Simple code help with streaming 1 file

Question

I set up the Flash Media Server 2.0 on Windows (test box)
under the host dl35.tamu.edu (behind a firewall so I don't mind
giving it out)
Under the applications directory I create a directory called
test
Under this directory I place a flash movie called motion.flv
In this same directory I copy the main.asc that comes with
the Flash 8 software
I load the "test" application and use _definst_ as the
instance name
In Flash Professional 8 I create a new fla called test.fla
I embed a movie and use the ClearOverAll.swf as the skin for
the movie.
Under the Paramaters Tab I edit the content path to point to
rtmp:"//dl35.tamu.edu/test/_definst_/motion.flv
I test produce the html code and indeed the server shows a
connection even though nothing is playing.
Here is probably where I am most confused but I might have
done something wrong with the above as well. I am not a Flash
programmer, I am a network guy. All I want to do is the bare
minimum in the simplest form of streaming. I could not find code
samples that worked including the tutorial on the Adobe site (seems
to be fairly common). Digging through other examples I "believe" I
found what I wanted but apparantly I did not implement it correctly
or it is not what I need after all and I would like someone to
verify. The below is the action script that I found that I placed
within the test.fla. Is this wrong to do?
nc = new NetConnection();
nc.connect("rtmp://dl35.tamu.edu/test/_definst_");
ns = new NetStream(nc);
my_video.attachVideo(ns);
ns.setBufferTime(0);
ns.play("test");
Is the above correct? Given the names I have told you, what
should be changed. Also does this even need to go here? Is it
supposed to be in an action script file all by itself? At any rate
when producing this to html there are several errors:
**Error** Scene=Scene 1, layer=Layer 1, frame=1:Line 16:
Statement must appear within on/onClipEvent handler
nc = new NetConnection();
**Error** Scene=Scene 1, layer=Layer 1, frame=1:Line 17:
Statement must appear within on/onClipEvent handler
nc.connect("rtmp://dl35.tamu.edu/test/_definst_");
**Error** Scene=Scene 1, layer=Layer 1, frame=1:Line 19:
Statement must appear within on/onClipEvent handler
ns = new NetStream(nc);
**Error** Scene=Scene 1, layer=Layer 1, frame=1:Line 20:
Statement must appear within on/onClipEvent handler
my_video.attachVideo(ns);
**Error** Scene=Scene 1, layer=Layer 1, frame=1:Line 21:
Statement must appear within on/onClipEvent handler
ns.setBufferTime(0);
**Error** Scene=Scene 1, layer=Layer 1, frame=1:Line 22:
Statement must appear within on/onClipEvent handler
ns.play("test");
Total ActionScript Errors: 6 Reported Errors: 6
Goal: All I want to do is stream 1 file.. just 1. I have no
way of knowing whether this server works before taking this simple
step. It would be nice is Adobe delivered out of the box streaming
samples like all of the other streaming servers we support do. But
I digress. Any help is will be appreciated beyond any means that I
can appropriately convey including a sample code package that works
that I can just change a few lines in so I can understand what is
happening.

Answer 1

Imstamu, I'm relatively new to this myself, but I did notice
a few items in your message that I wanted to comment on. First, the
error messages you're coming up with may be the result of putting
the actionscript in the video object itself, rather than in the
timeline for the main SWF movie. What I think you may want to do is
put the actionscript in a layer called "Actions" in the main
timeline, select the keyframe for that layer in frame 1, and put
the actionscript in that keyframe. If you have put it in the video
object (or in some other object such as a button, etc.), you can
get errors of the type you are reporting (at least it has happened
to me). However, as noted below, you may not need that actionscript
at all.
Second, you may want to try placing a directory under the
"test" directory called "streams", putting another directory called
"_definst_" beneath the "streams" directory, and putting the FLV in
the _definst_ directory. This is where FMS is looking for the files
to stream, as I understand it. (It sounds from your description
like you have placed the FLV directly below "test".) Directly below
test *is* the right place for main.asc, as you have done.
IMPORTANT: In terms of the path you use in the contentPath variable
in the video player object, the path for the directory actually
holding the FLV should *still* be
rtmp://dl35.tamu.edu/test/_definst_/motion.flv, as you have done --
i.e., "streams" should not appear in the contentPath variable.
Don't ask me why, but this worked for me. The reason the server is
showing a connection is that you have put a "test" directory in the
right place, and thus have registered the application from the
point of view of FMS, but you have not put the FLV in the right
place, and so FMS can't find the FLV file in the path you've
specified.
Third, are you using the FLVPlayback component in the swf
file? (From the fact that you're using one of the canned Flash
skins, it sounds like that's the case.) If so, and if you're just
streaming one movie, you don't need to worry about the code to open
up a new net connection, new netstream, etc. -- all of that is
embedded in the FLVPlayback object. So all you need to do is put in
the RTMP path to the file --
rtmp://dl35.tamu.edu/test/_definst_/motion.flv -- in the
contentPath variable for the FLVPlayback object; you do not need
the code opening the NetConnection and NetStream objects.
I hope this is useful. As noted, I am fairly new to this
myself, but I have been able to stream files successfully using
FMS, FLV, and Flash.