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Tutorial - Preload External Flash Movies with Movie Clips

Free Flash Tutorial

Step Four: The Actions - Frame 2

1. Right click on Frame 2 in the Layer: ActionScript
2. Select: Insert Blank Keyframe (not frame)
3. Add this code:
   
   // Create a Movie Clip to load the swf Movie into
   this.createEmptyMovieClip("myExternallyLoadedSWFMovieHolder", 0);
   
   // A variable to hold the name and location of where the external swf Movie is located
   var myVariable = "myMovie.swf";
   
   // Set the Movie's location on the Stage
   myExternallyLoadedSWFMovieHolder._x = 0;
   myExternallyLoadedSWFMovieHolder._y = 0;
   
   /* Set the Progress Bar to manual mode so that we can reset its value back to 0. We don't want it staring from 100 ! */
   myProgressBar.mode = "manual";
   
   // Reset the Progress Bar back to zero
   myProgressBar.setProgress(0, 100);
   
   // Show the Progress Bar
   myProgressBar._visible = true;
   
   // Create a listener object event.
   myProgressBarListener = new Object();
   
   // When the Progress Bar is complete and has preloaded the Movie, the listener will call and run this code below:
   myProgressBarListener = function (eventObject) {
   
   // Hide the Progress Bar now the Movie is loaded
   myProgressBar._visible = false;
   
   // This next section is optional.
   // If you wish to remain on Frame 2 and view the External Movie do nothing
   // Otherwise un-comment any of the options bellow:
   // Plays the Movie from Frame 2 onwards:
   // play();
   // Go to the next Frame:
   // nextFrame();
   // Go to the next scene but may not automatically play beyond the Frame 1 in the next scene:
   // nextScene();
   // Goes to a Frame Label or Frame number and Play:
   // gotoAndPlay("myFrameLabel");
   // gotoAndPlay(10);
   // Go to and stop at the Frame Label or Frame number:
   // gotoAndStop("myFrameLabel");
   // gotoAndStop(10);
   
   // closes the function
   };
   
   // Declares a listener that detects when the Progress Component has loaded the external Movie and is complete.
   // It will call the function myProgressBarListener when the external swf Movie has loaded
   myProgressBar.addEventListener("complete", myProgressBarListener);
   
   // Set up the Progress Bar Component variables
   // Set up the Progress Bar Component to polled when loading the Movie. It has to be set to polled to work
   myProgressBar.mode = "polled";
   
   
   // Set the preloader source to show the progress of the loader Component as it loads the external swf Movie
   myProgressBar.source = "myExternallyLoadedSWFMovieHolder";
   
   /* This is how we automatically load the external swf Movie. We call the load Movie Clip event and load the external swf Movie into the Movie Clip we created through ActionScript */
   loadMovie(_root.myVariable, _root.myExternallyLoadedSWFMovieHolder);
   
   // Stop the Movie at the frame until the Movie is loaded
   stop();


Important: Make sure you change the name of the file to the name of your file: myMovie.swf

Strange but True: It is the location of the web page and the Movie that is loading that is important not the location of this preloader Movie! If you wish to move this preloader Movie to a different folder you can. It can also be used several times on several different web pages as long as each time the web page is located in the same place as a Movie called:  myMovie.swf. Each version of the Movie  myMovie.swf could be a different Movie with different content!

Usually the Main Content Movie would be in the same folder as the web page. If it is not you will need to type a target path like this:

myLoader.contentPath = "images/myMovie.swf";

You may also use a full URL like this:

myLoader.contentPath = "http://www.webwasp.co.uk/images/myMovie.swf";

Confused? If you get in a muddle the easiest thing is to have the Web Page, Preloader Movie and Main Movie all in the same folder.

Your Layers should now look like this:

That's it.