Re: FLASH: inconsistency in loading variables

[fritz]

hi charles,

this is a known issue that is mostly true for ie (it's not really a flash

issue, but we end up dealing with it anyway).


there are two solutions:

1) if it's just a site for your own use or working in a controlled

environment, you can turn caching off completely in ie. that should force ie

to get the file every time you ask for it.

2) if it's a public site and you have no control over the users' browsers,

append a fake, but unique, query string to the end of your load variables

filename. the easiest way to get a unique query string is to use gettimer as

the value of a  throwaway variable. eg:

"test.txt?dummyVar=" & gettimer


that will make ie think the url is a new file (or at least a new request to

a script) and cause the reloading of the content. note that you have to

change the [abc] button to an equal sign [=] to indicate that your file name

is an expression, not a string literal.


colin


// sig

<moock>colin</moock>



----- Original Message -----

From: "Charles Day" <

chadaysymix [dot] com

>

To: <

flasherchinwag [dot] com

>

Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2000 8:59 AM

Subject: RE: FLASH: inconsistency in loading variables



> The problem is the browser remembers what was in the text file instead of

> reloading it.  If I load test.txt, yes, I can change the values from

> test.txt throughout the movie, but if i call test.txt again, flash or the

> browser won't actually reload test.txt, just uses from memory what was in

> there, regardless if test.txt has new values and a new time stamp on it.

> This works fine if test.txt doesn't change, but is a problem for dynamic

> sites wanting to use changing values based on outside variables and user

> interaction.  The really frustrating thing is that it DOES reload test.txt

> along with new values when you're not going through a webserver.

>

>

>

>

>

> -----Original Message-----

>

From: Phil Ward [phil-wcrescent-graphics [dot] co [dot] uk (mailto:phil-wcrescent-graphics [dot] co [dot] uk)]

> Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2000 8:04 PM

>

To: flasherchinwag [dot] com

> Subject: Re: FLASH: inconsistency in loading variables

>

>

> Have you got an actionscript which checks to make sure the variables are

> loaded before the movie proceeds? otherwise the text variables won't be

> loaded in time for the call on the data. This could explain why it works

> fine locally and not remote as your HD can load the text quicker than the

> server.

>

>  I had a similar problem and used the method below...if anyone can see

> errors in the code below please feel free to revise as I am writing this

> from memory.

>

> Try this..

>

> Frame 1

> Load Variables

> ("yourtextfile.txt","/yourEmptymcInstanceName", vars=POST)

>

> There is also your empty mc

>

> Frame 2

> Label loading

> If "/yourEmptymcInstanceName:yourlastTextFieldName ne "")

>       Go to and Stop ("done")

> End If

>

> Frame 3

> Go to and Play ("loading")

>

> Frame 4 or whatever is the first frame in your main content

> Label done

>

> HTH

>

> Regards

>

> Phil Ward

> Crescent Graphics

>

>

phil-wcrescent-graphics [dot] co [dot] uk

> www.crescent-graphics.co.uk

> New Media <> Internet <> Visuals

>

> ----- Original Message -----

>

From: Anders Ramsay <andersmediafarm [dot] com>

>

To: <flasherchinwag [dot] com>

> Sent: Monday, May 15, 2000 3:50 PM

> Subject: FLASH: inconsistency in loading variables

>

>

> > There have been a range of mailings re. issues surrounding loading

> > variables from an external source on this list, but I didn't see

> > anything that could solve  the problem I currently am the having:

> >

> > BACKGROUND

> > I am using a flash movie for global site navigation.  The site

> > divides into 12 major sections, and the global navigation menu should

> > reflect which section the user is in by highlighting that part of the

> > menu.  Since I only want to use one movie for all 12 sections (since

> > the browser will cache it after the first time it is loaded), I am

> > using an external variable to set the state of the movie depending on

> > which page it is loaded into.

> >

> >

> > THE PROBLEM

> > While this works flawlessly when I test it locally, it works only

> > about 70% of the time when I test it over the web.

> >

> >

> > HOW I AM LOADING THE EXTERNAL VARIABLE

> > I have a text file in the same directory as the given html file.  In

> > the second frame of the movie, I use the Load Movie action set to

> > 'Load variables into location' with target set to a movie clip I use

> > for variables and subroutines (this movie clip resides on all frames

> > in the top level movie).  Then, two frames later, I tell the top

> > level movie to go to the frame label of the variable in that

> > directory, e.g.  if the file says 'default=home' my script would say

> > 'go to location(default)'

> >

> > the text file itself contains *only* (no invisible characters):

> > 'default=someVariable'

> >

> >

> > OPTIONS I HAVE TRIED

> > 1. Using FS Command - while ridiculously complicated in the Flash

> > environment, I would've gone with this, except for that FS Command

> > does not work in IE for the Mac - if this is incorrect, please let me

> > know.

> >

> > 2. Setting the variable directly in the SRC tag for the player, eg:

> > SRC="myMovie.fla?default=someVariable"  - but I have exactly the same

> > problems with this approach.

> >

> > 3. Loading a movie containing my variable that is unique for each

> > page, then loading the navigation movie into that movie  - this seems

> > to work ok, except that certain browsers, after having cached the

> > movie, did not properly display them in that only the initial movie

> > would load but the global navigation movie did not (about 50% of the

> > time).

> >

> >

> > SEE IT

> > go to www.mixedgreens.com and click on 'Mixed Greens' - the flash

> > movie in question are the row of dots at the top (not the 'Site Map'

> > - which seems to work fine)

> >

> > (NOTE: Because of this problem, I have built a failsafe into the

> > movie - if it does not find a text file, it simply displays the

> > navigation with *all* sections set to default.)

> >

> > Any ideas in how to solve this problem would be greatly appreciated.

> >

> > Thnx.

> >

> >

> > --

> >

> > :: a n d e r s  r a m s a y

> > :: c o n t e n t  i n t e g r a t o r

> >

> > :: m e d i a f a r m

> > :: 37 w 20th st . ste 1201 . nyc 10011

> > :: 2 1 2 . 2 5 5 . 1 0 6 0 x 2 3

> > :: a n d e r s @ m e d i a f a r m . c o m

> >

> >

> >

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