Using HTTP to connect to server-side scripts

The loadVariables(), loadVariablesNum(), getURL(), loadMovie(), and loadMovieNum() functions and the MovieClip.loadVariables(), MovieClip.loadMovie(), and MovieClip.getURL() methods can all communicate with server-side scripts over HTTP or HTTPS protocols. These functions send all the variables from the Timeline to which the function is attached. When used as methods of the MovieClip object, loadVariables(), getURL(), and loadMovie() send all the variables of the specified movie clip; each function (or method) handles its response as follows:

• getURL() returns any information to a browser window, not to Flash Player.
• loadVariables() loads variables into a specified Timeline or level in Flash Player.
• loadMovie() loads a SWF file into a specified level or movie clip in Flash Player.

When you use loadVariables(), getURL(), or loadMovie(), you can specify several parameters:

• URL is the file in which the remote variables reside.
• Location is the level or target in the SWF file that receives the variables. (The getURL() function does not take this parameter.)

  For more information about levels and targets, see Multiple Timelines and levels.

• Variables sets the HTTP method, either GET or POST, by which the variables will be sent. When omitted, Flash Player defaults to GET, but no variables are sent.

For example, if you wanted to track the high scores for a game, you could store the scores on a server and use loadVariables() to load them into the SWF file each time someone played the game. The function call might look like this:

loadVariables("http://www.mySite.com/scripts/high_score.php", _root.scoreClip, GET);

This loads variables from the PHP script called high_score.php into the movie clip instance scoreClip using the GET HTTP method.

Any variables loaded with the loadVariables() function must be in the standard MIME format application/x-www-form-urlencoded (a standard format used by CGI scripts). The file you specify in the URL parameter of loadVariables() must write out the variable and value pairs in this format so that Flash can read them.This file can specify any number of variables; variable and value pairs must be separated with an ampersand (&), and words within a value must be separated with a plus (+). For example, this phrase defines several variables:

highScore1=54000&playerName1=rockin+good&highScore2=53455&playerName2=bonehelmet&highScore3=42885&playerName3=soda+pop

For more information, see loadVariables(), getURL(), loadMovie(), and LoadVars class.