Packagecom.greensock.loading
Classpublic class SWFLoader
InheritanceSWFLoader Inheritance DisplayObjectLoader Inheritance LoaderItem Inheritance LoaderCore Inheritance flash.events.EventDispatcher

Loads a swf file and automatically searches for active loaders in that swf that have the requireWithRoot vars property set to that swf's root. If it finds any, it will factor those loaders' progress into its own progress and not dispatch its COMPLETE event until the nested loaders have finished.

The SWFLoader's content refers to a ContentDisplay (a Sprite) that is created immediately so that you can position/scale/rotate it or add ROLL_OVER/ROLL_OUT/CLICK listeners before (or while) the swf loads. Use the SWFLoader's content property to get the ContentDisplay Sprite, or use the rawContent property to get the actual root of the loaded swf file itself. If a container is defined in the vars object, the ContentDisplay will immediately be added to that container).

If you define a width and height, it will draw a rectangle in the ContentDisplay so that interactive events fire appropriately (rollovers, etc.) and width/height/bounds get reported accurately. This rectangle is invisible by default, but you can control its color and alpha with the bgColor and bgAlpha properties. When the swf loads, it will be added to the ContentDisplay at index 0 with addChildAt() and scaled to fit the width/height according to the scaleMode. These are all optional features - you do not need to define a width or height in which case the swf will load at its native size. See the list below for all the special properties that can be passed through the vars parameter but don't let the list overwhelm you - these are all optional and they are intended to make your job as a developer much easier.

By default, the SWFLoader will attempt to load the swf in a way that allows full script access (same SecurityDomain and child ApplicationDomain). However, if a security error is thrown because the swf is being loaded from another domain and the appropriate crossdomain.xml file isn't in place to grant access, the SWFLoader will automatically adjust the default LoaderContext so that it falls back to the more restricted mode which will have the following effect:

If the loaded swf is an AVM1Movie (built in AS1 or AS2), scriptAccessDenied will be true and a Loader instance will be added to the content Sprite instead of the swf's root.

To maximize the likelihood of your swf loading without any security problems, consider taking the following steps:

A note about garbage collection: A lot of effort has gone into making SWFLoader solve common garbage collection problems related to loading and unloading swfs, but since it is impossible for SWFLoader to know all the code that will run in the child swf, it cannot automatically remove event listeners, stop NetStreams, sounds, etc., all of which could interfere with garbage collection. Therefore it is considered a best practice to [whenever possible] build each subloaded swf so that it has some sort of dispose() method that runs cleanup code (removes event listeners, stops sounds, closes NetStreams, etc.). When the swf is loaded, you can recursively inspect the chain of parents and if a ContentDisplay object is found (it will have a "loader" property), you can add an "unload" event listener so that your dispose() method gets called accordingly. For example, in the child swf you could use code like this:

In the child swf:
var curParent:DisplayObjectContainer = this.parent;
while (curParent) { 
    if (curParent.hasOwnProperty("loader") && curParent.hasOwnProperty("rawContent")) { //ContentDisplay objects have "loader" and "rawContent" properties. The "loader" points to the SWFLoader. Technically it would be cleaner to say if (curParent is ContentDisplay) but that would force ContentDisplay and some core LoaderMax classes to get compiled into the child swf unnecessarily, so doing it this way keeps file size down. 
        Object(curParent).loader.addEventListener("unload", dispose, false, 0, true); 
    }
    curParent = curParent.parent;
}
function dispose(event:Event):void { 
    //do cleanup stuff here like removing event listeners, stopping sounds, closing NetStreams, etc... 
}

OPTIONAL VARS PROPERTIES

The following special properties can be passed into the SWFLoader constructor via its vars parameter which can be either a generic object or an SWFLoaderVars object:

Note: Using a SWFLoaderVars instance instead of a generic object to define your vars is a bit more verbose but provides code hinting and improved debugging because it enforces strict data typing. Use whichever one you prefer.

content data type: com.greensock.loading.display.ContentDisplay (a Sprite). When the swf has finished loading, the rawContent will be added to the ContentDisplay Sprite at index 0 using addChildAt(). rawContent refers to the loaded swf's root unless script access is denied in which case it will be a flash.display.Loader (to avoid security errors).

Example AS3 code:
 import com.greensock.*;
 import com.greensock.loading.*;
 
 //create a SWFLoader that will add the content to the display list at position x:50, y:100 when it has loaded:
 var loader:SWFLoader = new SWFLoader("swf/main.swf", {name:"mainSWF", container:this, x:50, y:100, onInit:initHandler, estimatedBytes:9500});
 
 //begin loading
 loader.load();
  
 function initHandler(event:LoaderEvent):void {
      //fade the swf in as soon as it inits
      TweenLite.from(event.target.content, 1, {alpha:0});
     
     //get a MovieClip named "phoneAnimation_mc" that's on the root of the subloaded swf
     var mc:DisplayObject = loader.getSWFChild("phoneAnimation_mc");
     
     //find the "com.greensock.TweenLite" class that's inside the subloaded swf
     var tweenClass:Class = loader.getClass("com.greensock.TweenLite");
 }
 
 //Or you could put the SWFLoader into a LoaderMax. Create one first...
 var queue:LoaderMax = new LoaderMax({name:"mainQueue", onProgress:progressHandler, onComplete:completeHandler, onError:errorHandler});
 
 //append the SWFLoader and several other loaders
 queue.append( loader );
 queue.append( new XMLLoader("xml/doc.xml", {name:"xmlDoc", estimatedBytes:425}) );
 queue.append( new ImageLoader("img/photo1.jpg", {name:"photo1", estimatedBytes:3500}) );
 
 //start loading
 queue.load();
 function progressHandler(event:LoaderEvent):void {
     trace("progress: " + event.target.progress);
 }
 
 function completeHandler(event:LoaderEvent):void {
     trace(event.target + " is complete!");
 }
 
 function errorHandler(event:LoaderEvent):void {
     trace("error occured with " + event.target + ": " + event.text);
 }
 

Copyright 2010-2013, GreenSock. All rights reserved. This work is subject to the terms in http://www.greensock.com/terms_of_use.html or for Club GreenSock members, the software agreement that was issued with the membership.

See also

com.greensock.loading.data.SWFLoaderVars


Public Properties
 PropertyDefined By
 InheritedauditedSize : Boolean
[read-only] Indicates whether or not the loader's bytesTotal value has been set by any of the following: Defining an estimatedBytes in the vars object passed to the constructor Calling auditSize() and getting a response (an error is also considered a response) When a LoaderMax instance begins loading, it will automatically force a call to auditSize() for any of its children that don't have an estimatedBytes defined.
LoaderCore
 InheritedautoDispose : Boolean
When autoDispose is true, the loader will be disposed immediately after it completes (it calls the dispose() method internally after dispatching its COMPLETE event).
LoaderCore
 InheritedbytesLoaded : uint
[read-only] Bytes loaded
LoaderCore
 InheritedbytesTotal : uint
[read-only] Total bytes that are to be loaded by the loader.
LoaderCore
 Inheritedcontent : *
[override] [read-only] A ContentDisplay object (a Sprite) that will contain the remote content as soon as the INIT event has been dispatched.
DisplayObjectLoader
 InheriteddefaultAutoForceGC : Boolean = true
[static] By default, LoaderMax will automatically attempt to force garbage collection when a SWFLoader or ImageLoader is unloaded or cancelled but if you prefer to skip this measure, set defaultAutoForceGC to false.
DisplayObjectLoader
 InheritedhttpStatus : int
[read-only] The httpStatus code of the loader.
LoaderItem
 InheritedloadTime : Number
[read-only] The number of seconds that elapsed between when the loader began and when it either completed, failed, or was canceled.
LoaderCore
 Inheritedname : String
A name that you use to identify the loader instance.
LoaderCore
 Inheritedpaused : Boolean
If a loader is paused, its progress will halt and any LoaderMax instances to which it belongs will either skip over it or stop when its position is reached in the queue (depending on whether or not the LoaderMax's skipPaused property is true).
LoaderCore
 Inheritedprogress : Number
[read-only] A value between 0 and 1 indicating the overall progress of the loader.
LoaderCore
 InheritedrawContent : *
[read-only] The raw content that was successfully loaded into the content ContentDisplay Sprite which varies depending on the type of loader and whether or not script access was denied while attempting to load the file: ImageLoader with script access granted: flash.display.Bitmap ImageLoader with script access denied: flash.display.Loader SWFLoader with script access granted: flash.display.DisplayObject (the swf's root) SWFLoader with script access denied: flash.display.Loader (the swf's root cannot be accessed because it would generate a security error)
DisplayObjectLoader
 Inheritedrequest : URLRequest
[read-only] The URLRequest associated with the loader.
LoaderItem
 InheritedscriptAccessDenied : Boolean
[read-only] If the loaded content is denied script access (because of security sandbox restrictions, a missing crossdomain.xml file, etc.), scriptAccessDenied will be set to true.
LoaderItem
 Inheritedstatus : int
[read-only] Integer code indicating the loader's status; options are LoaderStatus.READY, LoaderStatus.LOADING, LoaderStatus.COMPLETED, LoaderStatus.PAUSED, and LoaderStatus.DISPOSED.
LoaderCore
 Inheritedurl : String
The url from which the loader should get its content.
LoaderItem
 Inheritedvars : Object
An object containing optional configuration details, typically passed through a constructor parameter.
LoaderCore
Public Methods
 MethodDefined By
  
SWFLoader(urlOrRequest:*, vars:Object = null)
Constructor
SWFLoader
 Inherited
addEventListener(type:String, listener:Function, useCapture:Boolean = false, priority:int = 0, useWeakReference:Boolean = false):void
[override]
LoaderCore
 Inherited
auditSize():void
[override] Attempts loading just enough of the content to accurately determine the bytesTotal in order to improve the accuracy of the progress property.
DisplayObjectLoader
 Inherited
cancel():void
If the loader is currently loading (status is LoaderStatus.LOADING), it will be canceled immediately and its status will change to LoaderStatus.READY.
LoaderCore
 Inherited
dispose(flushContent:Boolean = false):void
Disposes of the loader and releases it internally for garbage collection.
LoaderCore
  
getChildren(includeNested:Boolean = false, omitLoaderMaxes:Boolean = false):Array
Returns and array of all LoaderMax-related loaders (if any) that were found inside the swf and had their requireWithRoot special vars property set to the swf's root.
SWFLoader
  
getClass(className:String):Class
Searches the loaded swf (and any of its subloaded swfs that were loaded using SWFLoader) for a particular class by name.
SWFLoader
  
getSWFChild(name:String):DisplayObject
Finds a DisplayObject that's on the root of the loaded SWF by name.
SWFLoader
 Inherited
load(flushContent:Boolean = false):void
Loads the loader's content, optionally flushing any previously loaded content first.
LoaderCore
 Inherited
pause():void
Pauses the loader immediately.
LoaderCore
 Inherited
prioritize(loadNow:Boolean = true):void
Immediately prioritizes the loader inside any LoaderMax instances that contain it, forcing it to the top position in their queue and optionally calls load() immediately as well.
LoaderCore
 Inherited
resume():void
Unpauses the loader and resumes loading immediately.
LoaderCore
 Inherited
toString():String
[override] Returns information about the loader, like its type, its name, and its url (if it has one).
LoaderCore
 Inherited
unload():void
Removes any content that was loaded and sets bytesLoaded back to zero.
LoaderCore
Protected Methods
 MethodDefined By
 Inherited
DisplayObjectLoader
 Inherited
[override]
DisplayObjectLoader
Events
 Event Summary Defined By
 InheritedDispatched when the loader is canceled while loading which can occur either because of a failure or when a sibling loader is prioritized in a LoaderMax queue.LoaderCore
  Dispatched when any loader that the SWFLoader discovered in the subloaded swf dispatches a CANCEL event.SWFLoader
  Dispatched when any loader that the SWFLoader discovered in the subloaded swf dispatches a COMPLETE event.SWFLoader
  Dispatched when any loader that the SWFLoader discovered in the subloaded swf dispatches a FAIL event.SWFLoader
  Dispatched when any loader that the SWFLoader discovered in the subloaded swf dispatches an OPEN event.SWFLoader
  Dispatched when any loader that the SWFLoader discovered in the subloaded swf dispatches a PROGRESS event.SWFLoader
 InheritedDispatched when the loader completes.LoaderCore
 InheritedDispatched when the loader experiences some type of error, like a SECURITY_ERROR or IO_ERROR.LoaderCore
 InheritedDispatched when the loader fails.LoaderCore
  Dispatched when the loader's httpStatus value changes.SWFLoader
 InheritedDispatched when the loader experiences an IO_ERROR while loading or auditing its size.LoaderItem
 InheritedDispatched when the loader starts loading.LoaderCore
 InheritedDispatched each time the bytesLoaded value changes while loading (indicating progress).LoaderCore
  Dispatched when the loader is denied script access to the swf which can happen if it is loaded from another domain and there's no crossdomain.xml file in place.SWFLoader
  Dispatched when the loader experiences a SECURITY_ERROR while loading or auditing its size.SWFLoader
 InheritedDispatched when the loader unloads (which happens when either unload() or dispose(true) is called or if a loader is canceled while in the process of loading).LoaderCore
Constructor Detail
SWFLoader()Constructor
public function SWFLoader(urlOrRequest:*, vars:Object = null)

Constructor

Parameters
urlOrRequest:* — The url (String) or URLRequest from which the loader should get its content
 
vars:Object (default = null) — An object containing optional configuration details. For example: new SWFLoader("swf/main.swf", {name:"main", container:this, x:100, y:50, alpha:0, autoPlay:false, onComplete:completeHandler, onProgress:progressHandler}).

The following special properties can be passed into the constructor via the vars parameter which can be either a generic object or an SWFLoaderVars object:

  • name : String - A name that is used to identify the SWFLoader instance. This name can be fed to the LoaderMax.getLoader() or LoaderMax.getContent() methods. This name is also applied to the Sprite that is created to hold the swf (The SWFLoader's content refers to this Sprite). Each loader's name should be unique. If you don't define one, a unique name will be created automatically, like "loader21".
  • container : DisplayObjectContainer - A DisplayObjectContainer into which the content Sprite should be added immediately.
  • width : Number - Sets the ContentDisplay's width property (applied before rotation, scaleX, and scaleY).
  • height : Number - Sets the ContentDisplay's height property (applied before rotation, scaleX, and scaleY).
  • centerRegistration : Boolean - if true, the registration point will be placed in the center of the ContentDisplay Sprite which can be useful if, for example, you want to animate its scale and have it grow/shrink from its center.
  • scaleMode : String - When a width and height are defined, the scaleMode controls how the loaded swf will be scaled to fit the area. The following values are recognized (you may use the com.greensock.layout.ScaleMode constants if you prefer):
    • "stretch" (the default) - The swf will fill the width/height exactly.
    • "proportionalInside" - The swf will be scaled proportionally to fit inside the area defined by the width/height
    • "proportionalOutside" - The swf will be scaled proportionally to completely fill the area, allowing portions of it to exceed the bounds defined by the width/height.
    • "widthOnly" - Only the width of the swf will be adjusted to fit.
    • "heightOnly" - Only the height of the swf will be adjusted to fit.
    • "none" - No scaling of the swf will occur.
  • hAlign : String - When a width and height are defined, the hAlign determines how the swf is horizontally aligned within that area. The following values are recognized (you may use the com.greensock.layout.AlignMode constants if you prefer):
    • "center" (the default) - The swf will be centered horizontally in the area
    • "left" - The swf will be aligned with the left side of the area
    • "right" - The swf will be aligned with the right side of the area
  • vAlign : String - When a width and height are defined, the vAlign determines how the swf is vertically aligned within that area. The following values are recognized (you may use the com.greensock.layout.AlignMode constants if you prefer):
    • "center" (the default) - The swf will be centered vertically in the area
    • "top" - The swf will be aligned with the top of the area
    • "bottom" - The swf will be aligned with the bottom of the area
  • crop : Boolean - When a width and height are defined, setting crop to true will cause the swf to be cropped within that area (by applying a scrollRect for maximum performance) based on its native size (not the bounding box of the swf's current contents). This is typically useful when the scaleMode is "proportionalOutside" or "none" or when the swf contains objects that are positioned off-stage. Any parts of the swf that exceed the dimensions defined by width and height are visually chopped off. Use the hAlign and vAlign special properties to control the vertical and horizontal alignment within the cropped area.
  • x : Number - Sets the ContentDisplay's x property (for positioning on the stage).
  • y : Number - Sets the ContentDisplay's y property (for positioning on the stage).
  • scaleX : Number - Sets the ContentDisplay's scaleX property.
  • scaleY : Number - Sets the ContentDisplay's scaleY property.
  • rotation : Number - Sets the ContentDisplay's rotation property.
  • alpha : Number - Sets the ContentDisplay's alpha property.
  • visible : Boolean - Sets the ContentDisplay's visible property.
  • blendMode : String - Sets the ContentDisplay's blendMode property.
  • autoPlay : Boolean - If autoPlay is true (the default), the swf will begin playing immediately when the INIT event fires. To prevent this behavior, set autoPlay to false which will also mute the swf until the SWFLoader completes. This only calls stop() on the main timeline but it does not prevent scripted animations.
  • bgColor : uint - When a width and height are defined, a rectangle will be drawn inside the ContentDisplay Sprite immediately in order to ease the development process. It is transparent by default, but you may define a bgAlpha if you prefer.
  • bgAlpha : Number - Controls the alpha of the rectangle that is drawn when a width and height are defined.
  • context : LoaderContext - To control things like the ApplicationDomain, SecurityDomain, and whether or not a policy file is checked, define a LoaderContext object. The default context is null when running locally and new LoaderContext(true, new ApplicationDomain(ApplicationDomain.currentDomain), SecurityDomain.currentDomain) when running remotely in order to avoid common security sandbox errors (see Adobe's LoaderContext documentation for details and precautions). Please make sure that if you load swfs from another domain that you have a crossdomain.xml file installed on that remote server that grants your swf access rights (see Adobe's docs for crossdomain.xml details). Again, if you want to impose security restrictions on the loaded swf, please define your own LoaderContext.
  • suppressInitReparentEvents : Boolean - If true, the SWFLoader will suppress the REMOVED_FROM_STAGE and ADDED_TO_STAGE events that are normally dispatched when the subloaded swf is reparented into the ContentDisplay (this always happens in Flash when any DisplayObject that's in the display list gets reparented - SWFLoader just circumvents it by default initially to avoid common problems that could arise if the child swf is coded a certain way). For example, if your subloaded swf has this code: addEventListener(Event.REMOVED_FROM_STAGE, disposeEverything) and you set suppressInitReparentEvents to false, disposeEverything() would get called as soon as the swf inits (assuming the ContentDisplay is in the display list).
  • integrateProgress : Boolean - By default, a SWFLoader instance will automatically look for LoaderMax loaders in the swf when it initializes. Every loader found with a requireWithRoot parameter set to that swf's root will be integrated into the SWFLoader's overall progress. The SWFLoader's COMPLETE event won't fire until all such loaders are also complete. If you prefer NOT to integrate the subloading loaders into the SWFLoader's overall progress, set integrateProgress to false.
  • suppressUncaughtErrors : Boolean - To automatically suppress uncaught errors in the subloaded swf (errors that are thrown outside of a try...catch statement), set suppressUncaughtErrors to true, but please note that this will ONLY work if the parent swf is published to Flash Player 10.1 or later. Suppressing the UncaughtErrorEvent simply means calling its preventDefault() and stopImmediatePropagation() methods as well as preventing it from bubbling up to its parent LoaderMax/SWFLoader anscestors. If you'd rather listen for these events so that you can handle them yourself, listen for the LoaderEvent.UNCAUGHT_ERROR event. The original UncaughtErrorEvent instance will be stored in the LoaderEvent's data property.
  • alternateURL : String - If you define an alternateURL, the loader will initially try to load from its original url and if it fails, it will automatically (and permanently) change the loader's url to the alternateURL and try again. Think of it as a fallback or backup url. It is perfectly acceptable to use the same alternateURL for multiple loaders (maybe a default image for various ImageLoaders for example).
  • noCache : Boolean - If noCache is true, a "gsCacheBusterID" parameter will be appended to the url with a random set of numbers to prevent caching (don't worry, this info is ignored when you getLoader() or getContent() by url and when you're running locally)
  • estimatedBytes : uint - Initially, the loader's bytesTotal is set to the estimatedBytes value (or LoaderMax.defaultEstimatedBytes if one isn't defined). Then, when the swf initializes and has been analyzed enough to determine the size of any nested loaders that were found inside the swf with their requireWithRoot set to that swf's root, it will adjust the bytesTotal accordingly. Setting estimatedBytes is optional, but it provides a way to avoid situations where the progress and bytesTotal values jump around as SWFLoader recognizes nested loaders in the swf and audits their size. The estimatedBytes value should include all nested loaders as well, so if your swf file itself is 2000 bytes and it has 3 nested ImageLoaders, each loading a 2000-byte image, your SWFLoader's estimatedBytes should be 8000. The more accurate the value, the more accurate the loaders' overall progress will be.
  • requireWithRoot : DisplayObject - LoaderMax supports subloading, where an object can be factored into a parent's loading progress. If you want LoaderMax to require this SWFLoader as part of its parent SWFLoader's progress, you must set the requireWithRoot property to your swf's root. For example, var loader:SWFLoader = new SWFLoader("subload.swf", {name:"subloadSWF", requireWithRoot:this.root});
  • allowMalformedURL : Boolean - Normally, the URL will be parsed and any variables in the query string (like "?name=test&state=il&gender=m") will be placed into a URLVariables object which is added to the URLRequest. This avoids a few bugs in Flash, but if you need to keep the entire URL intact (no parsing into URLVariables), set allowMalformedURL:true. For example, if your URL has duplicate variables in the query string like http://www.greensock.com/?c=S&c=SE&c=SW, it is technically considered a malformed URL and a URLVariables object can't properly contain all the duplicates, so in this case you'd want to set allowMalformedURL to true.
  • autoDispose : Boolean - When autoDispose is true, the loader will be disposed immediately after it completes (it calls the dispose() method internally after dispatching its COMPLETE event). This will remove any listeners that were defined in the vars object (like onComplete, onProgress, onError, onInit). Once a loader is disposed, it can no longer be found with LoaderMax.getLoader() or LoaderMax.getContent() - it is essentially destroyed but its content is not unloaded (you must call unload() or dispose(true) to unload its content). The default autoDispose value is false.

    ----EVENT HANDLER SHORTCUTS----

  • onOpen : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.OPEN events which are dispatched when the loader begins loading. Make sure your onOpen function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent).
  • onInit : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.INIT events which are called when the swf has streamed enough of its content to render the first frame and determine if there are any required LoaderMax-related loaders recognized. It also adds the swf to the ContentDisplay Sprite at this point. Make sure your onInit function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent).
  • onProgress : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.PROGRESS events which are dispatched whenever the bytesLoaded changes. Make sure your onProgress function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent). You can use the LoaderEvent's target.progress to get the loader's progress value or use its target.bytesLoaded and target.bytesTotal.
  • onComplete : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.COMPLETE events which are dispatched when the loader has finished loading successfully. Make sure your onComplete function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent).
  • onCancel : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.CANCEL events which are dispatched when loading is aborted due to either a failure or because another loader was prioritized or cancel() was manually called. Make sure your onCancel function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent).
  • onError : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.ERROR events which are dispatched whenever the loader experiences an error (typically an IO_ERROR or SECURITY_ERROR). An error doesn't necessarily mean the loader failed, however - to listen for when a loader fails, use the onFail special property. Make sure your onError function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent).
  • onFail : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.FAIL events which are dispatched whenever the loader fails and its status changes to LoaderStatus.FAILED. Make sure your onFail function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent).
  • onIOError : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.IO_ERROR events which will also call the onError handler, so you can use that as more of a catch-all whereas onIOError is specifically for LoaderEvent.IO_ERROR events. Make sure your onIOError function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent).
  • onHTTPStatus : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.HTTP_STATUS events. Make sure your onHTTPStatus function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent). You can determine the httpStatus code using the LoaderEvent's target.httpStatus (LoaderItems keep track of their httpStatus when possible, although certain environments prevent Flash from getting httpStatus information).
  • onSecurityError : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.SECURITY_ERROR events which onError handles as well, so you can use that as more of a catch-all whereas onSecurityError is specifically for SECURITY_ERROR events. Make sure your onSecurityError function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent).
  • onScriptAccessDenied : Function - A handler function for LoaderMax.SCRIPT_ACCESS_DENIED events which occur when the swf is loaded from another domain and no crossdomain.xml is in place to grant full script access for things like BitmapData manipulation or integration of LoaderMax data inside the swf, etc. You can also check the scriptAccessDenied property after the swf has loaded. Make sure your function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent).
  • onUncaughtError : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.UNCAUGHT_ERROR events which are dispatched when the subloaded swf encounters an UncaughtErrorEvent meaning an Error was thrown outside of a try...catch statement. This can be useful when subloading swfs from a 3rd party that may contain errors. However, UNCAUGHT_ERROR events will only be dispatched if the parent swf is published for Flash Player 10.1 or later! See SWFLoader's suppressUncaughtErrors special property if you'd like to have it automatically suppress these errors. The original UncaughtErrorEvent is stored in the LoaderEvent's data property. So, for example, if you'd like to call preventDefault() on that UncaughtErrorEvent, you'd do myLoaderEvent.data.preventDefault().
  • onChildOpen : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.CHILD_OPEN events which are dispatched each time any nested LoaderMax-related loaders (active ones that the SWFLoader found inside the subloading swf that had their requireWithRoot set to its root) begins loading. Make sure your onChildOpen function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent).
  • onChildProgress : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.CHILD_PROGRESS events which are dispatched each time any nested LoaderMax-related loaders (active ones that the SWFLoader found inside the subloading swf that had their requireWithRoot set to its root) dispatches a PROGRESS event. To listen for changes in the SWFLoader's overall progress, use the onProgress special property instead. You can use the LoaderEvent's target.progress to get the child loader's progress value or use its target.bytesLoaded and target.bytesTotal. The LoaderEvent's currentTarget refers to the SWFLoader, so you can check its overall progress with the LoaderEvent's currentTarget.progress. Make sure your onChildProgress function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent).
  • onChildComplete : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.CHILD_COMPLETE events which are dispatched each time any nested LoaderMax-related loaders (active ones that the SWFLoader found inside the subloading swf that had their requireWithRoot set to its root) finishes loading successfully. Make sure your onChildComplete function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent).
  • onChildCancel : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.CHILD_CANCEL events which are dispatched each time loading is aborted on any nested LoaderMax-related loaders (active ones that the SWFLoader found inside the subloading swf that had their requireWithRoot set to its root) due to either an error or because another loader was prioritized in the queue or because cancel() was manually called on the child loader. Make sure your onChildCancel function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent).
  • onChildFail : Function - A handler function for LoaderEvent.CHILD_FAIL events which are dispatched each time any nested LoaderMax-related loaders (active ones that the SWFLoader found inside the subloading swf that had their requireWithRoot set to its root) fails (and its status chances to LoaderStatus.FAILED). Make sure your onChildFail function accepts a single parameter of type LoaderEvent (com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent).

See also

Method Detail
getChildren()method
public function getChildren(includeNested:Boolean = false, omitLoaderMaxes:Boolean = false):Array

Returns and array of all LoaderMax-related loaders (if any) that were found inside the swf and had their requireWithRoot special vars property set to the swf's root. For example, if the following code was run on the first frame of the swf, it would be identified as a child of this SWFLoader:

var loader:ImageLoader = new ImageLoader("1.jpg", {requireWithRoot:this.root});

Even if loaders are created later (not on frame 1), as long as their requireWithRoot points to this swf's root, the loader(s) will be considered a child of this SWFLoader and will be returned in the array that getChildren() creates. Beware, however, that by default child loaders are integrated into the SWFLoader's progress, so if the swf finishes loading and then a while later a loader is created inside that swf that has its requireWithRoot set to the swf's root, at that point the SWFLoader's progress would no longer be 1 (it would be less) but the SWFLoader's status remains unchanged.

No child loader can be found until the SWFLoader's INIT event is dispatched, meaning the first frame of the swf has loaded and instantiated.

Parameters

includeNested:Boolean (default = false) — If true, loaders that are nested inside child LoaderMax, XMLLoader, or SWFLoader instances will be included in the returned array as well. The default is false.
 
omitLoaderMaxes:Boolean (default = false) — If true, no LoaderMax instances will be returned in the array; only LoaderItems like ImageLoaders, XMLLoaders, SWFLoaders, MP3Loaders, etc. The default is false.

Returns
Array — An array of loaders.
getClass()method 
public function getClass(className:String):Class

Searches the loaded swf (and any of its subloaded swfs that were loaded using SWFLoader) for a particular class by name. For example, if the swf contains a class named "com.greensock.TweenLite", you can get a reference to that class like:

var tweenLite:Class = loader.getClass("com.greensock.TweenLite");
//then you can create an instance of TweenLite like:
var tween:Object = new tweenLite(mc, 1, {x:100});

Parameters

className:String — The full name of the class, like "com.greensock.TweenLite".

Returns
Class — The class associated with the className
getSWFChild()method 
public function getSWFChild(name:String):DisplayObject

Finds a DisplayObject that's on the root of the loaded SWF by name. For example, you could put a MovieClip with an instance name of "phoneAnimation_mc" on the stage (along with any other objects of course) and then when you load that swf you could use loader.getSWFChild("phoneAnimation_mc") to get that MovieClip. It would be similar to doing (loader.rawContent as DisplayObjectContainer).getChildByName("phoneAnimation_mc") but in a more concise way that doesn't require checking to see if the rawContent is null. getSWFChild() will return null if the content hasn't loaded yet or if scriptAccessDenied is true.

Parameters

name:String — The name of the child DisplayObject that is located at the root of the swf.

Returns
DisplayObject — The DisplayObject with the specified name. Returns null if the content hasn't loaded yet or if scriptAccessDenied is true.
Event Detail
childCancel Event
Event Object Type: com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent

Dispatched when any loader that the SWFLoader discovered in the subloaded swf dispatches a CANCEL event.

childComplete Event  
Event Object Type: com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent

Dispatched when any loader that the SWFLoader discovered in the subloaded swf dispatches a COMPLETE event.

childFail Event  
Event Object Type: com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent

Dispatched when any loader that the SWFLoader discovered in the subloaded swf dispatches a FAIL event.

childOpen Event  
Event Object Type: com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent

Dispatched when any loader that the SWFLoader discovered in the subloaded swf dispatches an OPEN event.

childProgress Event  
Event Object Type: com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent

Dispatched when any loader that the SWFLoader discovered in the subloaded swf dispatches a PROGRESS event.

httpStatus Event  
Event Object Type: com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent

Dispatched when the loader's httpStatus value changes.

scriptAccessDenied Event  
Event Object Type: com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent

Dispatched when the loader is denied script access to the swf which can happen if it is loaded from another domain and there's no crossdomain.xml file in place.

securityError Event  
Event Object Type: com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent

Dispatched when the loader experiences a SECURITY_ERROR while loading or auditing its size.