sequences, summary and a lot more. However, you are free to view only elements of interest that can cleverly be arranged by dragging them over the main window.

A side panel lets you select session settings to keep under close watch. You can toggle CPU usage, ActionScript Sampler, Rendering Details, Stage3D Recording and several others.

In terms of interactions, functionality ends here, as the applications is strictly dedicated to providing info. You can only import FLM files, and you can view changes in real-time as your developing application is running.

One of the application's main advantages is that it does not make you feel crowded with all the details thrown at you. The clever design allows you to select an exact number of frames from a timeline view, while all activities in that period of time are displayed in an activity sequence.

To sum it up, Adobe Scout CC is one of the tools that should not be missing from a programming enthusiast's computer, especially if its oriented towards Flash production. Even though you might seem lost at first, you quickly figure out what you can work with due to the intuitive interface. With all details displayed you are sure to correct most errors in your program, prevent memory leaks and tweak it to squeeze the most performance.