Question

Load image from xml into blank movieclip AS3

Asked by: twfortune

Hello,

I've been trying to switch over from AS2 to AS3, and I'm getting hung up on this. On my stage, I've got one dynamic text box and one blank movieclip. I need to load 3 pieces of information from an xml file into the swf. The 3 pieces of information are -

1) text to populate the text box
2) a jpg image to population the blank movieclip
3) a hyperlink url that the user will go to when they click the image.


I've got the text pulling into the dynamic text box succesfully, but I don't have a clue how to accomplish tasks 2 and 3. My text box has an instance name of "calendar" and my blank movie clip has an instance name of "image_holder".

my xml looks like this -

<information>
     <textinfo>This is the picture </textinfo>
     <image>picture.jpg </image>
     <clickthrough>"http://www.google.com" </clickthrough>
</information>

and this is my actionscript:


var navData:XML;

var loader:URLLoader = new URLLoader();
loader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, onComplete, false, 0, true);
loader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, loaded);
loader.addEventListener(IOErrorEvent.IO_ERROR, onIOError,false, 0, true);
loader.load(new URLRequest("calendar.xml"));

function onComplete(evt:Event):void {
      try {
            navData = new XML(evt.target.data);
            trace(navData);
            loader.removeEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, onComplete);
            loader.removeEventListener(IOErrorEvent.IO_ERROR, onIOError);
      } catch (err:Error) {
            trace("Could not parse loaded content" + err.message);
      }
}

function onIOError(evt:IOErrorEvent):void {
      trace("an error occured when attempting to load xml" + evt.text);
}

function loaded(e:Event):void
{
    calendar.text = navData.information.*[0].toString()
      
}


any help you can offer would be awesome! I've been working on this way too long!! it should be simple!

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Asked On
2009-06-09 at 18:43:44ID24477960
Tags

adobe flash

,

actionscript 3

Topics

Adobe Flash

,

Extensible Markup Language (XML)

,

ActionScript

Participating Experts
5
Points
200
Comments
11

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Answers

 

by: wal_toorPosted on 2009-06-09 at 22:52:14ID: 24588294

Hellow twfortune,

I have used your code and made this little example. More information about xml and AS3: http://www.kirupa.com/developer/flashcs3/using_xml_as3_pg1.htm

I have changed your xml data so it contains two pieces of information. In the AS flash loops through the xml file and traces the childnodes of these pieces of information. Instead of the traces you can use these variables to load images and make the button.

Hope this works for you

// ---- xml data
 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 
<data>
 
<information>
     <textinfo>This is the picture1 </textinfo>
     <image>picture1.jpg </image>
     <clickthrough>http://www.google.com</clickthrough>
</information>
<information>
     <textinfo>This is the picture2 </textinfo>
     <image>picture2.jpg </image>
     <clickthrough>http://www.bbc.co.uk</clickthrough>
</information>
 
</data>
 
// ---- AS script
 
var navData:XML;
 
var loader:URLLoader = new URLLoader();
loader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, onComplete, false, 0, true);
loader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, loaded);
loader.addEventListener(IOErrorEvent.IO_ERROR, onIOError,false, 0, true);
loader.load(new URLRequest("calendar.xml"));
 
function onComplete(evt:Event):void {
      try {
            navData = new XML(evt.target.data);
			// loop throug information
			var informationList:XMLList = navData.information;
			for each(var informationElement:XML in informationList)  {
				trace("text: "+informationElement.textinfo); // display your text in a textbox using this value
				trace("image: "+informationElement.image); // load an image using this file location
				trace("url: "+informationElement.clickthrough); // make abutton using this url
				trace("");
			}
			//trace("information elements = "+navData.information.length);
            //trace(navData.information[0]);
            loader.removeEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, onComplete);
            loader.removeEventListener(IOErrorEvent.IO_ERROR, onIOError);
      } catch (err:Error) {
            trace("Could not parse loaded content" + err.message);
      }
}
 
function onIOError(evt:IOErrorEvent):void {
      trace("an error occured when attempting to load xml" + evt.text);
}
 
function loaded(e:Event):void
{
    calendar.text = navData.information.*[0].toString()
      
}

                                              
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by: twfortunePosted on 2009-06-10 at 06:06:59ID: 24590921

Hi  wal tor, thanks for the response.

This is a great start for me, but the part that i'm really having a hard time understanding is how to take the data that is being traced and actually apply that to load the image and make the button. I have the text box working, and the actual snippet of code that pulls that text in is this -

function loaded(e:Event):void
{
    calendar.text = navData.information.*[0].toString()


since my empty movieclip has an instance name of "image_holder", I think the code for loading the image and applying the clickthrough url should look something like this -

image_holder = "image: "+informationElement.image
image_holder = "url: "+informationElement.clickthrough

Do you see where I am going wrong? I feel like the hard part is already been taken care of, it's the easy part that I'm struggling with!!

Thanks for your help.

 

by: twfortunePosted on 2009-06-10 at 10:14:23ID: 24593827

Hey wal toor,

this is what i've attempted to do with the code you gave me. it's obvoiusly not working...I'm not sure how to swap out the "trace" function with a function that actually brings the info into my swf. My text box has an instance name of "calendar" and my blank movieclip has an instance name of "image_holder".

i went through the tutorial on the link you posted, and though I did learn some stuff from it, i'm still not sure how to solve the problem I'm currently facing.

Thanks again for your help and patience.

var navData:XML;
 
var loader:URLLoader = new URLLoader();
loader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, onComplete, false, 0, true);
loader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, loaded);
loader.addEventListener(IOErrorEvent.IO_ERROR, onIOError,false, 0, true);
loader.load(new URLRequest("calendar.xml"));
 
function onComplete(evt:Event):void {
      try {
            navData = new XML(evt.target.data);
                        // loop throug information
                        var informationList:XMLList = navData.information;
                        for each(var informationElement:XML in informationList)  {
                                calendar.text = ("text: "+informationElement.textinfo); // display your text in a textbox using this value
                                image_holder = ("image: "+informationElement.image); // load an image using this file location
                                image_holder = ("url: "+informationElement.clickthrough); // make abutton using this url
                                trace("");
                        }
                        //trace("information elements = "+navData.information.length);
            //trace(navData.information[0]);
            loader.removeEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, onComplete);
            loader.removeEventListener(IOErrorEvent.IO_ERROR, onIOError);
      } catch (err:Error) {
            trace("Could not parse loaded content" + err.message);
      }
}
 
function onIOError(evt:IOErrorEvent):void {
      trace("an error occured when attempting to load xml" + evt.text);
}

                                              
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by: wal_toorPosted on 2009-06-11 at 01:03:08ID: 24599748

Hello twfortune,

To load an image in a movieclip and make this movieclip clickable you need some extra functions and classes. I have made a little demo for you. All de scripts are in the files.

download: http://rapidshare.com/files/243264477/xml.zip.html (xml files are not allowed in the attachfile function of experts-exchange)

good luck!

greetz,
walter

 

by: twfortunePosted on 2009-06-11 at 07:16:44ID: 24602591

YES!! This is great, your demo files make perfect sense. Thanks for all your help, this has been a great first experience for me on experts-exchange.

 

by: twfortunePosted on 2009-06-11 at 07:17:54ID: 31590709

Wal toor, this was incredibly helpful. Thanks so much!!!!

 

by: MrT2Posted on 2009-09-16 at 09:54:05ID: 25347653

Any chance someone has this example that they could put up somewhere again?

 

by: wal_toorPosted on 2009-09-17 at 22:29:10ID: 25363095

Helow MrT2,

I have uploaded this file again: http://rapidshare.com/files/281623132/xml.zip.html

greetz,
walter

 

by: StationRPosted on 2009-10-08 at 05:35:41ID: 25524636

Well, I am fast NOT becoming a fan of Rapidshare--both links are now dead (one "too old" and the second "more than ten downloads."  Is there a place you could post what sounds like very helpful code so it won't disappear?  Thanks!

 

by: Angha110Posted on 2010-06-21 at 11:14:26ID: 33038827

Hi,

I also would like to see this working file.
Would it be possible to get it somehow?


 

by: LathaLiquidHubPosted on 2011-06-15 at 23:03:50ID: 35980052

Can you please upload the file once again both links provided are dead.

Thanks

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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