Accessing variables inside embedded SWF?

Question

I'm programming an AS3 application which loads an external SWF file to a movie clip in my stage. I need to read a variable inside the embedded SWF. I think I can, probably, do this through the bgURL, but I can't figure out how.

How can I read a variable inside the embedded SWF?

var bgLoader:Loader = new Loader();

var bgURL:URLRequest = new URLRequest("file.swf");
bgLoader.load(bgURL);
addChild(bgLoader);

Depends on where your variable is relative to file.swf. For example if there's a variable myVar at the top level of file.swf (think of it as global), you should be able to do something like: trace(MovieClip(bgLoader.content).myVar); after the swf has completely loaded — George Profenza
– George Profenza, Commented Aug 14, 2011 at 23:47
It's actually a few layers deep. If the loaded MovieClip was named "top", here how I'd access it: trace(top._root.Player.played); I don't quite understand what you did with the MovieClip, what does "MovieClip(obj).varName" mean? — Itamar Marom
– Itamar Marom, Commented Aug 15, 2011 at 0:02
Just FYI: your question was mentioned on meta with regard to a rejected edit. That is the reason it is experiencing a bit more attention than would normally be the case. — Makyen
– Makyen ♦, Commented Nov 6, 2016 at 15:27

George Profenza · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-15 11:34:00Z

1

That would be something like trace(MovieClip(bgLoader.content).Player.played);, but make sure you access the content in the Event.COMPLETE handler:

bgLoader.contentLoaderInfo.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE,bgLoaded);
function bgLoaded(event:Event):void{ trace(MovieClip(bgLoader.content).Player.played) }

bgLoader.content returns a DisplayObject, but you need to access you content as a MovieClip. To do so you use casting.

This is presuming your external swf is also AS3 (good point Teo.sk !) This bit: _root.Player.played looks like AS2. Unfortunately you can't access variables form a loaded AS2 movie directly. Still, you can use Local Connection class to send variables back and forth betwen AS2 and AS3. Luckily Grant Skinner wrote a nice little utility called SWFBridge to make this easier

edited Aug 15, 2011 at 11:34

answered Aug 15, 2011 at 0:30

George Profenza

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2 Comments

Itamar Marom Over a year ago

I just found out the embedded swf is AS2. are you sure I can't access the variables? because, when I embedded the same swf in my C# Windows Application, I could access its variables.

George Profenza Over a year ago

I am pretty sure you can't access the as2 variables from an as3 swf which loads it. The as2 swf runs as an AVM1Movie instance in as3 which is restricted in order to run AVM1(as1 and 2 swfs) and AVM2(as3 swfs) side by side. I had no clue you can access variables from a C# Application, that's pretty cool.

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