Load images from txt file???

[Ask The Geezer]

I must have slept through this class. I need to load some jpg's into a flash movie from a txt file. How do I do this?

Thanx....

[the_protectot]

do you mean using the path to the image as a variable in the text file??

[Ask The Geezer]

Yes. I want to name the jpg in the text file. I'm trying to make it easier to change images in flash without opening it. Just change the txt file.

[the_protectot]

i think having &link=mypic.jpg in the the textfile, then loading the variables into the movie, then using loadMovie(link,targetMC); should do it...

[Ask The Geezer]

OK, the &link=mypic.jpg was what I was initially looking for. So for more than one image it would look like this?

&link=mypic.jpg&link1=mypic1.jpg&link2=mypic1.j pg

Or should they be on separate lines?

Now, my brain just knotted up. I understand how to load a txt file into a dynamic box, but what do I load this to, and then how do I target it? I think that's what I need to know. LOL

[the_protectot]

ok i getcha now..

well in the text file, i usually don't use any spaces, so it's just a continious string of variables..

then i load variables into _root and once the variables are loaded, i load the pics

_root.onData = function(){
loadMovie(_root.link, target);
loadMovie(_root.link2, anotherTarget);
}

_root.loadVariables(myTextFile.txt);

...and that's it

[Ask The Geezer]

I'm going to try and noodle my way thru this. I may be back.

You don't happen to have an example fla do you?

[the_protectot]

No, I'm not home..but I'm sure you'll find it easy

[Ask The Geezer]

Your doing forum posts from WORK????

[hanratty21]

Also, you can pu the links on different lines ( to make the text file look nicer) like so:
link1=pic1.jpg
&link2=pic2.jpg
& etc.

RH

[Ask The Geezer]

OK, I'm doing something wrong. I couldn't tell if the file was loaded, so I used this:

_root.loadVarsText = new LoadVars();
_root.loadVarsText.load("loadJpg.txt");
_root.loadVarsText.onLoad = function(success) {
if (success) {
trace("Loaded");
}
};

That traced as loaded. I used the one line and the separate lines in the txt file, like so:

&link1=background0.jpg&link2=background1.jpg&link3 =background2.jpg&link4=background3.jpg

I let this run 50 frames and added a stop and then this frame code:

stop();
_root.onData = function(){
_root.mtClip.loadMovie("_root.link2");
}

Also tried it on a button:

on(release){
_root.onData = function(){
_root.mtClip.loadMovie("_root.link2");
}
}

I also tried it with the original code above. I know this is close, I'm just putting something in the wrong spot or forgetting something.

[the_protectot]

you don't use onData unless you used "LoadVariables" LoadVars comes with it's own onLoad function..which you used...so if you take the onData function away and just leave the loadMovie command...that should work...

also you might want to loop the first couple of frames until onLoad is called, then, if the varibables are loaded successfully, then play the movie, the variables should thereafter be available for use.

[hanratty21]

you could also put another variable at the end of your text file like:

...&status=done

Then you could check for that variable in your loop to see if all of the variables are available to you.

The vars will load in sequential order, so if status == done in your Flash movie, then everything esle will be there, as long as that is the last variable in the list.

RH

[Ask The Geezer]

Tried that, still nothing. I get an error that it can't load the jpg. Maybe you can look at the fla and see whats wrong. I added the 50 frames to give it time to load, which ought to be enough, since it's only on my hard drive.

[the_protectot]

Check this out.

[Ask The Geezer]

OK, that cleared it up some. I'm thinking this is a waste of time though. If the jpg is there on the server it's just as easy to call it with loadMovie. Rather than update a text file, and the images, it would seem easier to just overwrite the images with new ones of the same name.

[the_protectot]

true, but if you're gonna be changing the number of images periodically, having a text file is one the only ways for flash to know how many images there are to load.

[Ask The Geezer]

I see the point there, but I wanted to use the text file to hold the possibilities, and then load the various images from a button. Maybe I'm trying to use the wrong tool for the job.

[brentano]

Maybe you already checked for this, or just mistyped it in your message, but...

code:

---

_root.mtClip.loadMovie("_root.link2");

---

...is going to look for an external file called _root.link2 rather than resolving the variable _root.link2 to the filename background1.jpg.

You need to lose those quote marks.

[oldnewbie]

This is a 2 years old thread! Think Iaskwhy (now a moderator on FK!) has since solved his problem!