19.16. Using XML Data to Initialize a Movie
Problem
You want to use XML data from an external source to initialize certain elements of your Flash movie.
Solution
Use the XML.load( )
method to load the XML data,
and then initialize the movie’s elements within the
onLoad( )
method.
Discussion
One of the many uses for XML within your Flash movie is initializing
elements such as menus, navigation elements, news, headlines, and so
on. By loading the data from an external source, you can more easily
update the values or even generate them from a database. This is
extremely important for applications in which the content changes
frequently, such as product catalogs, news sites, and message boards.
To initialize your movie using XML data, load the data using the
XML.load( )
method, and then perform the
initialization within the onLoad( )
method (or
within a function called by onLoad( )
):
my_xml = new XML( ); my_xml.load("myAppValues.xml"); my_xml.onLoad = function ( ) { /* This example populates a list box with message titles and IDs from XML data that might look something like this: <messages> <message> <title>XML fun</title> <id>0</id> </message> <message> <title>more XML fun</title> <id>1</id> </message> <message> <title>XML fun yet</title> <id>2</id> </message> </messages> */ var messages = this.firstChild.childNodes; for (var i = 0; i < messages.length; i++) { _root.messagesLB.addItem(messages[i].firstChild.firstChild.nodeValue, messages[i].lastChild.firstChild.nodeValue); } };
See Also ...
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