User Guide
Using Shockwave Player 599
Using URLs with Lingo
In addition to the Lingo that is explicitly intended for use with network operations, some Lingo
elements can use URLs as references to external files.
The following Lingo elements can use URLs as file references in all circumstances:
• moviePath
• pathName
• unloadMovie
The following Lingo supports URLs as references to external files. If you use this Lingo 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 elements with the file’s URL without a delay.
When the following Lingo is used in a browser, however, you must first download the file by
using the
preloadNetThing command. If you do not, the Lingo fails.
• Using a go to movie statement
• Using an importFileInto command
• Using a preLoadMovie command
• Using a play movie command
• Using an open window command (disabled in browsers)
The following Lingo elements can use URLs to Shockwave Audio (SWA) sound files as file
references:
• streamName
• URL cast member property
The following Lingo elements can use URLs as file references only during authoring or
in projectors:
• getNthFileNameInFolder()
• searchCurrentFolder
The following elements don’t work in Shockwave movies because Shockwave doesn’t support
movies in windows (MIAWs):
• open window
• forget window
• close window
Differences in scripting Lingo for browsers
The following list discusses some general differences in the way to script Lingo 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 is best to use preloadNetThing to load media elements
into the browser’s cache first. If the media elements aren’t 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.
• Do not use a repeat while loop to check whether a network operation is complete.