automating a tedius navigational task

[cosmicbdog]

i have a navigation bar that has different tabs. these tabs when rolled over have a nice 9px cornered box around them with 3px padding between the text and outside of the box.

for each tab, i have a completely new symbol. quite often, i'm updating these symbols because the clients have changes to the names of the pages and so forth and it seems like i have to go to all this trouble to readjust everything on the page because its all done visually in the scene layout, and not dynamically via code.

i'd love to be able to create a complex rollover button and tell my flash to create those buttons based on an array of names and urls I give it. is this possible? ideally then when updating the flash file i just need to update the actionscript with the new names and urls and it does it all.

Am I expecting too much to be able to design like this in flash?

fingers crossed

[Sgaspar11]

Nope, this is definately possible.

The same way I would build an MP3 player with a playlist(using xml) is possible with other thing like .txt files you can embed in your flash project. You could also use an XML file that populates the names of each button and all you have to do is update the xml file and voila!

This will get you started.

http://www.actionscript.org/resource...101/Page1.html

[cosmicbdog]

cosmicbdog thanks sgaspar11.

i am bringing data in via amfphp and mysql currently.

once I have the data or array available in the flash file how do I tell it to place each variable into a symbol and onto the stage relative to the other symbols its laying out?

i think i sound like a complete idiot right now.

b's tail goes down in a humble silence of contemplation. you may not need to answer... i might work this out

[Sgaspar11]

Hey, well - not a stupid question....and not sure I know the answer from that standpoint but I can tell you how I do it with an XML file to maybe spark your thoughts...

I set my array in flash and a few other variables I needed for the player:

Code: Select all

//Currently Playing Song
var cps:Number = -1; //sets up songs to play in order starting with  first
//Position of Music
var pos:Number;
//array of Songs
var sa:Array = new Array();

I load in the XML file: songs.xml

Code: Select all

 
//Load the songs XML
var xml:XML = new XML();
xml.ignoreWhite = true;
xml.onLoad = function()
{
 var nodes:Array = this.firstChild.childNodes; //puts the xml file into the array
 for(var i=0;i<nodes.length;i++); //starts first song and itterates from there
 {
  sa.push(nodes[i].attributes.url); //grabs the url of the song
 }
 playSong(); //function to play the songs
}
xml.load("songs.xml");

And the playSong(); function that plays each song.

Code: Select all

function playSong():Void
{
 s = new Sound();
 if(cps == sa.length -1)
 {
  cps = 0;
  s.loadSound(sa[cps], true);
 }
 else
 {
  s.loadSound(sa[++cps], true);
 }
 playPause.gotoAndStop("pause");
}

This is the concept. Then in the XML file I could give each song a name and telll it to play the specifc song from the xml file on the click of the name of the song from the playlist.

This would be the same with your buttons I would think. Then you would maybe need to give each symbol a name(or number) and then tell you array to place them in the specific order listed (1,2,3,4)? I don't know...

Not sure if this helps, but there ya have it.

[Sgaspar11]

P.S. I am trying to find the file, but I've done this before when I created a matching game in flash.

Using say 10 symbols all with the same name...I load an array from an xml file with data and images. I randomize the array(so each time they play the game the cards are in a different order) and then place them randomly in any symbol with that name.

I think this is sort of what you need, minus the randomizing part. So yes, it is possible. Using amfphp? No idea. Sorry.

[cosmicbdog]

it took me a bit to get my head around the xml stuff but i'm pretty sure we're on the same page...

the random thing you're talking about can be used so cooly.. .like at ted.com the way they randomise the links on the frontpage seems very similar to the card layout you have.

pretty much anything you tell me since i know so little will teach me alot. thanks for your time!!

i've got the amfphp stuff going alright mostly... sounds like this file you have is the golden key to be able to put the info into those symbols