Get current url to Flash swf using an External Interface call

Posted on by Evan Mullins

Update: please see the newer tut talking about getting the current url with as3

Overview:

Many have struggled with the task of getting you swf to read or get the current url showing in the browser, the html page the browser is at which has the swf embedded. Not to be confused with the _root._url which returns the path of the swf file. This would be helpful to know if someone is embedding your swfs on their site, or even customize your swf depending on which page it resides on. There is a pretty simple, yet virtually undocumented way to do this. We have to use javascript by calling External Interface and get the url from the DOM. Window.location.href. Then we must call the toString() function only because ExternalInterface.call requires a function rather than only reading a static property.

Steps:

  1. Import external interface into your file: import flash.external.ExternalInterface;

  2. Initialize a variable to store the url path: var urlPath;

  3. Create a function to call external interface and assign the html page path to your variable: urlPath = ExternalInterface.call(“window.location.href.toString”);

  4. Call the function when/if needed.

Example:

With javascript: window.location.href or window.location.href.toString();
With actionscript: ExternalInterface.call(“window.location.href.toString”);
External Interface html Example
[kml_flashembed publishmethod=”dynamic” fversion=”9.0.0″ movie=”https://circlecube.com/circlecube/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2008/01/externalinterface.swf” width=”550″ height=”200″ targetclass=”flashmovie”]

Get Adobe Flash player

[/kml_flashembed]
Actionscript:
[cc lang=”actionscript” tab_size=”2″ lines=”40″]
import flash.external.*;
var urlPath;

function geturlhttp() {
urlPath = ExternalInterface.call(“window.location.href.toString”);
}
geturlhttp();
//Here I assign the url to a text box on the stage
_root.urlText.text = urlPath;

[/cc]

Download:

ExternalInterface.zip

42 thoughts on “Get current url to Flash swf using an External Interface call”

  1. Great but you can\’t get URLs from Myspace/Facebook because of Javascript is not allowed. Please vote to fix the bug below so we have this information everywhere.

    The browser URL information is actually available in the Error Code returned from a call to ExternalInterface (when Javascript is not allowed). This information is not available in the standard player (but is in the debug), ARGH…. We all want to track our Flash widgets so please vote to fix this bug. You would then be able to get the browser URL from the Error code returned on the API call from Myspace page (a bit of a hack but the information would be available).

    http://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/ASC-3095

  4. You can also use location.href and pass it through SWFObject to get the current url of a page like:

    so.addVariable(“urlPageName”, location.href);

    I used it a couple of times across projects that needed to work locally and on the server. This worked fine for me across IE and Firefox.

  5. @Evan – Thanks for this, learnt something new – just a shame it doesn’t play ball in IE.

    @agi – Good suggestion, I think that’ll work…

  6. Hi Guys,

    Just thought you might like to know there’s a solution to this problem. The following snippit works across all browsers I’ve tested (tho clearly it requires JS access):

    var result:String = ExternalInterface.call(‘eval’, ‘window.location.href’);

    Hope it helps!

  9. What is the advantage of using the ExternalInterface technique as you’ve described over the following:

    [actionscript]
    import flash.net.LocalConnection;
    var lc:LocalConnection = new LocalConnection();
    var domain:String = lc.domain;
    trace(domain);
    [/actionscript]

  10. Hello all!

    @John: Think this will only give the URL of the location of the SWF, it won’t give you the URL of the screen in which you are viewing the SWF.

    for example:
    domain 1: contains SWF
    domain 2: contains html file with embed sourcecode.

    You want the URL of domain 2, so you can track ur SWF.

    This is my issue aswell. Since im gonna work with paying clients, having their own layout. I want to dynamicly get their XML file containing layout info (which is on my server) based on a URL or Domainname send by them automaticly when viewing my SWF.

  11. I’m trying to use this function to insert the current url when people submit a form, the code is below but the import flash.external.*; is created an endless loop how can I fix it, and is the way im getting the url ok or should i just put it into a variable instead of using the function? I appreciate any help

    thanks

    stop();
    System.useCodepage = true;
    send_btn.onRelease = function() {

    import flash.external.*;

    function geturlhttp() {
    _root.urlPath = ExternalInterface.call(“window.location.href.toString”);
    }

    my_vars = new LoadVars();
    my_vars.url = geturlhttp();
    my_vars.email = email_box.text;
    my_vars.name = name_box.text;
    if (my_vars.name != “” and my_vars.email != “” and my_vars.url != “”) {

    my_vars.sendAndLoad(“mailer.php”, my_vars, “POST”);
    gotoAndStop(2);
    } else {
    error_clip.gotoAndPlay(2);
    }
    my_vars.onLoad = function() {
    gotoAndStop(3);
    };
    };
    email_box.onSetFocus = subject_box.onSetFocus=message_box.onSetFocus=function () {
    if (error_clip._currentframe != 1) {
    error_clip.gotoAndPlay(6);
    }
    };

  12. Hi,all
    ExternalInterface.call(’eval’, ‘window.location.href’);
    this can get url,but i have a problem,my flash is a widget and when it insert into a page,this widget has not a id(<object classid=…. id=…) and not work.
    how can i do ?

  13. @Kavin – your flash does not need an id or class to use ExternalInterface. Although sites lie MySpace don’t allow the use of javascript, so we can’t use ExternalInterface there. Good luck!

  15. I tried to use your code below but it is not working in my end.

    The return value is “undefined”.

    I am currently experimenting on how can I get the querystring of the current URL and append it in the url in of my getURL function.

    Below is a sample of my code.

    *********************************************
    import flash.external.*;

    function geturlhttp()
    {
    //will contain the Current URL
    var urlPath = ExternalInterface.call(“window.location.href.tostring”);

    //trace (urlpath)
    // result is undefined
    //get current URL of the site
    var QStr:String;
    Qstr = “”;
    if (urlPath.indexOf(“?”) -1)
    {
    Qstr = urlPath.substr(urlPath.indexOf(“?”), urlPath.length );
    }

    getURL(“http://www.adrian.com/adrian.html” + Qstr , “_self”);

    }

    _root.LearnD.onRealease = function()

    {
    geturlhttp();
    };

    *********************************************
    Whenever I click the LearnD button , I am redirected to this page.

    http://www.adrian.com/adrian.htmlundefined

  16. @Adrian – this line is most likely giving you trouble:
    if (urlPath.indexOf(”?”) -1)
    should it read:
    if (urlPath.indexOf(”?”) == -1) ?
    let me know if that does it. happy scripting.

  17. I correct the codes aand the issue is still existing.

    I am still getting “undefined”. I also noticed that the code is working if I will assign a fixed URL value for the UrlPath variable.

  18. Actually, it should be != rather than ==, and remember that variable names are caSe seNseTive, so your QStr and Qstr are not the same things.

    this worked for me:

    [cc lang=”actionscript”]
    function geturlhttp() {
    //var urlPath = ExternalInterface.call(“window.location.href.tostring”);
    urlPath = “http://www.adrian.com/adrian.html?test=qs”;
    //trace (urlpath)

    var QStr:String = “”;
    if (urlPath.indexOf(“?”) != -1) {
    QStr = urlPath.substr(urlPath.indexOf(“?”), urlPath.length );
    trace(QStr);
    }

    getURL(“http://www.adrian.com/adrian.html” + QStr , “_self”);

    }
    [/cc]

  19. This page claims to provide the URL to the SWF but it does not. The example provided, and all of the alternative examples in the comments, provide the URL to the PAGE containing the SWF.

  21. Hi,

    I don't really like to require users of my swf's to have to add and javascript, so instead I do this entirely in actionscript:

    ExternalInterface.call(“eval”,”document.location.href”);

    You have to use “eval” (evaluate) to work across all browsers (and “document.location” is safer than “window.location” in case you're in a frameset).

    HTH,

    MicroAngelo

  22. Hi,

    I don’t really like to require users of my swf’s to have to add and javascript, so instead I do this entirely in actionscript:

    ExternalInterface.call(“eval”,”document.location.href”);

    You have to use “eval” (evaluate) to work across all browsers (and “document.location” is safer than “window.location” in case you’re in a frameset).

    HTH,

    MicroAngelo

  25. thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks for all so much

    you’ve helped me so so so much

    I’m working on my project and I’ll show after finish what I did !!!!!!!

    thanks again

  29. how did you get the example to work in this page? How did you call the .js? Did you embed it in the template file or how in the page?

  30. Hi guys,
    I use this:

    var current_domain;
    function geturlhttp()
    {
    current_domain = ExternalInterface.call(“window.location.href.toString”);
    }
    geturlhttp();
    trace(current_domanin);

    and in embed code: allowscriptaccess=”always”
    and works fine.

  37. Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Many thanks, However I am having issues with your
    RSS. I don’t understand why I cannot join it. Is there anybody else getting similar RSS issues? Anybody who knows the answer will you kindly respond? Thanx!!

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