Learnflash.com - Integrating Flash with XML

By Craig Campbell
Running Time: 4 hours, 4 minutes



At its core, XML is simply a way of sharing and storing data on the Internet, and it allows you to create some highly dynamic content. And when you combine XML with Flash, it becomes even more powerful. In this video series, Flash trainer Craig Campbell discusses how to import XML data into Flash, and then he walks you through several projects, demonstrating how to create a slideshow, a music player, and a video player that all pull their information from XML text files.

Introduction (2:18)
In this brief video, Craig introduces himself and tells you what you can expect to learn from this video series.
1 - What is XML? (5:31)
In this video, Craig defines XML, explains many of its uses, and lists the advantages of using XML to store dynamic data.
2 - Looking at an XML Document (8:44)
In this video, Craig walks you through an XML document that stores a number of news stories, and he explains to you how the document is structured. Understanding this structure is crucial in order to use it properly in ActionScript.
3 - Loading XML into Flash (9:43)
Now that we understand the structure of an XML document, we can make use of it. In this video, you'll learn how to load the XML file into your Flash file using ActionScript.
4 - Extracting XML Data (14:07)
With your XML document loaded into Flash, Craig now shows you how to extract information from the XML and display it in the output window.
5 - Displaying XML Data in a Text Field (12:58)
In this video, you will learn how to update the text in a dynamic text field with the data you pulled in from your XML file. You'll also learn a few tricks for formatting the text that you pull in.
6 - Using Loops to Display All Data (9:16)
In this video, Craig will show you how to make this file truly dynamic by creating a for() loop that will iterate through the news stories in your XML file and display information for every single story.
7 - Finishing Touches (3:42)
In the current project, if we decided to add any more stories to our XML file, the text would disappear beyond the bottom of the text file, so in this video, after updating the XML file with a new news story, Craig will demonstrate how to add a quick scrollbar to your dynamic text field.
8 - XML Attributes (7:39)
In this video, Craig will show you a different way to set up your XML file. Instead of having so many nested elements, like we had in the news example, Craig will show you how to set up attributes for your elements.
9 - Setting Up the Slideshow (6:23)
In this video, Craig pulls out the drawing tools and sets up the Flash stage for the slideshow. Once your slideshow is set up, all that's left is to make it work with ActionScript.
10 - Displaying the First Image (10:31)
With your slideshow elements set up visually, Craig jumps into ActionScript and shows you all the code necessary to set up your XML object, read your XML file, and display the first image listed in the XML file.
11 - Creating Arrays for XML Attributes (9:49)
With the new attribute structure in the XML document, Craig shows you how to set up multiple arrays in ActionScript to help you keep track of the information stored in the attributes of your XML elements.
12 - Cycling Through the Pictures (12:45)
In this video, we'll take advantage of the arrays that we created in the last lesson. Craig will show you how to add code to the 'next' and 'previous' buttons that will allow the user to cycle through the images and the corresponding captions.
13 - Cycling with Arrow Keys (6:19)
Using the nextPicture() and prevPicture() functions that have already been created, Craig will now show you how to use these functions again in order to allow the user to cycle through the images of the slideshow using the left and right arrow keys.
14 - Setting Up the Music Player (15:29)
Ready to create your own dynamic music player? In this video, Craig will introduce you to the new jukebox xml file and then walk you through creating the controls for your music player.
15 - Setting Up the Jukebox XML Object (8:44)
In this video, we'll once again go over the familiar task of creating a new XML object for our music player and extracting information from our XML file to make sure it's working.
16 - Getting the First Song to Play (5:28)
In this video, we'll give the music player its basic functionality by getting it to play the first song in the list.
17 - Storing Song Attributes in Arrays (5:18)
Just like we did with the slideshow, in this video, we're going to store all the values for the song titles and urls in their own respective arrays.
18 - Stop, Play, Pause, and Mute (16:33)
In this video, we'll take a break from all the XML talk, and we'll set up the code for the basic controls on the music player.
19 - Cycling Through the Songs (17:31)
In this video, Craig will demonstrate how to add code to the 'next' and 'previous' buttons in order to cycle through the songs in your XML playlist. He also shows you how to automatically start playing the next song when the first song is finished playing.
20 - Setting Up the Video Player (14:18)
In this video, we'll take a quick look at the videos.xml file that we'll be using for our video player project, and then we'll jump into Flash and create all the visual assets for the player.
21 - Getting a Video to Play (6:16)
Before setting up the XML object, Craig demonstrates how to get a video to start playing in ActionScript.
22 - Setting Up the Video XML Object (7:32)
By now, you should all be experts at setting up an XML object in ActionScript, but just in case you need a little more repetition, Craig will demonstrate how to set up the XML object for the video project.
23 - Populating a List Component with XML Data (8:36)
For the video project, we'll allow the user to change videos by selecting a title from a List Component. In this video, you'll learn how to populate this List with information from the XML object.
24 - Changing Videos with the List Component (5:32)
Now that the List Component is populated, Craig will show you how to create an event listener that will listen for the user to select a new item on the list, and then once that item is selected, the listener will cause the appropriate video to start playing.
25 - Video Player Controls (12:07)
In this video, Craig wraps up the video player project by adding code to the stop, pause, play, and mute buttons.
26 - Conclusion (0:38)

Introduction to ActionScript 2.0

By Craig Campbell
Running Time: 9 hours, 28 minutes



ActionScript 2.0 has been around for the last couple versions of Flash, and with Flash 8's release, ActionScript 2.0 has a few more added features. In this video series, which covers projects for Flash MX 2004 as well as Flash Professional 8, you will learn all the basics for programming with ActionScript. This series is our most comprehensive video training product for ActionScript to date.

1 - Welcome (Running Time -1:53) - In this video, Craig introduces himself and tells you what you can expect from this video series. In this video, it is emphasized that if you have never used Flash before, then this series isn't for you. If this is the case, check out our Introduction to Flash video series first.



2 - ActionScript as a Language (Running Time - 9:50) - Let's get started! In this video, Craig encourages you to view ActionScript as a language. It has nouns, verbs, syntax rules, etc.



3 - Your First Action (Running Time - 16:01) - In this video, you'll jump in and add your first line of ActionScript to your Flash file. You'll also learn the basic differences between a graphic symbol and a movie clip symbol.



4 - Adding Actions to Symbols (Running Time - 9:10) - There are 3 different places where you can add actions to your Flash file: movie clips, buttons, and frames. In this video, you'll learn how to add actions to movie clips and buttons.



5 - Using Paths to Point to Other Objects (Running Time - 14:20) - Paths in ActionScript act a lot like directory structures on your computer. Paths allow you to point to specific objects in your ActionScript code. In this video, you'll learn how to create a play and a stop button that will point to another movie clip, telling it when to play and when to stop.



6 - The Problem with Absolute Paths (Running Time - 5:13) - An absolute path in ActionScript tells you EXACTLY where an object is located in your Flash file, using the root timeline as an anchor. A RELATIVE path, on the other hand, points to an object using a path RELATIVE to where you are when you enter the action. In this video, Craig illustrates why it might be a bad idea to use absolute paths.



7 - More on Relative Paths (Running Time - 14:32) - In this video, you'll learn more about how to point to objects on the stage using relative paths. Craig will also point out why relative paths can be so beneficial.



8 - Pop Quiz Number 1 (Running Time - 3:29) - It's time for a quiz! In this video, Craig sets up a pop quiz that will test your understanding of the concept of using relative paths to point to other objects in your ActionScript code.



9 - Pop Quiz Answers (Running Time - 11:03) - If you weren't able to figure out the pop quiz on your own, don't worry! In this video, Craig walks you through the necessary steps to accomplish the tasks he's assigned for you.



10 - Adding Button Actions to a Keyframe (Running Time - 11:34) - You've learned how to add actions to buttons, movie clips, and frames, but what if you want to put all your actions in one central location? In this video, Craig shows you how to do just that by illustrating how to add actions for your buttons to a frame.



11 - Changing Movie Clip Properties (Running Time - 12:58) - Now that you know how to point to a movie clip using relative paths, let's take a look at what we can do TO that movie clip. In this video, you'll learn how to change the properties of an object (i.e., transparency, size, location) using ActionScript.



12 - Changing Properties with Buttons (Running Time - 13:57) - In this video, you'll take everything you've learned so far, and you'll learn how to change an object's properties using other buttons on the stage. All of these actions will be added to a keyframe.



13 - The xscale Property (Running Time - 9:42) - Throughout this series, we've been using a simple "Flash Man" animation to illustrate the concepts we've been discussing. In this video, you'll learn how to flip the Flash Man movie clip over horizontally using the "xscale" property of the object.



14 - Variables and Comments (Running Time - 12:05) - This video mainly focuses on the use of variables in Flash, which allow you to store and keep track of a value or an object. You'll also learn about how and when to use comments in your code.



15 - Conditional Statements (Running Time - 11:37) - Sometimes you only want a piece of code to execute IF something else is true. In this video, you'll learn how to move your "Flash Man" across the stage IF he hasn't already reached the borders of the stage.



16 - Capturing Key Presses (Running Time - 11:00) - In this video, you'll learn how to move the "Flash Man" around on the stage using the arrow keys on your keyboard, instead of using buttons on the stage like we've been using.



17 - Creating Functions (Running Time - 13:01) - From time to time, you'll find yourself copying and pasting code over and over again in your Actions panel. In this video, you'll learn how to take repetitive tasks like this and put them in your own functions, saving time and file space.



18 - Animating with onEnterFrame (Running Time - 7:13) - This video begins the discussion of creating dynamic animations with ActionScript. The onEnterFrame event allows you to loop a piece of code over time at the current frame rate, which is the first means you'll discuss of creating animations with ActionScript.



19 - Animating Using Intervals (Running Time - 7:02) - ActionScript also allows you to create dynamic animations that don't rely on the frame rate of your Flash file. This can be accomplished using the setInterval() function.



20 - From Here to There (Running Time - 9:00) - So far, we've discussed how to move our "Flash Man" across the stage in a given direction by simply increasing or decreasing the x and y coordinates of the movie clip. In this video, you'll learn how to make your animations more dynamic by animating from one point to another.



21 - Moving Backwards (Running Time - 6:26) - Unfortunately, the methods we discussed in the previous video only work if we're moving the Flash Man down and to the right. But what if we want to move backwards? What if we want to move the Flash Man up and to the left? In this video, you'll learn a more effective formula for achieving this.



22 - The Tween Class, Part 1 (Running Time - 7:56) - If you've used Flash before, you probably know what a TWEEN is. A tween is a method of animating something IN BETWEEN keyframes. Well, in this video, you'll learn how to create a tween using ActionScript instead of doing it visually. This video starts with a discussion of importing the classes that need to be used in order to make dynamic tweens.



23 - The Tween Class, Part 2 (Running Time - 13:15) - This video continues the discussion that was started in the previous video. Now that we've imported the Tween and easing classes, you'll learn how to implement the Tween class in your Actionscript.



24 - Easing Classes (Running Time - 6:46) - Now that you've learned how to create Tweens in ActionScript, it's time to play around a little bit. In this video, Craig will show you how to make your tweens more exciting by playing around with a few easing classes.



25 - Functions with Parameters (Running Time - 14:57) - We've discussed the creation of user-defined functions already, but sometimes you might need to send a function some values (or parameters) to get it to work properly. In this video, you'll use this type of function to create a movie clip that will move anywhere you tell it to just by clicking on the stage.



26 - Creating a Mouse Trail (Running Time - 11:03) - It's time to play around a little more! In this video, you'll use everything you've learned about the Tween class and creating functions with parameters to create a mouse trail that constantly follows your cursor around the stage.



27 - Pop Quiz #2 (Running Time - 2:35) - Time to test your skills again. In this video, Craig will set up our second pop quiz, where you will create some dynamic animations for a web menu.



28 - Answers to Pop Quiz #2 (Running Time - 14:50) - If you had problems getting your pop quiz menu to work properly, Craig will show you how to do it properly in ActionScript.



29 - onMotionFinished (Running Time - 6:57) - Sometimes you might want something to happen in your Flash file AFTER an animation has finished playing. In this video, Craig will show you how to use the "onMotionFinished" event to listen for the end of a tween.



30 - Deleting the onEnterFrame Event (Running Time - 10:58) - Now that you know how to animate with ActionScript, it's time to tweak our "Flash Man" file. In this video, you'll learn how to begin an onEnterFrame animation when you press down on a button or arrow key and then delete that onEnterFrame event when you let go of the button or arrow key.



31 - onReleaseOutside (Running Time - 4:53) - When you click on a button, move your mouse cursor OUTSIDE of the button, and then release the button, you'll find that the onRelease event for that button does not work. In this video, you'll learn the use of the onReleaseOutside event, which will allow for an easy means of getting around this potential problem.



32 - Clearing Intervals (Running Time - 6:43) - We've discussed how to delete an onEnterFrame event to end our animation onRelease, but what if we used an INTERVAL in our animation instead of an onEnterFrame event? In this video, you'll learn how to accomplish the same functionality by clearing an interval that you've created.



33 - Adding Movie Clips to the Stage (Running Time - 14:03) - Let's say you've got a movie clip in your library that you don't want to attach to the stage until the user performs some action. How would you do that? In this video, Craig will show you how to attach a movie clip to the stage using ActionScript.



34 - Removing Movie Clips (Running Time - 6:34) - Now that we've created a way to attach movie clips to the stage, let's take a look at how to remove them.



35 - Dynamically Assigning Instance Names (Running Time - 12:58) - If you allow your user to attach multiple instances of the same movie clip to the stage, you need to have some way of assigning different instance names to each of these instances. In this video, Craig will show you how.



36 - Adding Sound with ActionScript (Running Time - 12:47) - Adding sound to your Flash file using ActionScript is much more flexible than physically dragging a sound object onto the viewing area. In this video, Craig will show you how to do this.



37 - Stop, Pause, and Play (Running Time - 14:13) - In this video, Craig will show you how to create buttons that will allow you to stop, pause, and play your sound objects in ActionScript.



38 - Controlling Volume (Running Time - 6:12) - In this video, Craig will show you how to control the volume of your sound objects in ActionScript.



39 - Arrays (Running Time - 15:01) - An Array is basically a table, or list, of values stored in a single variable. In this video, Craig will show you how to create and access an Array using ActionScript.



40 - Cycling Through Songs (Running Time - 13:13) - Now that you know how to create and use Arrays in ActionScript, let's apply what we've learned to our music player. In this video, Craig will show you how to cycle through a list of songs using an Array.



41 - onSoundComplete (Running Time - 6:29) - In this video, you'll learn how to use the "onSoundComplete" event to create the functionality to jump automatically to the next song when one song is complete.



42 - The for() Loop - (Running Time - 13:29) - In this video, Craig will introduce the concept of loop structures in ActionScript as he illustrates how to implement the for() loop.



43 - Page Layout with the for() Loop (Running Time - 12:14) - In this video, Craig shows you how you can use the for() loop to lay out a row of images across the stage.



44 - Nested for() Loops (Running Time - 7:18) - What if we wanted a whole GRID of images layed out on the stage instead of just one row? In this video, you'll learn how to use NESTED for() loops to create just such a grid.



45 - The do...while Loop (Running Time - 11:39) - The do...while loop, which is similar in functionality to the for() loop, allows you to perform a block of code WHILE some condition is still true.



46 - Jigsaw Puzzle, Part 1 (Running Time - 10:04) - In this video, Craig starts a jigsaw puzzle project by setting up the stage and giving you a preview of the things you're going to learn to do.



47 - Dragging Objects Around (Running Time - 6:03) - In this video, Craig will teach you how to use the startDrag() and stopDrag() functions to allow the user to drag an object around on the stage.



48 - Swapping Movie Clip Depths (Running Time - 4:29) - When you have a series of puzzle pieces on the stage, naturally some of the pieces will cover up the pieces. In this video, Craig will show you how to swap the depths of movie clips so that when you click on one movie clip, it will bring it to the top of the stack.



49 - Detecting Collisions with ActionScript (Running Time - 9:15) - In this video, you'll learn how to use the hitTest() function to check and see if an object is colliding with another object. We will use this function to check and see if the puzzle pieces have been placed in the right position.



50 - A More Precise hitTest() - (Running Time - 8:59) - The way have the jigsaw puzzle set up so far, our hitTest is snapping a puzzle piece into place, even if we haven't gotten it exactly where we want it. In this video, Craig will show you how to use smaller, invisible boxes to make our hitTest() more precise.



51 - Cleaning Up Your Puzzle Code (Running Time - 7:13) - Our code for the jigsaw puzzle is beginning to get a little messy, so in this video, Craig walks you through taking some of the repetitive code and putting it into user-defined functions.



52 - Creating an Endgame Event (Running Time - 14:59) - When your user has finished the jigsaw puzzle, he probably needs a little bit of praise for all his hard work. In this video, Craig will show you how to test to see if the puzzle has been completed, and if it has, then we'll play a little "Congratulations!" animation for the user.



53 - Adding Video with ActionScript (Running Time - 12:01) - In this video, Craig shows you how to load a movie into your Flash file using ActionScript.



54 - Pausing and Resuming Your Video (Running Time - 6:04) - Pausing and resuming video in ActionScript is much easier than pausing and resuming sound. There's a lot less to keep track of. In this video, you'll learn how to do just that.



55 - Creating Menus for Multiple Videos (Running Time - 6:16) - In this video, you'll learn how to create a menu so that the user can select which video he or she wants to watch.



56 - Applying Flash Pro 8 Filters in ActionScript (Running Time - 17:10) - The ability to apply filters to your objects is one of the most exciting new features of Flash Professional 8. But did you know that you could apply these filters using ActionScript? In this video, Craig will show you how to create drop shadow and outer glow filters with ActionScript.



57 - Flash Professional 8 Blend Modes (Running Time - 7:29) - Another new feature of Flash Pro 8, blend modes can also be applied dynamically using ActionScript, and in this video, you'll learn how.