assigning URL to MCs via XML

[trick]

So I'm trying to get better at AS3, and am working on a file that uses XML. I've got some of it to work, but can't wrap my head around this. My XML looks kinda like this:



<portfolio>
<piece>
<image>portfolio/01.jpg</image>
<description>one</description>
<link>http://somelink.com/</link>
</piece>
</portfolio>


with more than one "piece" obviously.

I can get the XML and do stuff with the images (put them all on the stage with a for loop). Next I want to make the images link to the URLs, but I can't figure out how to assign the corresponding variable to the movieclips.

I load the XML and run my for loop:


function xmlLoaded(e:Event):void {
var loadedxml:XML = new XML(e.target.data);
for (var i:uint=0; i<loadedxml.piece.length(); i++)
{
var pieceholder:MovieClip = new MovieClip();
portfolio.addChild(pieceholder);
pieceholder.buttonMode = true;
// how to get just the URL we need?
linky = loadedxml.piece.link.text()[i];
var pieceloader = new Loader();
var pictURLReq:URLRequest = new URLRequest(loadedxml.piece.image.text()[i]);
pieceholder.addChild(pieceloader);
pieceloader.load(pictURLReq);

pieceloader.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN , linkygo);
}
}


and have a function for the link click:


function linkygo(e:MouseEvent):void
{
var strURL:URLRequest = new URLRequest(linky);
navigateToURL(strURL, "_blank");
}



and what happens? all the buttons go to the same link, the last one from my XML.

how can I make the buttons go to the correct, corresponding URL?

Thanks!!!

[e_owen]

at present you are not declaring 'linky' as local to that MovieClip and so there is only instantiation of it- which is being updated with the new xml data every time. in the loop you need to say:


pieceholder.linky = loadedxml.peice.link.text()[i];

then in the ClickHandler function:


var strURL:URLRequest = newURLRequest(e.currentTarget.linky);

[trick]

thanks for the quick reply! it still isn't working though, it throws this error:

ReferenceError: Error #1069: Property linky not found on flash.display.Loader and there is no default value.

tracing "e.currentTarget" returns: [object Loader]

[e_owen]

thanks for the quick reply! it still isn't working though, it throws this error:

ReferenceError: Error #1069: Property linky not found on flash.display.Loader and there is no default value.

tracing "e.currentTarget" returns: [object Loader]

I said to create the 'linky' property on peiceholder by mistake, create it on peiceloader instead as that is dispatching the click event.

peiceloader.linky = ...

[trick]

now I get this:

TypeError: Error #1010: A term is undefined and has no properties.
at portfol_fla::MainTimeline/xmlLoaded()
at flash.events::EventDispatcher/dispatchEventFunction()
at flash.events::EventDispatcher/dispatchEvent()
at flash.net::URLLoader/onComplete()

:(

here's the updated code:


function xmlLoaded(e:Event):void {
var loadedxml:XML = new XML(e.target.data);
for (var i:uint=0; i<loadedxml.piece.length(); i++)
{
var pieceholder:MovieClip = new MovieClip();
portfolio.addChild(pieceholder);
pieceholder.buttonMode = true;
var pieceloader = new Loader();
var pictURLReq:URLRequest = new URLRequest(loadedxml.piece.image.text()[i]);
pieceholder.addChild(pieceloader);
pieceloader.load(pictURLReq);

// how to get just the URL we need?
pieceloader.linky = loadedxml.piece.link.text()[i];

pieceloader.contentLoaderInfo.addEventListener(Eve nt.COMPLETE, pieceloaderComplete);
pieceloader.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN , linkygo);
}
}


function linkygo(e:MouseEvent):void
{
var strURL:URLRequest = new URLRequest(e.currentTarget.linky);
navigateToURL(strURL, "_blank");
}

[e_owen]

So it appears that you cannot add a property to a Loader, but you definitely can to a MovieClip... If you switch the CLICK event and linky property to the pieceholder MovieClip that will work fine, obviously the hit area will be the entire pieceholder MovieClip so you can create a new MovieClip inside pieceholder that will hold the Loader and have the linky property and CLICK event.

[trick]

thanks! ok, I tried:

pieceholder.linky = loadedxml.piece.link.text()[i];

pieceholder.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN , linkygo);

and still get


ReferenceError: Error #1069: Property linky not found on flash.display.Loader and there is no default value.
at portfol_fla::MainTimeline/xmlLoaded()
at flash.events::EventDispatcher/dispatchEventFunction()
at flash.events::EventDispatcher/dispatchEvent()
at flash.net::URLLoader/onComplete()

it would be fine to have all of pieceholder be the hit area... am I just not defining the linky variable in the correct way? is there some syntax that I'm missing?

[e_owen]

Have you tried tracing


loadedxml.piece.link.text()[i];
to make sure that it has a value of any kind? You could try hard-coding a string to 'linky' and see if that works, then you would know that the error is when parsing the xml.

check out http://www.kirupa.com/developer/flashcs3/using_xml_as3_pg1.htm for all your xml needs...

[trick]

yep, and it does have the correct value (the full URL from the XML).

I just can't pass it correctly to the click function for each piece. argh.

[e_owen]

yep, and it does have the correct value (the full URL from the XML).

I just can't pass it correctly to the click function for each piece. argh.

Can you post your .fla?

[trick]

thanks for taking a look!

[e_owen]

The only problem with your file was that you were tracing pieceloader.linky which no longer existed since we addded the property to pieceholder... The attached .fla works as it should.

[trick]

d'oh! never thought about the trace.

thanks e_owen!

^_^b

[ddot]

this helped me greatly... what a GodSend... sometimes it's hard to ask the right question... or explain yourself to google where you can get pointed in the right direction