Local Connection Actionscript – Communicate between seperate Flash files | Tutorial

Posted on by Evan Mullins

Overview:

Local Connection
Communication between two separate flash files placed on the same page (or even running simultaneously on one machine) is a nice way to spread a project out. You can send variable, call functions, pretty much do anything in one swf from another. Easiest case use would be a navigation menu set up in one flash file to control the other one containing the content. I’ve made an example here showing how to send text from one to another. I’ve done it both directions here. Send text from the red swf to the blue swf, and from mr. Blue you send to the red flash file. I have named the flash functions in actionscript accordingly (or tried to, now I notice a few places I misspelled receive, ‘i’ before ‘e’, right? oh yea, except after ‘c’)…
Anyways, try out the example here, I made it a little easier by putting a keyListener on ‘Enter’, so you don’t have to actually press the send button. Didn’t realize it before, but this is like a chat app built in flash! So go ahead and chat with yourself to prove that it works!

Execute actionscript in one swf from another! Inter-swf communication.

Example:

Type here to send Red text to Blue flash file
[kml_flashembed publishmethod=”dynamic” fversion=”9.0.0″ movie=”https://circlecube.com/circlecube/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2008/03/localConnectionRed.swf” width=”550″ height=”400″ targetclass=”flashmovie”]Get Adobe Flash player

[/kml_flashembed]

And see it received here, and go ahead and send some back to Red.
[kml_flashembed publishmethod=”dynamic” fversion=”9.0.0″ movie=”https://circlecube.com/circlecube/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2008/03/localConnectionBlue.swf” width=”550″ height=”400″ targetclass=”flashmovie”]Get Adobe Flash player

[/kml_flashembed]

Actionscript:

Red:
[cc lang=”actionscript” tab_size=”2″ lines=”40″]
// Receiving
//create a local connection for reciept of text
var receiving_lc:LocalConnection = new LocalConnection();
//function called from other swf
receiving_lc.recieveBlueText = function(textRecieved:String) {
feedback.text += textRecieved+”\n”;
};
//receive connection of specified name
receiving_lc.connect(“fromBlue”);

//Sending
sendButton.onRelease = function() {
//create local connection for sending text
var sending_lc:LocalConnection = new LocalConnection();
//put text from input into a var
var textToSend = inputText.text;
//send through specified connection, call specified method, send specified parameter
sending_lc.send(“fromRed”, “recieveRedText”, textToSend);
//set the input empty
inputText.text = “”;
}
[/cc]

Blue:
[cc lang=”actionscript” tab_size=”2″ lines=”40″]
// Receiving
var receiving_lc:LocalConnection = new LocalConnection();
receiving_lc.recieveRedText = function(textRecieved:String) {
feedback.text += textRecieved+”\n”;
};
receiving_lc.connect(“fromRed”);

//Sending
sendButton.onRelease = function() {
var sending_lc:LocalConnection = new LocalConnection();
var textToSend = inputText.text;
sending_lc.send(“fromBlue”, “recieveBlueText”, textToSend);
inputText.text = “”;
}
[/cc]

And the code to listen to the ‘enter’ key(this is in both files):
[cc lang=”actionscript” tab_size=”2″ lines=”40″]
//Enter button to send
var keyListener:Object = new Object();
keyListener.onKeyDown = function() {
if (Key.getCode() == “13”) {
sendButton.onRelease();
}
};
Key.addListener(keyListener);
[/cc]

Download Source:

localConnectionRedBlue.zip

27 thoughts on “Local Connection Actionscript – Communicate between seperate Flash files | Tutorial”

    1. Theoretically this is supported. Sorry, I haven’t tested it before, so I can’t say for sure of have an example, I’ll add it to my list though. =)

  2. I have a doubt.. Can we create local connection between three swf files.. Can u please clarify my doubt…

  4. Is it possible to add this script to multiple buttons in a pamenu and call multiple flash vido files with it?

  10. This example works great but what can be done about someone who has two browser events open at the same time. The connection will only address the first page that is opened.

  11. you may want to check the code and solve for the problem that when someone opens your website up in two separate tabs, the local connection object fails. you did catch the error correctly however you didn’t give a second or third one to try when they fail. i’ve had this problem before and it saved me to have a second connection name to try if the first one failed. also if the user was at a website that used the same code you have, more specifically the same local connection name you used, one of the connections would fail.

    just something to think about when doing this. i’ve found the local connection is a real pain.

  12. This code isn’t working for me on OS 10.5, Firefox 3.5.6, Safari 4.0.4, Flash Player 10,0,32,18. Not sure why.

    Works fine via Parrallels / Windowx XP Pro 2002, IE 6.

    Is this Flash Player Mac bug?

    1. Well this is almost 2 years old, so I wouldn’t be too surprised it new browser updates may have borked it. i’d try some as3 by now to do it. That may help as well

      1. That’s the conclusion I’m starting to come to. I’ve been searching around for a working version of a flash localConnection tutorial for hours. I have yet to find a functioning example. Unfortunately, I’m also unable to find any verification that this is due to some new security feature, or other known issue (aside from the very common multiple open browser issue). Seems that this is a problem that has slipped through the cracks and isn’t being addressed anymore. Is there some new way to communicate between flash files on an HTML page?

  13. Hi,
    I’m just starting to learn ActionScript & 3.0 and am working on a project that uses a set of 4 navigation buttons (swf1) that on user click need to play their respective content menu swf’s (swf 1-4) in the same html page. (basically the case that you describe in your overview above).
    Can you provide an example of how to code one of the 4 movie clips in swf1 to call it’s swf content menu and play it from frame 2?
    Any help would be greatly appreciated.
    Thanks in advance.
    Matt

    1. @Miguel

      This is indeed possible, but this is not the method that will do that. You’d need to communicate with the server for something like that. Best of luck!

      1. The idea is to control a remote swf by pressing buttons on a local swf. Let’s say I have a computer with a swf loaded on a browser and from across the web I press a button on another swf also loaded on a browser, an that pressing of the button makes an action on the first swf.

        1. Yes Miguel, this case would require some communication with the server. So each swf would talk to either a database or an xml or even a text file.you’d have one (our even both) writing data while the other reads it. Maybe look up chat apps in flash, I remember seeing some like that not to long ago (maybe on active Tuts . net), it would show you how to use a technique like this.

  17. Instead of sending text, can I send code ex: gotoandplay(20). This code will come from red and sent to blue and blue will start in frame(20)

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