Topic: Using Word generated XML with Flash for dynamic text...

Okay, I'm working on a project for my senior thesis, and I've been using Word to write it...when I save the paper (about 60 pages) into a web page, it saves it in XML.

Now, I'm creating an intro to this using flash, and I've been able to put in a table of contents, with links to the separate chapters, but only as separate windows (ie. target blank).

How can I dynamically load the text of my paper (its saved into separate pages for each chapter) into a small dynamic text field in flash? I don't want to have to code the text into the flash code itself, but it doesn't seem like a load variables will work either....I can also just save my paper as a .txt....what's the best way to go about doing this?

I'll put up what I have so far at student.bard.edu/~mm264/intro1.fla and at student.bard.edu/~mm264/intro1.swf

Any help on this would be MUCH appreciated...

late
-grats




[This message has been edited by grats42 (edited 03-17-2002).]

grats42: It saves as XML? I didn't know that. Anyway you might be better off with this in the multimedia section (if a MS wants to move it). I know Steve has just done something like this on his new site and so he might be able to offer some sage advice on this topic.

Emps

The easiest way is to save your text to a .txt file. Then you can tell Flash to load it into a variable and display it into a textfield via ActionScript.

1. Create a new Flash file and the text field which you want to contain your text.

2. Go to Text Options panel and select "Dynamic Text", and because your text is longer than one single line "Multiple Lines". After that you can resíze the text field to its final height.

3. Enter a variable name in the corresponding field (sth. like chapter1)

4. Now the ActionScript part: Double-click the frame you're working on in the time line and the ActionScript Editor will open. The code you need looks like this:

loadVariablesNum ("http://www.domain.com/chapter1.txt", 0);

Replace the URL between the quotes with your text file's URL.

5. Save the word file as chapter1.txt. But before you do this you have to put an & and the variables' name in front of the text:

&chapter1=Whole text of that chapter

6. Export the Flash movie and have a look at it... that's all!


kuckus

[This message has been edited by kuckus (edited 03-18-2002).]