Importing Images into Flash using URL

[RynMan]

Hi all

Bit of a newbie here, but gonna jump straight into it.

I can work my way around Flash decent enough, but need some advice on this one. I want to design a rotating animation of 4 images....each image basically pertains to a different news story (6-8 secs on each photo). The problem here, is that I'd like to streamline the process as much as possible. I'm going to have to update this quite a lot, and it would be nice if all I had to type in was a URL where the image is (I can have the CMS resize and host the image, I just need to link to it), and have it import it into the frames necessary.

Is this possible? Any help is greatly appreciated.

[plasnid]

Good Day RynMan,

It may be worth your while to use an xml to store your photo info. When your swf launches it could load in the xml and then use that to gather your photo contents. The benefit here is that you don't need to republish to update your photos.

[gotoAndCrash]

I second that. XML.

[RynMan]

Hmm, thought this post didn't work. :S Apologies for two question now.

Thanks Plas. Do you have a link roughly illustrating something similar?

[plasnid]

Are you looking for a site that uses this or a code sample?

For a site sample, check out http://www.hellmanns.ca. Go to Events, then click on "Urban Gardens Project". Thats an example of an xml controlled gallery.

With regard to coding, your xml could be something like:

<stories>
<story>
<pic>myPic.jpg</pic>
<content>Today a thing happened and I was like whoa</content>
</story>
<story>
<pic>myPic2.jpg</pic>
<content>Yesterday a thing happened and I was like whoa</content>
</story>
</stories>

Flash will treat this like an object when you navigate it(after loading it in of course). This lets you use a loop to use it in your movie. For example, you could tile the contents, or even make 4 instances of a newsItem custom class that would take in the pic and the story.