User Guide

478 Chapter 24: Using Shockwave Player
The following Lingo or JavaScript syntax supports URLs as references to external files. If you
use this script in projectors or during authoring, you can avoid pauses while the file is being
downloaded by first using
preloadNetThing() to download the file. After the file has been
downloaded, you can use these Lingo or JavaScript syntax elements with the file’s URL without
a delay.
When the following Lingo or JavaScript syntax is used in a browser, however, you must first
download the file by using the
preloadNetThing method. If you don’t, the script fails.
• Using a gotoMovie statement
• Using an importFileInto() method
• Using a preLoadMovie() method
• Using a playMovie() method
• Using an openWindow method() (disabled in browsers)
The following Lingo or JavaScript syntax elements can use URLs to Shockwave Audio (SWA)
sound files as file references:
• streamName
• URL cast member property
The following elements don’t work in Shockwave content because Shockwave does not support
movies in windows (MIAWs):
• open window
• forget window
• close window
Differences in scripting for browsers
The following list discusses some general differences in the way to script for a movie that plays
over the Internet, depending on whether the movie is in a browser.
• For a movie playing in a browser, it’s best to use preloadNetThing to load media elements,
external casts, or other movies you might navigate to into the browser’s cache first. If the media
elements are not preloaded using
preloadNetThing, linked media elements might not be
present when they are needed.
• Avoid using long repeat loops in browsers; such repeat loops can make the computer appear
unresponsive. As an alternative, you can split long operations into sections and execute them
over a series of frames or check for user actions in an
on exitFrame handler. Also remember
that the status of any active network operation does not update while long repeat loops
are running.
• Do not use a repeat while loop to check whether a network operation is complete.
Lingo or JavaScript syntax that is unsupported in browsers
The following Lingo or JavaScript syntax features are unsupported for movies that play back
in browsers:
• Creating and managing a MIAW
• Installing and managing custom menus