# External .txt
**URL:** https://forum.kirupa.com/t/external-txt/252
**Category:** flash
**Created:** [July 11, 2002, 6:28am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/external-txt/252 "2002-07-11T06:28:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@bcogswell11](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/bcogswell11)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2002, 6:28am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/external-txt/252/1 "2002-07-11T06:28:39Z")
Hey guys.
I saw this tutorial on [Flashkit.com](http://Flashkit.com) and I have a couple of questions:
[The tutorial](http://www.flashkit.com/tutorials/Dynamic_Content/Creating-Rafael_F-15/index.shtml)
All I want to do is have an a form where users can input their email address and then the email address will be stored in a .txt file in my directory. My question is at the end the tutorial gives some lines of code that looks like this:
On (Release)
Load Variables (“[http://www.server.com/cgi-bin/myform.cgi](http://www.server.com/cgi-bin/myform.cgi)”, 1, vars=POST)
End On
I have no experience with cgi, so is all I do save a .txt file as .cgi and name it myform, and then place it in my directory. And then I replace [server.com](http://server.com) with the address of my site?
Thanks guys!
-brad-
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2002, 12:55pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/external-txt/252/2 "2002-07-11T12:55:39Z")
not quite. Your flash movie is sending its variables to the cgi script. The cgi script is actually going to write to the text file.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2002, 8:28pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/external-txt/252/3 "2002-07-11T20:28:14Z")
I don’t have a .cgi file or anything in my directory. So is the file going to automatically make a .txt file and start adding the addresses? Also, is there a way to do this without cgi? Can I just have the variable sent to a .txt file in my directory?
Thanks
-brad-
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2002, 8:37pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/external-txt/252/4 "2002-07-11T20:37:04Z")
A cgi or php file is needed to communicated between the text and flash file. Strange that the cgi file isn’t included for download on this tutorial.
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2002, 9:49pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/external-txt/252/5 "2002-07-11T21:49:47Z")
Hmmm…Do you know of another tutorial where I could get the file?
Thanks!
-brad-
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2002, 1:30am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/external-txt/252/6 "2002-07-13T01:30:33Z")
I’m still looking for a tutorial on how to store vairables in a .txt file. I am just trying to move this post up.
Thanks!
-brad-
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2002, 7:51pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/external-txt/252/7 "2002-07-14T19:51:12Z")
Hello bcogswell11,
do you have access to PHP on your server? It’s quite easy to write to a file or create a new file using PHP. If you do have access to it, let me know and we can discuss the details.
🙂
-ptolemy
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2002, 3:32am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/external-txt/252/8 "2002-07-15T03:32:10Z")
Yes I do have PHP access. Thanks for your help. I have looked all over the internet and I can’t find what I need. All I want is an input box that stores a variable in an outside file. In this case, the variable will be email addresses. This way, I can go to the outside file and just have the long list of addresses that I can move to my E-mail.
Thanks!
-brad-
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2002, 4:36am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/external-txt/252/9 "2002-07-15T04:36:35Z")
**Part 1: Sending vars from Flash to PHP**
To do this you need to create a dynamic text box and give it a variable name (not an instance name!). Name it something like _e-mail_. Now, create some sort of submit button and attach the following code to it (assuming you’re using MX):
```auto
on(release) {
dataContainer = new LoadVars();
dataContainer.email = email;
dataContainer.send("http://path/to/host/write.php", "sendWindow", "POST");
}
```
**Part 2: Writing Flash vars to file with PHP**
Create a new PHP file named _write.php_ and insert the following code:
```php
```
\*If _$\_GET_ isn’t working for you, don’t fret. Use $HTTP\_POST\_VARS[email] instead.
As you can see, it’s quite a simple process. I had problems when I tried this on my host. They told me fwrite() wasn’t permitted. If this is the same with your host, simply add a shebang line to the path of php on the host and you will probably be able to access fwrite(). I can’t guarantee that it will work but I know it did for me.
Let me know how things turn out.
🙂
-ptolemy
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2002, 5:30am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/external-txt/252/10 "2002-07-15T05:30:15Z")
As I am doing this I am trying to understand the process as well. In write.php I am telling Flash to store the variable in the .txt file right?
Other than that I understand the whole thing. My site will be up tomorrow night and I will see if it works and let you know. Thank you for your help!
Thanks!
-brad-
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2002, 12:03pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/external-txt/252/11 "2002-07-15T12:03:00Z")
Actually Flash has no part in thr writing process. It is simply defining the value of the email address that will be written to a file by the PHP script. Flash just passes that value to the write.php file. If Flash could write to files, there would be no need for PHP in this case.
-ptolemy