Flash Preloaders

(Using Flash 8 Professional) Hi, I have a Flash movie
comprised of two scenes. The first scene is fairly complex, with
over 20 layers. I want to add a preloader to the front of this
movie. In searching on the web, I found one forum where the
solution was to add a new scene containing the preloader onto the
front. Is that the best way to go?
If not, what do you recommend? I tried inserting frames on
the layers at the beginning of the first now-existing scene of the
movie, but I didn't have any success. When I tried inserting frames
or keyframes, they just added to the already existing layers
instead of opening up empty space so that the already existing
layers will start after the preloader.
If a new scene is the best idea, are there any issues
concerning the interaction between scenes that might trip me up?
Thanks!
Bill

quote:
(Using Flash 8 Professional) Hi, I have a Flash movie
comprised of two scenes. The first scene is fairly complex, with
over 20 layers. I want to add a preloader to the front of this
movie. In searching on the web, I found one forum where the
solution was to add a new scene containing the preloader onto the
front. Is that the best way to go?
If not, what do you recommend? I tried inserting frames on
the layers at the beginning of the first now-existing scene of the
movie, but I didn't have any success. When I tried inserting frames
or keyframes, they just added to the already existing layers
instead of opening up empty space so that the already existing
layers will start after the preloader.
If a new scene is the best idea, are there any issues
concerning the interaction between scenes that might trip me up?
The choice is entirely up to you, and what you are
comfortable with. If you put it at the beginning of your timeline,
you'll need to know gotoAndPlay(); function. If you create a new
scene, you'll still need to know gotoAndPlay(); function, however,
you'll need to know how to call a new scene. You can also create
your preloader in its own .fla, and call upon the .swf file,
however, you'll need to know the loadMovie function. So the choice
is yours... Good Luck
D

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you need to research how to make flash "preloaders" . Its not
built in.
tutorials for that are probably all over web and can vary in
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delay.

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I use this preloader in several of my professional works and it's cool ... but in futures works i'll need't in AS23. ¿Is there a way to converted (or make it) in AS3?.
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It's more likely you'll get help when you don't require people to do research. If you can describe how your current preloader is designed and show the code it uses you'll be helping others to help you.

Preloader doesnt work after Cacheing -

CS3-AS3
I have an app with a preloader - works fine until the content gets cached, then for some reason wont progress to the next slide - Fullscreen mode is set to full (if that makes a difference). It doesnt seem to happen consistently either.
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stop();
import flash.events.ProgressEvent;
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With old Flash preloaders there was often a brief second where both the bytes loaded and bytes total might be the same small number like -4 or 1 or some such. It seemed to happen more when those items were cached. So if you have (-4*100)/-4 you will get 100 percent.
The trick is to to add something to your conditional like:
if(percent>=100 && bytesTotal>10){}
or something like that.

I don't know how to word this - "Progress bar" maybe???

Hi Everyone!
I've been a lurker here on occasion, but never posted. I'm sure this has been covered somewhere, but what I'm trying to do is place a "loading" page or progress bar that loads my pages before they're shown to the visitor...maybe an hourglass or a bar of some sort, y'know? I think it looks unprofessional to visit a site and watch each item as it loads. Know what I'm sayin'????

Hi -- Welcome to the discussions. They're called animated Flash "preloaders" which show a progress bar, e.g.
http://www.verticalmoon.com/products/swflockload/swflockload.htm
...but I'm not sure how practical it would be to use them for general web-page loading; perhaps another forum reader could chip in here.
If you decide to experiment, you could try integrating preloaders into your site via either of the following:
http://web.mac.com/cbrantly/iWeb/Software/iWeb%20Enhancer.html
or...
http://iweb.varkgirl.com
(Click on the first "tip" link in the list)

Cant get my head around preloaders in Flash CS4

Hi Folks,
Can anyone help me with preloaders please?
On my site I have a simple slideshow of 3 images that I have made in Flash. They are layered and the first images starts on frame2, when the final image has finished it loops back to the start to replay, no problems with that.
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Hi,
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See Note: https://service.sap.com/sap/support/notes/1312542
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Hi everyone,
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Try to avoid using MX components in mobile apps.

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Hi Mike,
It seems that part of my problem is due to an error in .actionScriptProperties (which file doesn't show up in the package explorer): the "mainApplicationPath" refers to a non existent file "StockQuotesExample.mxml" (see screen copy below):
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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<actionScriptProperties mainApplicationPath="StockQuoteExampleWebService.mxml" projectUUID="2376e773-57bd-4f6a-9034-7911cb1df6d8" version="6">
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Create cool preloader without flash?

Hi all,
Is there a way I can graphically design a preloader with just AI en Flex?
I've found tutorials online using Flash and pure AS3 to create preloaders, but it'd be very convenient if I could use Flash Builder and create a Preloader.mxml with some simple .FXG graphs.
Or maybe there's a way to generate a standard PreloaderSkin.mxml with FlashBuilder which I can use as a template?
Thanks!

Hi,
I had a bit of a play with preloaders, this is what I found.
1. A flex based preloader is no value as it won't work until the framework components are loaded, even if you start to add the needed libraries into a flex swc the file size becomes very large very quickly which defeats the whole purpose of a preloader.
2. Preloaders are happy to be constructed with any elements available in the flashplayer so you don't need a preformed flash based swc or swf as a preloader.
3. Its Easy to write actionscript preloader's in flex.
4. A preloader generator wouldn't be that hard to make maybe an air app with a visual designer that generates the requires actionscript file.
I am going to play with the visual designer idea after experimenting with preloaders that use a config file for 'skinning'.
for a basic as preloader (no flash needed )
http://ezflex.net/ view source enabled
David

Flash Preloader Issue

I have tried several methods of flash preloading for some
large flash movies I have. The loader indicator flashes for just a
brief moment and then there is blank data until the file loads. I
am using Go-live CS2. I had a friend publish the same code using a
different site and a different editor and it works. Does Go-live do
something weird to preloaders? Or, is it possible that my site
providers server is blocking script to prevent it from working? Any
ideas would be appreciated. If you have a suggestion of a preloader
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http://www.actionscript.org/resources/articles/54/1/Smooth-PreLoader/Page1.html

Flash gets bad reputation from lazy programmers

Hi all
I would just like to say Flash gets a bad reputation from
lazy programmers. I talk about flash with friends and they say
'Flash is to costly to bandwidth' or 'Flash files are to big for
the net' or 'I hate preloaders they take too long'.
I've learned that Vector graphics are the most efficient way
to display images on the net. People are loading unnecessary PNG,
JPEG or bitmaps in flash movies. Often they do not even optimize
the images. Even further they do not allow their Flash movies to
print the images to a printer. So why do lazy programmers do this?
I have created a site using Flash elements to illustrate the
content, and this is the most efficient method there is on the net.
Flash Vector graphics are faster, cheaper and better than the other
formats. If I have to hear another person complain about Flash
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Vector Graphics
driven site
regards
John
www.javono.com

I have to agree that Flash drawn graphics can provide a
substantial efficiency and clarity. I will use them whenever the
opportunity presents itself. But I don't think lazy programmers are
responsible for any sort of bad reputation that Flash might have...
I haven't heard that it has one.
At one end, programmers are just that, programmers, not
graphic artists, and they have to rely on others to create graphic
elements for them. And while Flash can be used to create some nice
drawings it does not have all of the features and capabilities that
software created for drawing has to offer, so graphics people are
more prone to use such software, it's what they are trained in,
which is why Flash often ends up with jpeg and png files. And alot
of web-based content utilizes complex imagery such as photographs,
3D renderings, and video... which Flash vector drawing cannot be
used to recreate.
And on the other end are those that use Flash almost solely
for animations and have little to no programming skills nor need
for any.
One of the nice things Flash does, which some of your friends
apparently take exception to, is provide preloading capability. Not
all of the preloading you see is always what lives in a flash file,
a good portion of that preloading could be image content and other
media that is dynamically brought into play later on. A very small
Flash file can end up presenting a very large amount of content
this way. Sure, in this microwave oven world we live in, nobody
likes a long wait, but I think it's better to wait the one time up
front than to have to wait every time some new piece needs to be
flown in from a server like your average web page often makes you
do.
You're not likely to find an anti-Flash attitude popping up
much in these forums... the folks that come here a usually those
who have fallen under its spell and seek to enhance their abilities
to use it.

Flash Preloaders

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