Basic ActionScript 3 XML Gallery

I built a gallery with actionscript 3 that runs off xml. Below you can view it or download the source files.

[ SEE IT IN ACTION ]
[ DOWNLOAD THE FILES ]

Issues this covers: ActionScript 3, AS3, Gallery, XML, Preloader, Preload external files, Tween Class, enterframe, Mouse events, Arrays, addChild, removeChild

Setting and Reading Cookies in Flash AS3

View actionscript 2 version of this post
Setting a cookie with Flash (Actionscript 3.0) is really easy. Reading that cookie in Flash (or passing the value of the cookie back into flash) isn't so easy (well, at least that's what the internet would have you believe). After searching for some documentation on the matter without any luck, I took matters into my own hands. It turns out if you use the jquery library, it is actually pretty easy.

First of all, you need to make sure you are using SWFobject to embed your flash, like this example: (make sure you have the swfobject js file included in your head)
<div id="flashcontent">Alt Content Goes Here</div>
<p><script type="text/javascript"> var so = new SWFObject("HomePageFlash.swf", "mymovie", "573", "434", "9", "#f0af2c");
  so.addParam("quality", "high");
  so.addParam("wmode", "transparent");
  so.write("flashcontent");
</script></p>

Then you need jquery installed.
And you also need the jquery cookie plugin included.

ACTIONSCRIPT:
To set a cookie from flash you just need to call a js function that is in the cookie plugin thusly:
var link:URLRequest = new URLRequest("javascript:$.cookie('flash_cookie', 'loaded')");
box_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, onClick);
function onClick(event:MouseEvent):void{
  navigateToURL(link);
}
You can add as many params into the js call as you want thisly:
var link:URLRequest = new URLRequest("javascript:$.cookie('flash_cookie', 'the_value', { expires: 7, path: '/', domain: 'jquery.com', secure: true });");

Now for the exciting part. If you want to read that cookie in flash, all you need to do is pass it in using addVariables. In the SWFobject, just add this line of code BEFORE it writes the flash (so before the so.write part in my example):

  so.addVariable("theCookie", $.cookie('flash_cookie'));

('theCookie' being a variable that will be passed into flash and the $.cookie part will pull the value of that cookie and dump it into 'theCookie')
You probably know this already, but to read that variable in AS3, you need to call it like this:
myTextBox.text = this.loaderInfo.parameters.theCookie;
(that's to display it's value in a textfield called 'myTextBox', but you can do whatever you want with it)

If you have questions, feel free to comment.

(issues: Setting cookies in flash, reading cookies with flash, passing cookies into flash, as3, actionscript3, flash CS3, flash CS4, pass cookies with addVariables, pass cookies with SWFobject)

Neumont Widget

I had to make this widget for Neumont University and since it was a pretty simple app I decided to do it in AS3:



This pulls from an XML file that is on their server and rotates through news and events. You can download the files here:

[DOWNLOAD]

The xml file is in there, although you'll have to change the link in the flash if you really want it to pull from that xml because right now it is pulling the xml off Neumonts server.

Issues this covers: setTimer, new setInterval, dynamic text, XML, parsing, URLRequest, getURL, AS3, Actionscript 3.0

Loading XML and Parsing with AS3

This is what the XML doc looks like:
<images>
<pic>
<image>photos/pic17.jpg</image>
<thumb>thumbs/pic17.jpg</thumb>
<title>Kevin's Evil Face</title>
<desc>This is Kevin layin down some tracks. Boho Digitalia - February 2008</desc>
</pic>
<pic>
<image>photos/pic18.jpg</image>
<thumb>thumbs/pic18.jpg</thumb>
<title>Matt</title>
<desc>This is Matt singin some live bgv's</desc>
</pic>
<pic>
<image>photos/pic26.jpg</image>
<thumb>thumbs/pic26.jpg</thumb>
<title>The 4923</title>
<desc>Once upon a time, Matt wasn't in the band yet and Kevin played bass. Kilby Court - A Really Long Time Ago</desc>
</pic>
</images>

And this is how you load it into Flash and parse it:
var thumbs:Array = new Array();
var images:Array = new Array();
var titles:Array = new Array();
var descs:Array = new Array();

///////////////////////////////////
///// vvvvvv LOAD XML vvvvvv //////
//+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++//
var loader:URLLoader = new URLLoader();
var xml:XML = new XML();
loader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, loadXML);
loader.load(new URLRequest("images.xml"));
function loadXML(event:Event):void{
xml = new XML(event.target.data);
var total:Number = xml.pic.length();
for(var i:int = 0; i < total; i++){
thumbs[i] = xml.pic.thumb.text()[i];
images[i] = xml.pic.image.text()[i];
titles[i] = xml.pic.title.text()[i];
descs[i] = xml.pic.desc.text()[i];
}
loadThumbs();
}
//+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++//
///////////////////////////////////
///////////////////////////////////

///// LOAD THE THUMBNAILS /////
function loadThumbs():void{
// do whatever you need here
trace(thumbs);
}

This will make 4 arrays (thumbs, images, titles, descs) and populates them with everything from your XML file. I still haven't taken the time to figure out how to parse it into a 2D array, so if anyone wants to tell me how to do it, that would rock.

As3 Music Player

I reprogrammed the player I made for my band's website in as3. Check it out:Download Files

Somehow, and who knows how, the songs load super fast with the new sound object, which is awesome! I didn't even need to put a preloader on this one (which is good since I don't know how to make one yet). Some things about sound now are a little different but they aren't too annoying. The bar goes a little crazy when you click on it (to go to a different section in the song). It doesn't so that when I just export the swf. I'm hoping it's just some weird blogger thing.

Issues this covers: AS3, Actionscript 3.0, Sound, SoundChannel, SoundTransform, volume

Intro/Outro

This used to be a really simple task, but it's quite the ordeal in as3, but I figured it out:
View it Here
download fla's

It seems like there should be a way easier way of doing this.

Issues this covers: load movie, tween class, enter frame, target paths, variables
oh by the way, you have to do targets like this now:
MovieClip(this.parent.parent.parent).loadNextMovie(); //tell main timeline to call loadNextMovie function from loaded movie's timeline

new loadMovie

You don't need a container to load an external file anymore:

var loadMovie = new Loader();
addChild(loadMovie );
loadMovie .load(new URLRequest("page1.swf"));

but if you do want it to load into a certain movie or container, do it like this:
var loadMovie = new Loader();
container_mc.addChild(loadMovie );
loadMovie .load(new URLRequest("page1.swf"));

Apparently you can't just load a new movie in place of the new one anymore. You have to boot the old one out and then load in the new one:
container.removeChild(loadMovie);
loadMovie = new Loader();
container.addChild(loadMovie);
loadMovie.load(new URLRequest("page2.swf"));

Talking to the new movie's timeline is different too, you'll have to cast it (it's called):
MovieClip(loadMovie.content).gotoAndStop("outro");

So far the new way to load a movie is the most annoying change about as3.

AS3 Tween Class

The tween class is pretty much the same as it was in AS2. When you import everything, you just have to change 'mx' to 'fl'. Also if you want to do a tween event you have to import TweenEvent:

import fl.transitions.Tween;
import fl.transitions.easing.*;
import fl.transitions.TweenEvent;

var tw1:Tween = new Tween(object,"x",Strong.easeOut,start,end,time,true);

If you want to do an event (like the old onMotionFinished), it's a little different now. You have to create an event listener like this:
tw1.addEventListener(TweenEvent.MOTION_STOP, tweenStop);
function tweenStop(event:TweenEvent):void{
var tw2:Tween = new Tween(movieclip,"x",Back.easeOut,movieclip.x,300,1,true);
}

Tweening Experiments (Enter Frame)

CODE:
var myBrain:MovieClip = new MovieClip(); //create a new empty movie clip
var xPos:Number;
var yPos:Number;

box_mc.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, rotate); //add new enter frame, call rotate function
stage.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, moveBox); //add new mouse event, call moveBox function

function rotate(event:Event):void{
box_mc.rotation += 8; //rotate box by 8 degrees 31 times/second
}

function moveBox(event:MouseEvent):void{
xPos = mouseX; //set xPos variable
yPos = mouseY; //set yPos veriable
myBrain.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, moveIt); //add new enter frame, call moveIt
}

function moveIt(event:Event):void{
if(Math.abs(xPos-box_mc.x)<1 && Math.abs(yPos-box_mc.y)<1){ //when the box gets real close to destination...
myBrain.removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, moveIt); //remove the enter frame that is on myBrain
box_mc.x = xPos; //snap box into position
box_mc.y = yPos; // " " "
}else{
box_mc.x += .1 * (xPos - box_mc.x); //simple easing formula
box_mc.y += .1 * (yPos - box_mc.y); //simple easing formula
}
}

Moving Onward

Time to start learning AS3 again. This blog is going to start being FILLED with useful posts. To start it off, I'm posting this helpful as3 link:

Getting Started with ActionScript 3.0 in Adobe Flash CS3