loadVariables-php (concept)

[Copierbw]

I understand the loadVariables("*.php&quotetc...concept to display a momentary pre-loader while you are retrieving or entering new data to and from the database with php script.
Meaning: Into a Flash dynamic text box or from the text box into the database. I just can't grasp the idea of doing the same if you have let's say a menu that needs to be loaded in Flash but it's not 100% entirely dynamic text and consist of images as well. What will I use to simulate this "pre-load" action. My whole idea isn't to display fancy loaders, I just want to have text that says "loading" for the actual brief loading moment. Can anyone please enlighten me a bit..

You don't need eyes to see just the vision because there are always more ways and different answers to what we are used to...

 

[billwatson]

if you are using loadvars (ie mx) then you can forget the preloader its not needed.
instead of loadvariables you would use sendandload.

all I do is send a message to the text box

mytext.text = "Loading";

and that will overwritten when the content arrives from the database.

going the other way and sending info to the database once updated and php says OK then i display "Loaded".

 

[Copierbw]

Bill, Thanks.

While ago you gave me this tip and it still works 100%. Now I am just trying to view the problem from another angle (image).
Example: In so many high profile Flash web sites these days you see small nifty "pre-loaders" everywhere (if I can call it pre-loaders). Well I don't want to jump on the band wagon just understand the concept. What will I do if I have a rather big image that needs to displayed in a area? Must I go back to normal loader script to make this possible?

You don't need eyes to see just the vision because there are always more ways and different answers to what we are used to...

 

[billwatson]

i suspect that a lot of these preloaders you are seeing are just put there by designers and that they have little/no functional purpose. i have seen designers deliberately slow down the loading of content so that everyone sees all these bells and whistles. incredible nonsense.

however i always load content into clips and its easy enough to have another empty clip on stage containing preloader code that is targeted at the loading clip. i often have such code as after loading i may want to position or scale an image. i rarely bother with a loading bar or anything of that nature unless its a very large file being loaded that will take a noticeable amount of time to fully download.

if i dont intend to do anything with the image after its loaded then a preloader serves no purpose and is best left out. at worst its simply adding to file size and further delaying the download.

 

[Copierbw]

In that case I'll stick to clip loading as you said but it's always educational to discuss things like this and find out the "real" means behind some of the concepts and maddess...Thanks...

Drop the Aussies join the Boks..

You don't need eyes to see just the vision because there are always more ways and different answers to what we are used to...