I’m still having problems with loading external swf’s into the main movie…
I have external swfs each with a tiny preloader at the start, but when the button is pressed there is a long gap (5 - 10secs) before the preloader appears… All is fine when running the files locally on the hard drive but once they are on the server the pause appears because the swf has to load for a few seconds before it can appear.
To get round this problem i want a MC containing ‘loading’ to appear when a button is pressed in the main movie and then for the loading MC to disappear once the movie has loaded into level 2.
Could anyone help me out please with the actionscript i would put on the button to make this happen ?
Do u really need to load the new movie in a level?
Things would be a lot easier if u loaded it in a ‘container’ (a MC). positioned off-stage and bring it on-stage at any time (when the frame the preloader is in is loaded for instance).
If u have to load it in a level (for any reason), make sure the movie u r loading first frame is as light as possible and there are no MC exported (linked).
Let me know if u want me ti elaborate in the first option
I don’t know if this will help. I posted a link in the actionscript forum to a tutorial for preloading your movie and sub movies (at least that’s what it’s supposed to do).
May be with this method the movies will all be preloaded and you can keep a small animation as a preloader for each of your smaller swfs, that should appear immediately, and still give the impression of a subsection being loaded (which at times can look smart).
Of course u have to load external movies, what I mean is WHERE do u load them.
U don’t need to load them in a level that will cover whatever there is the level below. U can load them in a MC (movie clip) that u can position wherever u want. This way u can make sure the frame in the loading movie where the preloader is loaded and only then bring it to the stage to cover whatever there is on stage
(something that says something like ‘preparing to load’ in this case