load an external swf (FlashPaper pdf) into a flash project - actionscript-3

I have to do a very simple swf application able to show a series of pdf files.
Actually I was able to create on a single layer the menu interface (some buttons on frame 0 which redirect the user to other frames where the pdf should be showed).
Here my question:
I need a way to read the pdf inside the flash frame.
I've found a possible solution converting the pdf into an swf with FlashPaper 2
Now I wish to know how import the swf into the frame.
Reading some actionscript 3 guides I was able to create a container movieclip (a simple rectangle) into which I have loaded the swf with this code:
var swf:MovieClip;
var loader:Loader = new Loader();
var defaultSWF:URLRequest = new URLRequest("test.swf"); //test.swf is my converted pdf
loader.load(defaultSWF);
screen_01.addChild(loader); //screen_01 is the container rectangle converted to movieclip
I've used a container movieclip to mantain the other objects (menu buttons) on the frame, and ecause it helps with the swf positioning.
I seen it is possible also using loader.x and loader.y and it works.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to control width and height of the swf/pdf file (loader.width and loader.height exists but if used cause the swf will not loaded at all)
Solution:
I've found a possible solution at this page. The idea is to change swf scale only after the load process is complete (positioning can be done even before).
Anyway I had to use Actionscript 2 for this project because FlashPaper converted pdf doesn't work properly with AS3, I don't know why...
here the code:
//insert an emplty movieclip to load the swf, I've called it screen_01
var movLoad:MovieClipLoader = new MovieClipLoader();
var myListener:Object = new Object();
myListener.onLoadInit = function(thisMc:MovieClip) {
thisMc._height = 600;
thisMc._width = 900;
thisMc._x = 50;
thisMc._y = 30;
};
movLoad.addListener(myListener);
movLoad.loadClip("folder/flashpaper_converted_pdf.swf.swf",screen_01);

You can modify the size of the loader using scaleX and scaleY properties.
Keep them equals so the swf isn't stretched.
You may also want to listen to the COMPLETE event to do such a thing :
loader.contentLoaderInfo.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, onComplete);
function onComplete(e:Event)
{
var loader:Loader = e.currentTarget.loader;
loader.scaleX = loader.scaleY = 2; //Double the size of the loaded swf
}

Related

AS3 - How to create a new MovieClip from externally loaded SWF

I am exporting my animated characters from Flash Professional as a SWF to externally load them into AS3. I do not want to export them as SWC's because I have hundreds of these characters and only a small portion of them will be used at a given time.
It seems impossible to create multiple of these character MovieClips from the same loaded SWF since they are not SWC's I have no ActionScript linkage to be able to say
var myClip:MovieClip = new MyMovieClip();
I need to be able to make separate MovieClips from this same loaded character SWF. I essentially want to be able to say
var newMovieClip:MovieClip = otherMovieClip.clone();
Can this be done?
Would you be able to try this:
var newMovieClip:MovieClip = new (otherMovieClip as Object).constructor()
or
var className:String = getQualifiedClassName(otherMovieClip);
if(className)
{
var _class:Class = getDefinitionByName(className);
if(_class)
{
newMovieClip = new _class;
}
}

Using a Numeric Stepper from one Flash file to affect gamespeed in an external Flash file? Actionscript 3.0

Currently I have an intro screen to my flash file which has two objects.
A button which will load an external flash file using:
var myLoader:Loader = new Loader();
var url:URLRequest = new URLRequest("flashgame.swf");
The second thing is a Numeric Stepper, which will be from 1 to 10. If the user selects a number e.g. 3 then the game speed I have set in the flashgame.swf should be changed
Such as:
var gameSpeed:uint = 10 * numericStepper.value;
But I think my problem is coming into place because the stepper and gamespeed are from different files.
Anyone got any idea please?
I have also tried creating a stepper in the game file and used this code:
var gameLevel:NumericStepper = new NumericStepper();
gameLevel.maximum = 10;
gameLevel.minimum = 1;
addChild(gameLevel);
var gameSpeed:uint = 10 * gameLevel.value;
For some reason the stepper just flashes on the stage, no errors come up and the game doesn't work
When you execute you code, the stepper has no chance to wait for user input.
There is no time between theese two instructions.
addChild(gameLevel);
var gameSpeed:uint = 10 * gameLevel.value;
You should wait for user input in your NumericStepper, and then, on user event, set the game speed.
Edit: Yeah I know it's kinda sad to type out all this code (especially since some people wouldn't even be grateful enough to say thanks) but I think this question is important enough to justify the code as it may be helpful to others in future also.
Hi,
You were close. In your game file you could have put a var _setgameSpeed and then from Intro you could adjust it by flashgame._setgameSpeed = gameSpeed; It's a bit more complicated though since you also have to setup a reference to flashgame in the first place. Let me explain...
Ideally you want to put all your code in one place (an .as file would be best but...) if you would rather use timeline then you should create a new empty layer called "actions" and put all your code in the first frame of that.
Also change your button to a movieClip type and remove any code within it since everything will be controlled by the code in "actions" layer. In the example I have that movieclip on the stage with instance name of "btn_load_SWF"
Intro.swf (Parent SWF file)
var my_Game_Swf:MovieClip; //reference name when accessing "flashgame.swf"
var _SWF_is_loaded:Boolean = false; //initial value
var set_gameSpeed:int; //temp value holder for speed
var swf_loader:Loader = new Loader();
btn_load_SWF.buttonMode = true; //instance name of movieclip used as "load" button
btn_load_SWF.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, load_Game_SWF);
function load_Game_SWF (event:MouseEvent) : void
{
//set_gameSpeed = 10 * numericStepper.value;
set_gameSpeed = 100; //manual set cos I dont have the above numericStepper
if ( _SWF_is_loaded == true)
{
stage.removeChild(swf_loader);
swf_loader.load ( new URLRequest ("flashgame.swf") );
}
else
{ swf_loader.load ( new URLRequest ("flashgame.swf") ); }
swf_loader.contentLoaderInfo.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, Game_SWF_ready);
}
function Game_SWF_ready (evt:Event) : void
{
swf_loader.contentLoaderInfo.removeEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, Game_SWF_ready);
//Treat the Loader contents (flashgame.swf) as a MovieClip named "my_Game_Swf"
my_Game_Swf = swf_loader.content as MovieClip;
my_Game_Swf.gameSpeed = set_gameSpeed; //update gameSpeed variable in flashgame.swf
//also adjust SWF placement (.x and .y positions etc) here if necessary
stage.addChild(my_Game_Swf);
_SWF_is_loaded = true;
}
Now in you flashgame file make sure the there's also an actions layers and put in code like this below then compile it first before debugging the Intro/Parent file. When your Intro loads the flashgame.swf it should load an swf that already has the code below compiled.
flashgame.swf
var gameSpeed:int;
gameSpeed = 0; //initial value & will be changed by parent
addEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, onAdded_toStage);
function onAdded_toStage (e:Event):void
{
trace("trace gameSpeed is.." + String(gameSpeed)); //confirm speed in Debugger
//*** Example usage ***
var my_shape:Shape = new Shape();
my_shape.graphics.lineStyle(5, 0xFF0000, 5);
my_shape.graphics.moveTo(10, 50);
my_shape.graphics.lineTo(gameSpeed * 10, 50); //this line length is affected by gameSpeed as set in parent SWF
addChild(my_shape);
}
The key line in intro.swf is this: my_Game_Swf.gameSpeed = set_gameSpeed; as it updates a variable in flashgame.swf (referred as my_Game_Swf) with an amount that is taken from a variable in the Parent SWF.
This is just one way you can access information between two separate SWF files. Hope it helps out.

Scaling AVM1Movie for using with BitmapData in as3

I have a actionscript 2 SWF that I am wanting to export into a PNG, however the fact that it is loaded as a AVM1Movie in as3 is proving quite troublesome.
When you load the as2 swf in just the normal standalone flash player, you can right click -> zoom in and it scales well since its redrawing the vector data at the size. But when i'm trying to make the Loader object (that contains the loaded as2 swf) scale, whenever i draw it to a BitmapData object, i just get the original size of the swf with blank space around it, rather then having the swf scale to the new dimensions.
My code looks like this:
var theFile:File = File(event.target);
var dis:DisplayObject = this.mLoader.content;
dis.width *=2;
dis.height *=2;
var bd:BitmapData = new BitmapData(dis.width, dis.height, true, 0x00000000);
trace("display object height and width is " + dis.width + " " + dis.height);
bd.draw(dis);
var stream:FileStream = new FileStream();
stream.open(theFile, FileMode.WRITE);
stream.writeBytes(PNGEncoder.encode(bd)); // needs as3corelib
stream.close();
Alert.show("saved to " + theFile.nativePath );
But when I open up the resulting PNG File, I get this (red shows the transparent background):
Is there any way to make it so that when I draw the as2 swf to BitmapData, it scales it like it would in the flash player?
I believe you should be able to simply use scaleX and scaleY properties instead of attempting to multiple the height and width values.
var dis:DisplayObject = this.mLoader.content;
//dis.width *=2;
dis.scaleX = 2;
//dis.height *=2;
dis.scaleY = 2;
EDIT
Alternatively since the above isn't working for you try to use a matrix argument for the draw call.
var mat:Matrix = new Matrix();
mat.scale(2,2);
bd.draw(dis,mat);

Access children of embedded aswf

I am embedding an swf file that has some children on its timeline. Like this:
[Embed(source="assets/skyscraper200x600.swf")]
private var Skyscraper :Class;
All children in the swf have an instance name, I double checked that when creating the swf in Flash CS5.
I am trying to access those children by name like this:
_bg = MovieClip(new Skyscraper());
_pig = MovieClip(_bg.getChildByName("chara_pig"));
_arrow = MovieClip(_bg.getChildByName("arrow_banner"));
However, both _pig and _arrow end up being null.
What's even stranger is that when I look at the Skyscraper object in the debugger, it shows a rather strange class name and a Loader as its only child (which in turn has no children). What's up with this?
.
I can access them like above if I do not embed the swf, but load it with a Loader. But I cannot do it in this case. I need to embed the swf.
So, how can you access children of embedded swfs?
I am not talking about accessing classes in the library of the embedded swf, but the instances on the timeline.
Here is a solution. You can also see the steps who helped me find this solution (describeType is your friend) :
public class Demo extends Sprite {
[Embed(source="test.swf")]
private var Test:Class
public function Demo() {
//first guess is that embed SWF is a MovieClip
var embedSWF:MovieClip = new Test() as MovieClip;
addChild(embedSWF);
//well, emebed SWF is more than just a MovieClip...
trace(describeType(embedSWF));//mx.core::MovieClipLoaderAsset
trace(embedSWF.numChildren);//1
trace(describeType(embedSWF.getChildAt(0)));//flash.display::Loader
var loader:Loader = embedSWF.getChildAt(0) as Loader;
//the content is not already loaded...
trace(loader.content);//null
loader.contentLoaderInfo.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, function(){
var swf:MovieClip = loader.content as MovieClip;
var child:MovieClip = swf.getChildByName("$blob") as MovieClip;
//do nasty stuff with your MovieClip !
});
}
}
At the end of this tutorial http://jadendreamer.wordpress.com/2010/12/20/flash-as3-embedding-symbols-from-external-swf-game-tutorial there is an example of how it can be done
One solution is to embed the swf as an octet stream and reconstitute its bytes. However, I seem to remember reading somewhere that if you just set the mimeType to "application/x-shockwave-flash", you get a MovieClip that works as normal.

How can I load a Papervision/Flex application (SWF) as a material on a Papervision plane?

I am trying to build a portfolio application similar to the used by Whitevoid. I am using Flex 4 and Papervision3D 2. I have everything working except for one issue. When I try to load an external SWF as a material on one of the planes, I can see any native Flex or Flash components in their correct positions, but the papervision objects are not being rendered properly. It looks like the viewport is not being set in the nested swf. I have posted my code for loading the swf below.
private function loadMovie(path:String=""):void
{
loader = new Loader();
request = new URLRequest(path);
loader.contentLoaderInfo.addEventListener(Event.INIT, addMaterial);
loader.load(request);
}
private function addMaterial(e:Event):void
{
movie = new MovieClip();
movie.addChild(e.target.content);
var width:Number = 0;
var height:Number = 0;
width = loader.contentLoaderInfo.width;
height = loader.contentLoaderInfo.height;
//calculate the aspect ratio of the swf
var matAR:Number = width/height;
if (matAR > aspectRatio)
{
plane.scaleY = aspectRatio / matAR;
}
else if (matAR < aspectRatio)
{
plane.scaleX = matAR / aspectRatio;
}
var mat:MovieMaterial = new MovieMaterial(movie, false, true, false, new Rectangle(0, 0, width, height));
mat.interactive = true;
mat.smooth = true;
plane.material = mat;
}
Below I have posted two pictures. The first is a shot of the application running by itself. The second is the application as a MovieMaterial on a Plane. You can see how the button created as a spark object in the mxml stays in the correct position, but papervision sphere (which is rotating) is in the wrong location. Is there something I am missing here?
Man. I haven't seen that site in a while. Still one of the cooler PV projects...
What do you mean by:
I cannot properly see the scene rendered in Papervision
You say you can see the components in their appropriate positions, as in: you have a plane with what looks like the intended file loading up? But I'm guessing that you can't interact with it.
As far as I know, and I've spent a reasonable amount of time trying to make something similar work, the MovieMaterial (which I assume you're using) draws a Bitmap of whatever contents exist in your MovieClip, and if you set it to animated=true, then it will render out a series of bitmaps - equating animation. What it's not doing, is displaying an actual MovieClip (or SWF) on the plane. So you may see your components, but this is how:
MovieMaterial.as line 137
// ______________________________________________________________________ CREATE BITMAP
/**
*
* #param asset
* #return
*/
protected function createBitmapFromSprite( asset:DisplayObject ):BitmapData
{
// Set the new movie reference
movie = asset;
// initialize the bitmap since it's new
initBitmap( movie );
// Draw
drawBitmap();
// Call super.createBitmap to centralize the bitmap specific code.
// Here only MovieClip specific code, all bitmap code (maxUVs, AUTO_MIP_MAP, correctBitmap) in BitmapMaterial.
bitmap = super.createBitmap( bitmap );
return bitmap;
}
Note in the WhiteVoid you never actually interact with a movie until it "lands" = he's very likely swapping in a Movie on top of the bitmap textured plane.
The part that you are interacting with is probably another plane that holds the "button" that simply becomes visible on mouseover.
I think PV1.0 had access to real swfs as a material but this changed in 2.0. Sadly. Hopefully Molehill will.
cheers