Password

A major programming concept and method you will use is known as the If/Else statement. Collectively, an If / Else statement enables you to ask the computer a Yes or No or True or False question and trigger a reaction depending upon the answer the computer provides. The Else statements use the following structure:

If  (condition)    {
       statement
}   else   {
       statement2
}

The condition is what you are telling the interpreter, Flash, to check to see if it is true or false. If the condition is true, the code under statement will be executed. If the condition is false, the code under statement2 would be executed. You will understand more about this as you complete this tutorial.

In the following example, type kirupa in the input box and press the circle:

[ Type some other name and press the circle again. ]

Create a password check utility by using If/Else statements:

1. To expedite the learning process, I have provided the partial source file with the interface and minor coding automatically done for you. Don't worry, the minor coding does not go beyond stop and button actions. You will have to add the If/Then statements yourself. Download the partial source code by clicking here.
    
2. Once you have downloaded the partial code, make sure you have it displayed in Flash. Right click on Frame 10 of the actions layer and select Actions. The Frame Actions window will appear. Press Ctrl + E to enable Expert Mode. Copy and paste the following line of code:

password = inputName if (password == "kirupa") { inputStatus = "Access granted!" ; } else { inputStatus = "Access denied!" ; }

3. After you have pasted the code, close the Frame Actions window and preview the animation by pressing Ctrl + Enter. Enter kirupa and press the circle to see the message "Access granted!". Enter any other name, and you will see the message "Access denied!".

Why the Animation Worked
Because you copied and pasted the code, I will explain why the code worked so you can replicate the if/else technique in your own animations. I will explain each line of the code:

password = inputName

When you click on the input box in Frame 1, notice the Variable field under Text Options. In the Variable field, you will see that I named the input box "inputName". So, in the first line of code, I'm making a variable that I call password equal the contents of the input box. Setting the contents of the input box into the variable takes care of storing the name entered by the visitor.

if (password == "kirupa") {
        inputStatus = "Access granted!" ;
} else {
        inputStatus = "Access denied!" ;
}

The second line of code is the condition statement. You use the condition statement to introduce the remaining lines of code. You are basically telling Flash, if the password entered by the visitor is kirupa, perform what is listed in the third line of code. If the password entered is not kirupa, perform what is listed in the fifth line of code.

What is inputStatus you say? Well, inputStatus is the dynamic text field on Frame 10 that displays the results from the code. Because dynamic text fields can display data AND support naming by variables, it would be the preferred choice for displaying the data. I didn't use Static text because you cannot give static text a variable name. I didn't use the Input Text (Input box) selection because the user is not inputting any data. The following image displays the text displayed in the Text Options tab:

Instant Replay: Animation Walkthrough
When you enter the word kirupa and press the circle button, you are taken to Frame 10. Frame 10 contains the actions that invoke the if/else script. Because you entered kirupa, the condition statement (password == kirupa) is true. Therefore, Flash knows to execute the code in the third line (which is the statement: inputStatus = "Access granted!").

Let's say there is someone out there who misspelled my name (heaven forbid!). Because the name entered does not match the value in the condition statement (kirupa), Flash will go to the 5th line of code which is: inputStatus = "Access denied!"

The code you learned could be used for any method in which you need to ensure that only certain visitors have access to the site. While I made the statements display data in a dynamic text field, you can use Go To statements to take the visitor to a certain frame for the correct or incorrect password, etc. The possibilities are infinite!

Of course, in classic kirupa.com tradition, the final source code has been provided so you can see compare your FLA to that of mine. Click Here to Download the Source Code.

I hope the information helped. If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to post them on the kirupa.com Forums. Just post your question and I, or our friendly forum helpers, will help answer it.

The following is a list of related tutorial and help resources that you may find useful:

How to use the Forums New, Upcoming, and In-Progress Tutorials How to Help out kirupa.com Writing Tutorials

Cheers!
	Kirupa Chinnathambi kirupaBlog