Yet another Flash MX loader
An in depth look at building a reusable preloader for Flash MX.
01 Introduction
02 What should the loader do?
03 How should the preloader work? / What should it look like?
04 Useful reading / Designing the loader movie
05 What have we got so far? / Getting it to stop and play its parent
06 Setting a preload amount / Sync the loader movie with the download amount / Adding text feedback
07 Setting a maximum loader play rate / Setting a maximum load rate
08 Using the loader
09 Conclusion / About the authors / Copyright
Conclusion
In building the virtual exhibition for the Western Australian Museum, we made extensive use of the loader. With over 360 SWF files to load we needed a resource that would not be a large overhead on the bandwidth, would be easy to add to a movie, and could handle custom preload amounts.
The way we approached most of our files was to load all window, caption, and text elements as early as we could, then when we hit the larger elements, like images and sounds, we would use the loader to indicate progress. Because we can put it anywhere we like, we can make the best use of the streaming capabilities of Flash MX and just when things start to stall (when it hits a large image or audio sample) we whack in a loader so that the site visitor still sees something happening.
Having a loader does not mean that you can get away with developing bloated Flash MX sites: great big monolithic monsters have gone the way of the dinosaurs. Be clever and stream as much content you can in an entertaining way. At some point, though, you will probably need a loader when the media you want to show gets too big. This approach should serve well for most occasions.
About the authors
The Glasson Murray Group, Pty. Ltd. creates and presents high quality and engaging content for delivery across a range of media. They designed and developed the virtual exhibition in conjunction with the Western Australian Museum, producing a truly compelling and unparalleled presentation.
Copyright
Materials are copyrighted and are protected by worldwide copyright laws and treaty provisions. Copyright law in Australia is contained in the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) and in decisions of courts, with further amendments in the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000. They may not be copied, reproduced, modified, published, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way, without GMG's prior written permission. Except as expressly provided herein, GMG and its suppliers do not grant any express or implied right to you under any patents, copyrights, trademarks, or trade secret information. Other rights may be granted to you by GMG in writing or incorporated elsewhere in the Materials.
01 Introduction
02 What should the loader do?
03 How should the preloader work? / What should it look like?
04 Useful reading / Designing the loader movie
05 What have we got so far? / Getting it to stop and play its parent
06 Setting a preload amount / Sync the loader movie with the download amount / Adding text feedback
07 Setting a maximum loader play rate / Setting a maximum load rate
08 Using the loader
09 Conclusion / About the authors / Copyright
© 2003 Glasson Murray Group Pty Ltd (ACN 098 651 542), Western Australia. All rights reserved.