Trainers Talk Tech

I was doing some work for a client and had to load in some .swf files generated by a 3rd party program. I admit it - I LOVE text effects. I like fades, but when the text can bounce or flip or swirl in, sometimes it adds a bit of snazz to the eLearning project. As long as you don't overdo it, I think the learner's get a kick out of the occasional bits of visual eye candy.

On my Mac, I use a program called Text-Osterone, from a company called Vertical Moon. The software allows you to create a bunch of editable special effects you can apply to text. The current version only seems to export to an AS 2.0 version .fla, so I export the file to a .swf and then dynamically load it in. (I am working ever so hard to leave AS 2.0 behind me...)

Of course, in AS 3.0, it requires a bunch of code lines to load the external .swf, but my solution below pares it down to the bare basics.

First, make sure the .swf you want to load is in the same directory as the .swf loading it. You can play with paths if you like, but for this code, just keep the whole shebang together.

When you want to load the .swf, add a key frame and then add the following code:

var swfRequest:URLRequest = new URLRequest("connect.swf");
var swfLoader:Loader = new Loader(); 

The first line sets up a variable called swfRequest and it points to the .swf you want to load. In my example, the .swf I want to load is called "connect.swf". The second line preps a variable called swfLoader to...well...initiate a load...(insert random inappropriate comment here)...

Next lines:

swfLoader.load(swfRequest);
addChild(swfLoader); 

This next line loads the connect.swf into the variable swfLoader. The addChild line plops the .swf onto the stage. That's it. Sure, its a lot more work than the old LoadMovie(); AS 2.0 command, but it does the job.

Now, if you want to place the .swf in a particular location on the stage, you can manipulate it's coordinates once its been loaded into your main .swf.

swfLoader.x=10;
swfLoader.y=120;

This sets the X and Y placement of the .swf after its been loaded in. Of course, you can place it wherever you want. Remember, that the X and Y coordinates are relative to the main timeline (if this is where you dropped this code) or relative to the coordinates INSIDE a movie symbol (if you drop this code into a movie symbol.) The final code looks like this (with comments added):

// Load the SWF into the Variable swfRequest
var swfRequest:URLRequest = new URLRequest("connect.swf");
var swfLoader:Loader = new Loader();

// Bring the SWF into the SWF
swfLoader.load(swfRequest);
addChild(swfLoader);

//Position the SWF
swfLoader.x=10;
swfLoader.y=120;

There are some other tutorials online, but I am a big fan of keeping things simple. If you need to load a .swf and position it on the stage, this ActionScript 3.0 code sample will work every time. Have fun!