Re: FLASH: Dynamic inserting images from external source

[Matt Coyne]

maybe the answer to your prayers [and maybe the answer to your original post.


all credit to dino...


At 1:13 pm -0800 3/3/00, Dino Giacomazzi wrote:

>

From: "Dino Giacomazzi" <dinovirtualabandon [dot] com>

>

To: <flasherchinwag [dot] com>

>Subject: Re: FLASH: make flash read image from db

>Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 13:13:59 -0800

>X-Priority: 3

>

Sender: ownerchinwag [dot] com

>

Reply-To: flasherchinwag [dot] com

>X-Website: http://www.chinwag.com

>Status: U

>

>>  for a designer turned programmer [don't laugh] it still doesn't sound

>easy.

>

>Matt,

>

>I read my post again and it is pretty vague...let me see if i can do

>better...

>

>Here is step by step instructions on one possible scenario:

>

>Assuming you don't know perl and don't want to take the time to tinker with

>swiftGen do the following.

>

>Assuming all your image files are the same size or similar in size and

>shape...

>    1. create a movie clip in your main movie

>    2. draw a box in the movie clip

>    3. size the box to match your image size

>    4. Center the box to the movie clip (CTL-K, check align to page & center

>Hor & Ver)

>    5. Place an instance of your new MC in the main movie and name it (I call

>the movie clip Images & name it Images also)

>

>Next you need to create a new movie that will hold all your images.

>

>    1.  Create a new movie (I call it Image1.fla)

>    2.  Modify the movie and change the dimentions of the stage to match your

>image size (the size of the "Image" Movie clip you made in your main movie)

>    3.  Next, Import all your graphics into this movie (CTL-R)

>    4.  Drag one of the images from the Library and center it on the stage

>    5.  Publish the movie

>    6.  Select File:Save As (CTL-SHIFT-S) and name the movie Image2.fla

>    7.  Delete the first image from the stage and drag another one from the

>library and center it

>    8.  Repeat steps 5-7 for as many images you have

>

>You can also name these files anything you want if you choose to load their

>location from a variable set in your database...see below...

>

>Now you should have a bunch of swf's named Image1.swf, Image2.swf, and so

>on.  Upload those Swf's to your server and put them in a place that is easy

>to access.

>I use a folder called "images" (believe it or not) in the same folder as my

>main movie so i can path up to the files by simply typing

>"images/Image1.swf"

>

>And now for the fun part...

>

>I have no idea how your movie is structured, so im just going to give a

>simple example of one way to access these images...If you want me to be more

>specific, email me and explain your situation or send me the FLA and i can

>help you figure it out..

>

>so her it goes.

>

>In your main movie go to the location where you want the image to

>load...lets assume you have a set of actions on the main timeline that pulls

>data into a text field...you also want an image to appear relative to that

>data.  You have placed an instance of the movie clip called "Images" along

>with the textfield and have set up some sort of load variable command to get

>the text...at this point there are two things you can do:

>

>Scenario 1

>1.  create a field in your database called something like "imgURL"

>2.  enter the absolute or relative path to the Image.swf file you created

>earlier (either http://www.yourserver.com/flashdir/images/Image1.swf or

>images/Image1.swf)

>3.  when you load variables from the database, be sure to include the

>"imgURL" variable field

>4.  After the load variable action add a load Movie action like this....

>

>Load Movie (imgURL, "/images")

>

>5.  Be sure that the URL box is set to expression & enter imgURL

>6.  Select Target (not Level) and path to the instance of your Images movie

>clip (use the target editor)

>

>what happens here is that the new image.swf will replace the box you drew in

>that movie clip...you can also load the movie into a button and put the box

>in the Hit state...this is what i do makes it a little cleaner plus i can

>use the image as a button...

>

>It may take a few seconds for the variables to load which may cause the load

>movie action to miss the URL of the Image...

>so you may need to create a "loop while" and set up a variable to detect

>when the variables have been loaded,  (I can help you with this later)

>

>Scenario 2

>The other option is to name the image SWF files sequentially and use an

>expression to call them up like this:

>

>Load Movie ("Image" & ImageN & ".swf", "/images")

>

>ImageN is a Numeric variable that starts with 1  you can change this

>variable at will by setting ImageN to 2 or ImageN + 1 or ImageN - 1

>depending on which way you are going.

>This is a little confusing and really depends on how you have your movie set

>up, so im not going to say anymore about that.

>

>I hope this helps...

>

>If you 'd like to see an example of this, check out my first flash site at

>

>http://www.everlastlive.com/flash/

>

>then check the discography section on channel 3  all the images are loaded

>this way

>

>Id also appreciate any feedback on the site...

>

>Thanks

>

>Dino

>

dinovirtualabandon [dot] com

>

>

>

>

>

>flasher is generously supported by...

>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>      flashforward2000 and The Flash Film Festival

>   "The World�s Premier Flash Solutions Conference and Expo"

>  March 27-29, Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, California

>

>-Register before Feb 25 and save $200!!-- www.flashforward2000.com

>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

>

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email helpchinwag [dot] com

-- 



:  t  h  r  e  e  z  e  r  o  :



flasher is generously supported by...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     flashforward2000 and The Flash Film Festival

  "The World�s Premier Flash Solutions Conference and Expo"

 March 27-29, Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, California


-Register before Feb 25 and save $200!!-- www.flashforward2000.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email

helpchinwag [dot] com