Variables and remote sources

A SWF file is a window for capturing and displaying information, much like an HTML page. However, SWF files can stay loaded in the browser and continuously update with new information without having to reload the entire page. Using ActionScript functions and methods, you can send information to and receive information from server-side scripts, text files, and XML files.

In addition, server-side scripts can request specific information from a database and relay it to a SWF file. Server-side scripts can be written in many different languages: some of the most common are CFML, Perl, ASP (Microsoft Active Server Pages), and PHP. By storing information in a database and retrieving it, you can create dynamic and personalized content for your SWF file. For example, you could create a message board, personal profiles for users, or a shopping cart that keeps track of a user's purchases so that it can determine the user's preferences.

Several ActionScript functions and methods let you pass information into and out of a SWF file. Each function or method uses a protocol to transfer information, and requires information to be formatted in a certain way.

• The functions and MovieClip methods that use the HTTP or HTTPS protocol to send information in URL-encoded format are getURL(), loadVariables(), loadVariablesNum(), loadMovie(), and loadMovieNum().
• The LoadVars methods that use the HTTP or HTTPS protocol to send and load information in URL-encoded format are load(), send(), and sendAndLoad().
• The methods that use HTTP or HTTPS protocol to send and load information as XML are XML.send(), XML.load(), and XML.sendAndLoad().
• The methods that create and use a TCP/IP socket connection to send and load information as XML are XMLSocket.connect() and XMLSocket.send().