Reading Data from a Text File

With reference to: "macromedia Flash 5 TRAINING FROM THE SOURCE" by Chrissy Rey.
Published by: macromedia press.

Flash can read and display content from a text file.

The first step is to create the text file using software such as Notepad. The first line must contain the key words "name" and "value". Each line of the text file must contain the name of the variable placeholder used on the Flash scene followed by the text to be displayed bewteen quotation marks.

In this example the variable placeholder names are: "heading", "space" and "caption". The text and variable must be on ONE line. In this example the file is called "test.txt"

Create a text box and type in the variable placeholder names in curly brackets. When the movie runs the variables will be replaced by the associated text from the file.

Go to File/Publish Settings...

Place a tick in the box next to Generator Template[.swt]

Click the Generator environment variable button at the top-right of the menu bar.

Locate the file test.txt as the Data Source

Go to Control/Test Movie to run your movie.

As the movie runs Flash will read the file and insert the text into the positions occupied by the variable placeholders.

Each new screen of text needs to be inserted onto a new Flash "scene".