Using the Flash command "_level" in XXPro.

[Egg Bramhill]

I haven't seen this documented but someone was asking whether you could get one swf movie to call another. I wasn't sure but I thought I'd give it a try. I was pretty certain you could get one html page containing flash to call another but could you get XXPro to load further swf files in different LEVELS as per the ActionScript command :

on (release) {
 loadMovieNum("coast.swf",2);
}

Whereby the swf in layer0 loads the swf "coast.swf" into layer 2 WHILST layer0 remains visible.

In fact you can get it to work very well using XXPro and the Web Address dialogue.

As an example of how to replicate the actionScript above in the Web Address use the url as coast.swf and the Target Frame of _level2.

There are some important things to note:

1: The loading of swf's into different levels will not work in the Flash Browser Preview. It has to be uploaded to a web server directory.

2: Whilst editing pages you can upload a new swf file that you've altered in some manner. When you test it, nothing's changed!

This is because the swf is always being loaded from the local cache. Refreshing the swf file won't have any effect as you're only updating the level zero swf, the swf's on higher levels still continue to be loaded from your computers cache. The only way to completely refresh loading all swf files is to go into Internet Options / Delete Temp Internet Files.


Anyway here's an example. It might look like one XXPro swf file but is in fact eight seperate & distinct XXPro swf files. CLICK HERE


It's quite simple & could have been done in a single XXPro swf file but even at this level of simplicity to do it in one linear fashion would soon start to tax the brain. Each swf only has a single frame.

I also attach the various swf's. Not exiting in themselves but hopefully in assisting you in what's going on.

[Intbel]

Not sure I understand all o' that .. I'll have a play.
Stand by to answer idiot questions ...

[Egg Bramhill]

Perhaps THIS will help Intbel.

What's happening is that you have one swf (index_menu.swf).

This swf is just one frame on which exist the show hide buttons.

When any of the buttons are pressed it loads another swf file in a layer above index_menu.swf which is on level 0.

In this manner you can load multiple swf's with a varying number of frames and timing.

As all the animations aren't in a single swf file it enables you to alter only one swf at a time (say the foot [level3.swf]) by adding 10 additional frames say, which changes the foot animation only . If they all sat in the same swf creating additional frames would effect the whole animation.

I'll post the swf files for this group of animations. Notice the widely different frame numbers and animation leghts. This wouldn't be possible in a single swf.

REMINDER: index_menu.swf wont do anything if viewed here. Use the link above to view it.

[Intbel]

Thank you.

I had got the idea of the buttons being on the background frame no problem.

I don't fully understand "Layers" here yet but I'm working on it ... don't tell me, I'll ask if I get stumped.

Thanks for the info ...

[Egg Bramhill]

Just a quicky:

levels, not layers.

[Scotty]

Just think as levels in SwishMax like layers (kinda) layer(0) is primary and you can load other swish objects into levels youspecify.
Jim

[Xhris]

Nintendo do some good interactive flash sites that use this levels stuff. Be good if one day Xara could do all of this kind of stuff:

http://www.metroidprimepinball.com/launch.html

[WolfMoonHP]

Xhris...

I'm really looking forward to more tutorial info from you. Your explanations and directions are always so clear and easy to understand and to follow...

You definitely know how to teach this old dog some new tricks.

By the way...I see you are planning to spend time in Oklahoma...That's my old home state. Lived there from first grade till I graduated from college.

Hope you will find it enjoyable. If I can answer any questions, etc., about Oklahoma, PM me and I'll be happy to respond.

---
Will

[Xhris]

Cracked it. A couple of things that weren't clear: levels have stacking order and are like acetates (clear sheets of plastic like animators use). Also, when you assign a blank swf to simulate an off command, it's level must be set to the same as the level of the swf you're working on.

Attached are all the Xar files you need to get it to work (I don't have web space to link too). Recipe for viewing HTML and flash:
1. Load each Xar file
2. Export flash animations for all 4 of them giving them appropriate names (For this, these have to be : LT0, LT1, LT2, and blank)
3. In the "Levels Test 0.xar", click flash preview and then click to see the HTML code.
4. Copy this and paste into notepad.
5. Change the two instances of the reference to a swf to whatever you saved the core/base swf as (e.g. LT0.swf). It should read as:

***********
<OBJECT classid="clsid27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" CODEBASE="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0"
WIDTH=598 HEIGHT=502>
<PARAM NAME=movie VALUE="LT0.swf">
<PARAM NAME=quality VALUE=high>
<PARAM NAME=menu VALUE=true>
<EMBED src="LT0.swf" quality=high bgcolor=#FFFFFF WIDTH="598" HEIGHT="502" NAME="yourmovie" ALIGN="" TYPE="application/x-shockwave-flash" PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer">
</OBJECT>
***********

6. Save as an HTML instead of txt
7. Open the HTML file in a browser to view flash animation.

For any future changes to the Xar files, just re-export and refresh browser to see the changes.

In the animation, notice how after clicking "level 1", clicking it again to restart the animation is slightly different to having a "restart" button programmed in Xara to go to the start of the frame of animation.

Because this way of using Flash is like using clear acetates, you either have to draw over the contents of lower level flash files (as in "level 2"), or add extra buttons on free space (as in "level 1").

To clear all and restore to the beginning, just have a button on the core flash file that loads the core flash file. The button will have the level set to that of the core flash file. Look in the xar file and the web address dialogue to understand better. The best way to learn is to do.

[Tallis]

Something tells me this will be awfully informative once I hunker down and read it the way it should be read....

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If nothing is never always impossible, why is something not always possible?