Flash MX - button link to iframe?

Question

I have an HTML page with a navigation bar created in Flash
MX. I would like to make the buttons open a URL in an iframe on the
same page. The iframe is called simply, 'iframe'.
I have read many forums and tried a dozen suggested action
scripts, but none work. A few examples below. Can anyone please
help me make the button open a url in an iframe?
Examples that don't work::
on (release) {
getURL("
http://www.whatever-target-page.htm",
"iframe ");
ANOTHER::
on (release) {
getURL("
http://www.whatever-target-page.htm",
"_iframe ");
ANOTHER::
ANOTHER::
on (release) {
getURL("
http://www.whatever-target-page.htm",
target="iframe ");
ANOTHER::
on (release) {
butoninstancename.onRelease = function() {
getURL("
http://www.whatever-target-page.htm",
"iframe");
It is now 1.12am and I have been at this since this
afternoon. Some forums offer suggestions that don't work and two
said it was not possible. It must be possible, isn't it? Can
someone rescue my sanity?
Thanks
Jonathan

Answer 1

Jonathan,
> I have an HTML page with a navigation bar created in
> Flash MX. I would like to make the buttons open a
> URL in an iframe on the same page. The iframe is
> called simply, 'iframe'.
Fair enough. :) It probably makes better sense to name that
iframe
something more descriptive, like nav, or siteNav, but iframe
is a valid
name. When you say this iframe is "called" 'iframe,' what do
you mean by
"called"? What HTML are you using?
> Examples that don't work::
>
> on (release) {
> getURL("
http://www.whatever-target-page.htm",
"iframe ");
> }
The on() function is Flash 5-era code. It still works just
fine, but it
must be attached directly to an object (such as a button) in
order to work.
Nowadays, it's more customary to put code into keyframes. But
assuming
you've used on() correctly, the above code will look for a
frame named
"iframe " <-- note the space character after the letter
"e".
> on (release) {
> getURL("
http://www.whatever-target-page.htm",
target="iframe ");
> }
Here, you still have that space after the "e", but you're
including
something outside the quotation marks in the second
parameter. The getURL()
function accepts up to three parameters, separated by commas,
and all of
them must be strings. The second parameter *is* your target
-- this works
very much like the anchor tag in HTML -- so you don't have to
use the word
"target" here.
> ANOTHER::
>
> on (release) {
> butoninstancename.onRelease = function() {
> getURL("
http://www.whatever-target-page.htm",
"iframe");
> };
> }
Here, you're using both the on() function and the newer
(since Flash MX)
way to handle events, which isn't going to work. Because of
the on()
function, this button doesn't need an instance name --
because it's clear
which button is intended to receive these instructions -- so
... I suppose
one might say you're mixing metaphors here. ;)
That said, your getURL() parameters are spot on in this last
sample, so
revise your work to this:
on (release) {
getURL("
http://www.whatever-target-page.htm",
"iframe");
... and that should do it.
For a bit more detail on the on() function, see this:
http://www.quip.net/blog/2006/flash/museum-pieces-on-and-onclipevent
David Stiller
Adobe Community Expert
Dev blog,
http://www.quip.net/blog/
"Luck is the residue of good design."