Flash Preloader

1. Preloader Frames: First you will have to create your preloader frames.

• Insert a frame using Insert Frame (F5) after the first frame in the guestbook layer. Go back to the first frame and now select Insert blank keyframe (F7). You will see the two frames that were joined in the timeline, separate. Now label the second frame 'Load'. This frame represents the starting point of the preloader. Place a simple text box displaying 'Loading Guest-Book entries' on the frame.
  
  
• Double click the 'Load' frame and give the following action script.
     Set Variable: "startE" = ""
      If (load=True)
            Set Variable: "startN" = ""
            Set Variable: "startM" = ""
            Set Variable: "startD" = ""
            Load Variables ("GuestBookGetCode.asp?NAV=" & loadNo & "&submit=" & submit, "")
       End If
       Play
  Logic: This makes sure that the e-mail field (startE) is initially null because we will check this field while looping. The variable load represents the state of the 'Load Next Batch of Entries' button in the display form. If the value of 'load' is 'True', the initialization of the other fields and loading of the next batch of entries is done. The batch number (loadNo) and submission status (submit - that shows if the user has already posted a new entry into the guestbook or not) are sent as parameters to the GuestBookGetCode.asp page. Remember when you load variables from a file you should click on the target option instead of level and leave the field blank.
  
  
• Now insert two frames after the preloader frame using Insert Frame (F5).

2. Preloader Loop: Now we need to make a loop that executes till the data is loaded. To do this insert three frames using Insert Frame (F5) after the first frame in the counter layer.

• Now we need a frame to check a condition and depending on it deciding whether to continue the preloader or display the guestbook. For this double click the third frame in the counter layer and give it the label Preloader. Now go to the actions tab and give the following action script.
          If (startE ne "")
                      Set Variable: "upper_bound" = size*LoadNo
                      If (count-upper_bound<=0)
                                Set Variable: "upper_bound" = Count
                                Set Variable: "NoLoad" = True
                      Else
                                Set Variable: "NoLoad" = False
                      End If
                      Set Variable: "y" = count-((LoadNo-1)*size)
                      If (submit=True)
                                Set Variable: "y" = y-1
                                Set Variable: "x" = ((LoadNo-1)*size)+2
                      Else
                                Set Variable: "x" = ((LoadNo-1)*size)+1
                                Set Variable: "lower_bound" = 1
                      End If
                      Go to and Stop ("Main")
            Else
                      Play
            End If
  
  Logic: This action script is the most important part of the guest-book logic. It is advisable to make sure you understand what it does. This preloader frame checks if the Flash Player has received the value of the variable 'startE'. This symbolizes that the first record has been received. If it is null then the preloader plays on to the next frame. If the value is not null then the upper bound is set as the batch size 50 (make sure to change this value if you have changed the value of intSize in the GuestBookGetCode.asp file) multiplied by the Batch number represented by variable LoadNo. Next if (count-upper_bound<0) determines whether it is the last load or not. We set the value of the record count variable 'y' from the batch number. If the user has already submitted an entry then the required adjustments to get the correct records displayed is done. Now it proceeds to the 'Display form' i.e. frame 'Main'.
  
  
• Double click the fourth frame on the counter layer and add the following action script that results in going back to the preloader frame:
          Go to and Stop ("Preloader")
  
  Logic: This makes the flash go to the frame called 'Preloader' so that a loop is created.
  
  
• Now double click the 'Success' frame and add the following code before the existing 'Stop' action:
          Set Variable: "count" = count+1
            Set Variable: "x" = 0
            Set Variable: "y" = count
            Set Variable: "lower_bound" = 0
            Set Variable: "name" & x = name
            Set Variable: "email" & x = email
            Set Variable: "mess" & x = mess
            Set Variable: "date" & x = date
            Set Variable: "startN" = name
            Set Variable: "startE" = email
            Set Variable: "startM" = mess
            Set Variable: "startD" = date
  
  Logic: This action script is used to give the impression that the record has been added to the database by making the submitted data from the Input Form (NewEntry Frame) appear as the newest record in the display form. Thus the count is incremented and the lower bound is changed from 1 to 0 and the values are initialized so that they appear in the Display Form as record 0.