FLASH: Controlling a Flash movie from JavaScript.

[Bonney, Mark]

This is my first post to the list so hopefully this question has not been

asked before.


I'm setting up a WBT course where the content is running inside of a few

browser frames.  The first frame is the navigation controls, the second the

text (content),

And the third is the graphics/animation area.  The text area gets loaded

with html pages of text.  The graphic area gets loaded once with a Flash

file and the contents

within the Flash file get changed (a movie in one layer is replaced by a new

one).


The way it should work is when the user select a page (via navigation or

menu), the HTML page loads in the text area first, then the Flash file loads

and finally the page number is determined and the navigation controls load.

The HTML that loads in the text area contains calls to JavaScript which are

suppose to be instructions to Flash as to which movie is to be loaded.


The problem is that the HTML is loading, the data is passed to the Flash

file via the JavaScript, but the new movie is not being loaded.


In the HTML file I call a JavaScript function called LoadGraphic, passing

the name of the swf file to be loaded.  In the JavaScript I set the myMovie

variable in the Flash file to the name of the movie I want loaded.  I've

used text fields and verified that in fact the variable within Flash is

being set to the name of the new movie to load.  The problem is with the

LoadMovie method.  It seems that in Flash I can specify the swf file to load

and the movie instance to be replaced.  This would work except that the

variable to contain the new movie name is not set until after the code to

load the movie is played (timing issue between HTML, JavaScript, and Flash).

So, I've tried to load the movie from JavaScript using the LoadMovie.  The

JavaScript LoadMovie does not use an instance name instead, it uses a layer

number.


My question is this: Is there a relationship between the layer number for

the JavaScript  LoadMovie and the instance name for the movie?  If so, where

can I see that relationship within Flash?  If not, how can I load the movie

from JavaScript using the instance name of the movie to be replaced.  I

cannot find a way to use the layer number with JavaScript because the new

movie to be loaded needs to play within (masked in a layer) within the main

movie (creates a TV bevel around the new movie).


If this is not possible are there any suggestions as to how I can play

multiple movies in Flash that are based on the page that the student goes to

within the course?


Thanks

Mark Bonney

Multimedia Programmer

Marconi Services


Ethernet (n): something used to catch the etherbunny.



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