Putting Loader in a custom class: events, returning to main ... asynch challenges

Question

I'm creating a custom class to retrieve some data using URLoader.
My code is below, doing this from memory, plz ignore any minor typos.
The challenge I'm encountering: when my custom class calls the loader, the event handler takes over.  At which point the context of my code leaves the function and it's not clear to me how I then return the data retrieved by the loader.  I sense that I'm breaking the rules of how ActionScript really runs by putting a loader in a separate class; at least, that's my primitive understanding based upon the reading I've done on this.
So can I do this?  I am trying to create a clean separation of concerns in my program so that my main program doesn't get clogged up with code concerned with retrieving remote data.
Thanks!
Main program;
import bethesda.myLoader;
var ldr:myLoader = new myLoader;
var data:String = myLoader.getData("someurl");
My custom class:
package bethesda {
     public class myLoader {
          function myLoader(url:String):String {
               var loader:URLLoader = new URLLoader();
               var request:URLRequest = new URLRequest(url);
               loader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, completeHandler);
     function completeHandler(event:Event):void {
          var ld:URLLoader = new URLLoader(event.target);
          data = loader.load(); // here's where I don't know what to do to get the data back to my main program

Answer 1

I think you are on the right track in abstracting loading from other code.
Your class may be like that:
package 
     import flash.events.Event;
     import flash.events.EventDispatcher;
     import flash.net.URLLoader;
     import flash.net.URLRequest;
     public class myLoader extends EventDispatcher
          // declare varaibles in the header
          private var loader:URLLoader;
          private var url:String;
          public function myLoader(url:String)
              this.url = url;
          public function load():void {
              var loader:URLLoader = new URLLoader();
              var request:URLRequest = new URLRequest(url);
              loader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, completeHandler);
              loader.load(request);
          private function completeHandler(e:Event):void
              dispatchEvent(new Event(Event.COMPLETE));
          public function get data():*{
              return loader.data;
Although, perhaps the best thing to do would be to make this class extend URLLoader. With the example above you can use the class as following:
import bethesda.myLoader;
import flash.events.Event;
var ldr:myLoader = new myLoader("someurl");
ldr.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, onLoadComplete);
ldr.load();
function onLoadComplete(e:Event):void {
     var data:String = ldr.data;