Controling a movie clip with seperate buttons

[Fluid X]

I have three buttons, I also have a fourth main movie clip. all are seperate movie clips within a web page.
I would like each of the buttons to have different aspects of control over the fourth main moovie clip.

1.STOP/PLAY the 4th main movie, or maybe just pause it.

2.STOP/PLAY the sound, which is an mp3 file in one of the buttons timelines.

3.ON/OFF switch for the main movies loop sequence.

Is this simple to do?

[oli101]

are these buttons separate movies (.swf files)? or movie clips in one movie?

[Fluid X]

They are seperate .swf files, within a web page.

[Edited by Fluid X on 09-02-2002 at 08:25 AM]

[Fluid X]

I could still use some help or at least a little direction with this please.
My project will be complete once I have this information.

[nevil]

give the fourth movie clip an instance name, say "fourth", then target it from the buttons, use code like

on(release){
_root.fourth.play();
}

on(release){
_root.fourth.stop();
}

on(release){
_root.fourth.gotoAndPlay("mp3_file");
}

on(release){
_root.fourth.gotoAndStop("stop_anim");
}

on(release){
_root.fourth.gotoAndStop("play_anim");
}


if your 4th main movie clip is loaded as a level, then simply target the level, _levelx.gotoand.....

[Fluid X]

Ok I tried It, couldn't seem to get it to work, maybe I just don't understand action script enough to fill in any gaps.

I need a more detailed explanation, or I'm gonna to have to wade through a manual. The manual I have is massive, but I only need these buttons to work to finish my project.

[nevil]

you have a fourth movie clip, right?
so click on it an in the instance panel give it a name, got it?
then put actions on each button as I showed you to target the movie clip and tell it what you want it to do, so on button 1 you might want to tell it to play your mp3 file so put

on(release){
_root.fourth.gotoAndPlay("mp3_file");
}

it's fairly simple, you will need to put the actionscript window in expert mode to put this code in.

[Fluid X]

Yeh thanks, I understand naming instances and setting the actions, no problem, like I said its the actual script I have trouble with..

Iv'e put the mp3 file in a separate movie clip thats placed on the web page.
-----------------------------------------------
on(release){
_root.fourth.gotoAndPlay("mp3_file");
}
----------------------------------------------
I dont understand the part ("mp3_file")When its a movie im trying to control, not a file. Or maybe I should just use a file, can you do that?...........Now you have a better insight into what I understand and what I dont.

[nevil]

I am asuming that you have a sound set in a keyframe, then if you give the keyframe a flasg name it will play the sound when you goto that frame, if you are using flash MX and are trying to load an external MP3 file then that is a different kettle of fish, you will need to use the loadMovie command.

[Fluid X]

I have made a basic test web page containing two flash movies.
http://www.inzane.plus.com/test

One movie is the sound.
The other is the button to control the sound.
I,ve used the method you showed me, I must be stupid cause I can't get it work...So I have put the source files at http://www.inzane.plus.com/test/source

Im using MX

[nevil]

I really think you need to learn a bit more flash before you carry on, everything is wrong, ok here goes.

1 - you have two seperate flash movies, and you are not loading one into the other, so they can't talk to each other across a html page, so first of all create a movie clip in your button movie and put a movie clip on the timeline, give it an instance name, call it mp3.

2 - go inside the new movie clip and put a stop on frame 1, put the sound file on frame 2.

3 - at the moment you have the button actions on the frame not the button, so you need to put those actions on the actual button.

4 - I presume that you want the button to play or stop the music, so you are going to need two buttons, one to play and one to stop, or create a button inside a movie clip that switches states.

5 - put the actions on the button:
on(release){
_root.mp3.gotoAndStop(2);
}

6 - if you want to add a stop then on your stop button put:

on(release){
_root.mp3.gotoAndStop(1);
}

then put a stopAllSounds(); on frame 1 of the movie where you put the sound file.

this system uses one 1 flash movie, not two like you currently have.

[Fluid X]

Ok I understand now.
Thank you Nevil for your help and your patience.