Dynamic text input from generated text file

programming flash
1

Hello all,
I’m currently doing work for a local cinema that wants session times to be displayed as .swf’s on a few monitors in the foyer, but I’m having difficulties writing the script for it, here’s the situation:

The session times are generated daily as a text file by the ticketing software, it looks like this:

12 1 0950 101 0 330 0 M MADE OF HONOUR
1 1 1000 95 0 400 0 M WHAT HAPPENS IN
6 1 1000 95 0 154 0 M SMART PEOPLE
9 1 1010 92 0 300 0 PG MISS PETTIGREW
5 1 1015 126 0 408 0 M IRON MAN
3 1 1020 92 0 347 0 M SMOTHER
14 1 1030 101 0 38 0 M MADE OF HONOUR
11 1 1035 111 0 186 0 MA15+ FORGETTING SARAH
8 1 1050 108 0 276 0 MA15+ STREET KINGS
10 1 1055 123 0 160 0 M PAINTED VEIL
4 1 1100 95 0 833 0 M WHAT HAPPENS IN
15 1 1100 126 0 42 0 M IRON MAN
7 1 1115 108 0 209 0 MA15+ DECEPTION
2 1 1145 126 0 441 0 M IRON MAN
12 2 1200 101 0 330 0 M MADE OF HONOUR
13 1 1200 95 0 56 0 M WHAT HAPPENS IN
6 2 1205 100 0 154 0 MA15+ UNTRACEABLE
1 2 1210 95 0 400 0 M WHAT HAPPENS IN
etc…

What I’m trying to generate in the .swf is something that looks like this

Made of Honour (M) 9:50 10:30 12:00
What Happens in (M) 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:10
etc…

Additional requirements are the times disappearing after the session has started as well as session times 13-16 being displayed as a separate .swf (first class seating)

So i guess my main question is “can i dynamically load text from a multi-line txt file without editing the txt file to include variable assignment? (‘content=’ etc)”

  • the txt file generated is intended for an led display and is apparently a Texas Instruments standard
2

Well say you have one of those lines as
**
var text_file:String = “12 1 0950 101 0 330 0 M MADE OF HONOUR”;**

then you can make an array holding all the values splitting it at the space
**
var text_array:Array = new Array();
text_array = text_file.split(" ");**

So if you trace the array you’ll have them all separated into the sections of the array. So if we

trace(text_array);

then we’ll get the whole array, but if we

trace(text_array[0]);

then we get just 12. Hopefully you can carry on from there. :slight_smile:

3

that’s awesome thanks! i’ll keep working on it today and post back the result. lifesaver!
sq

4

[LEFT][COLOR=#993300]cool, how do i pull the info from a txt file rather than the string?
i can load the text as is like this:

var[/COLOR] loader:URLLoader = [COLOR=#993300]new[/COLOR] URLLoaderCOLOR=#000000[/COLOR];
[COLOR=#993300]var[/COLOR] theMovies:[COLOR=#993300]Array[/COLOR] = [COLOR=#993300]new[/COLOR] [COLOR=#993300]Array[/COLOR]COLOR=#000000[/COLOR];

loader.[COLOR=#993300]load[/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]([/COLOR][COLOR=#993300]new[/COLOR] URLRequestCOLOR=#000000[/COLOR][COLOR=#000000])[/COLOR];
loader.[COLOR=#000000]addEventListener[/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]([/COLOR]Event.[COLOR=#000000]COMPLETE[/COLOR], loadComplete[COLOR=#000000])[/COLOR];

[COLOR=#993300]function[/COLOR] loadCompleteCOLOR=#000000[/COLOR]:[COLOR=#993300]void[/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000]{[/COLOR]
theMovies = event.[COLOR=#993300]target[/COLOR].[COLOR=#993300]data[/COLOR].[COLOR=#993300]split[/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]([/COLOR][COLOR=#0000FF]"[COLOR=#000099]\r[/COLOR][COLOR=#000099]**
**[/COLOR]"[/COLOR][COLOR=#000000])[/COLOR];
[COLOR=#993300]for[/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]([/COLOR][COLOR=#993300]var[/COLOR] i:[COLOR=#993300]int[/COLOR] = [COLOR=#000000]0[/COLOR]; i < theMovies.[COLOR=#993300]length[/COLOR]; i++[COLOR=#000000])[/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]{[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#993300]trace[/COLOR]COLOR=#000000[/COLOR];
[COLOR=#000000]}[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000]}

but i’m confused as to how to do this
the txt file will get replaced everyday automatically so i can’t have any strings that are unique to a particular txt file, i need to be able to drop any text file in with it and have it open the text file and gather info that way…
well this is ■■■■ tricky.
cam
[/COLOR]
[/LEFT]

5

Is that AS3? I only know AS2. And I don’t see how a text file and a string should have any difference… Also I don’t have much experience in loading stuff from text files, sorry. :confused: