<b>This slideshow code is killing me!</b>

[aircan7]

I know it's not in good forum taste to repeat a post, but this slideshow code may very well cause my girlfriend to leave me if I can't find a way to to make it work and pay some attention to her.

I know someone out there in FlashKit world has to be able to point me in the right direction. Upon recommendation, from jbum, I bought "O'Reilly's, ActionScript for Flash MX, The Definitive Guide". This book is great, but very thick and will take me awhile to complete, so in the mean time, I hope one of you hardcore ActionScripters could help me out.

THE PROBLEM:

Basicly, I am trying to implement jbum's slideshow code (listed below) into my flash movie by putting it in a movieClip instead of on the main (_root) timeline, with no luck. The code works perfectly if I put it directly on the Main.swf timeline (_root) but when I try to run it from a movieClips timeline which is placed on the _root timeline it does not work. I gathered from aaaaloooot of reading that by running inside a MovieClip the paths get messed up. The problem is I'm not sure which lines of code to change to get it to work right.

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This is the general idea:

I have my MAIN.swf movie.
Then inside of that I have a movieClip called "holder_mc"
I place the slideshow code in frame 1 of "holder_mc" and place it on the MAIN.swf's _root timeline.
.....and nothing. doesn't work.
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I've changed all of the paths in the code to reflect the location of the code
but I'm not doing something right, obviously.

So once again, here is jbum's slideshow code I'm trying to impliment:

// Basic Slide Show with Fades - Jim Bumgardner
//

// number of seconds to display pictures between fades
kDispSeconds  = 5;

// duration of fade in/out effect, in seconds
// note that total out+in will be twice this amount (since there are two effects)
kFadeDuration = 1;

// path to your pictures, ending with slash
// or nothing at all, if pictures are in same directory
picPath = "";

// names of your pictures			   
pics = ["dobbs_blind.jpg", "eggplant.jpg", "fez.jpg"];

_root.createEmptyMovieClip("myMovieClip", 1);
myMovieClip.createEmptyMovieClip("imageHolder", 1);
myMovieClip.picNumber = -1;
myMovieClip._alpha = 0;

// Note: position myMovieClip here....
myMovieClip._x = 10;
myMovieClip._y = 10;

// This performs both our fade ins and outs.  It does easing on both effects
// When the fade is finished, a completion function is called.
MovieClip.prototype.fadeIterate = function()
{
	var elapsed = getTimer() - this.startFade;  // get elapsed time
	var r = elapsed / this.fadeDuration;        // convert to a ratio (0 - 1)
	if (r >= 1.0) {  // finished?
		this._alpha = this.tAlpha; // set our final alpha value
		this.onEnterFrame = undefined; // stop calling this function
		this.completionFunc();  // and call the completion function (once)
	}
	else {
		r = r*r*(3-2*r); // ease in/out
		this._alpha = this.sAlpha + this.dAlpha*r; // perform the fade on alpha
	}
}

// This sets up our fade
// We tell it what alpha value to fade to, how long to take, and what
// completion function to call
MovieClip.prototype.setupFade = function(tAlpha, fadeDuration, completionFunc)
{
    this.startFade = getTimer(); // current clock
	this.tAlpha = tAlpha;       // end of fade alpha value
	this.sAlpha = this._alpha;  // start of fade alpha value
	this.dAlpha = this.tAlpha - this.sAlpha;  // range of alpha values to tween
	this.fadeDuration = fadeDuration*1000; // duration of fade in milliseconds
	this.completionFunc = completionFunc;  // what to do when fade is finished
	this.onEnterFrame = this.fadeIterate;  // let'er rip!
}

// This gets called when we're done viewing an image
MovieClip.prototype.doneViewing = function()
{
	clearInterval(this.viewH);
	this.setupFade(0, kFadeDuration, this.loadNextPic);
}

// This gets called repeatededly when we're loading an image
MovieClip.prototype.checkLoaded = function()
{
	this._alpha = 0;
	// are we loaded yet?
	if (this.imageHolder.getBytesLoaded >= this.imageHolder.getBytesTotal())
	{   // yep
		this.onEnterFrame = undefined; // stop calling this function
		// and start fading in.  When fade in is complete, set up a fade out for when we're done viewing
		this.setupFade(100, kFadeDuration, function() { this.viewH = setInterval(this, "doneViewing", kDispSeconds*1000); } );
	}
}

// Load the next image in the array
MovieClip.prototype.loadNextPic = function()
{
    // this gets the next image number, looping around at the end
	this.picNumber = (this.picNumber + 1) % _root.pics.length;
	// load in the image
	this.imageHolder.loadMovie(picPath + _root.pics[this.picNumber]);
	// and start checking to see if it's done loading
	this.onEnterFrame = checkLoaded;
}

// Let'er rip...
myMovieClip.loadNextPic();

Once again, I apoligize for repeating my post and problem, but it's really for my possible future wife's benefit.

Thanks again.

[stoc]

Here is th code I changed - and it is works ok if you put it in any movieclip

What I did :

I added a global variable in which I stored reference to current movieclip :
_global.mc_root = this
and I simply replaced in code - all the _root. with _global.mc_root..

I hope I saved your relation ...

code:

---

// Basic Slide Show with Fades - Jim Bumgardner

//



// setting reference to current movieclip as it was used in root

_global.mc_root = this



// number of seconds to display pictures between fades

kDispSeconds  = 5;



// duration of fade in/out effect, in seconds

// note that total out+in will be twice this amount (since there are two effects)

kFadeDuration = 1;



// path to your pictures, ending with slash

// or nothing at all, if pictures are in same directory

picPath = "";



// names of your pictures			   

pics = ["1.jpg", "2.jpg", "3.jpg"];



_global.mc_root.createEmptyMovieClip("myMovieClip"  , 1);

myMovieClip.createEmptyMovieClip("imageHolder", 1);

myMovieClip.picNumber = -1;

myMovieClip._alpha = 0;



// Note: position myMovieClip here....

myMovieClip._x = 10;

myMovieClip._y = 10;



// This performs both our fade ins and outs.  It does easing on both effects

// When the fade is finished, a completion function is called.

MovieClip.prototype.fadeIterate = function()

{

	var elapsed = getTimer() - this.startFade;  // get elapsed time

	var r = elapsed / this.fadeDuration;        // convert to a ratio (0 - 1)

	if (r >= 1.0) {  // finished?

		this._alpha = this.tAlpha; // set our final alpha value

		this.onEnterFrame = undefined; // stop calling this function

		this.completionFunc();  // and call the completion function (once)

	}

	else {

		r = r*r*(3-2*r); // ease in/out

		this._alpha = this.sAlpha + this.dAlpha*r; // perform the fade on alpha

	}

}



// This sets up our fade

// We tell it what alpha value to fade to, how long to take, and what

// completion function to call

MovieClip.prototype.setupFade = function(tAlpha, fadeDuration, completionFunc)

{

    this.startFade = getTimer(); // current clock

	this.tAlpha = tAlpha;       // end of fade alpha value

	this.sAlpha = this._alpha;  // start of fade alpha value

	this.dAlpha = this.tAlpha - this.sAlpha;  // range of alpha values to tween

	this.fadeDuration = fadeDuration*1000; // duration of fade in milliseconds

	this.completionFunc = completionFunc;  // what to do when fade is finished

	this.onEnterFrame = this.fadeIterate;  // let'er rip!

}



// This gets called when we're done viewing an image

MovieClip.prototype.doneViewing = function()

{

	clearInterval(this.viewH);

	this.setupFade(0, kFadeDuration, this.loadNextPic);

}



// This gets called repeatededly when we're loading an image

MovieClip.prototype.checkLoaded = function()

{

	this._alpha = 0;

	// are we loaded yet?

	if (this.imageHolder.getBytesLoaded >= this.imageHolder.getBytesTotal())

	{   // yep

		this.onEnterFrame = undefined; // stop calling this function

		// and start fading in.  When fade in is complete, set up a fade out for when we're done viewing

		this.setupFade(100, kFadeDuration, function() { this.viewH = setInterval(this, "doneViewing", kDispSeconds*1000); } );

	}

}



// Load the next image in the array

MovieClip.prototype.loadNextPic = function()

{

    // this gets the next image number, looping around at the end

	this.picNumber = (this.picNumber + 1) % _global.mc_root.pics.length;

	// load in the image

	this.imageHolder.loadMovie(picPath + _global.mc_root.pics[this.picNumber]);

	// and start checking to see if it's done loading

	this.onEnterFrame = checkLoaded;

}



// Let'er rip...

myMovieClip.loadNextPic();

---

[aircan7]

Great, that works! and yes, you may have saved me from having a loveless exsistance.

Thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time, that was driving me nuts for 3 or 4 days.