Ok Collin, this one's for you
I'll go through and explain the commands I know and i'll try and explain the others, but I may be wrong about their use. Nevertheless, I'll try
on (press) {
fscommand ("exec",
"command.com" add chr(9) add "/c" add chr(9) add "echo" add chr(9) add "text3=" add TypeVar add ">c:\content.txt"
;
}
First off, we have to open the DOS prompt to execute the commands that follow. Make absolutely sure to set the path as an expression, because otherwise Flash will ignore the rest of your string.
on (press) {
fscommand ("exec", "command.com"
add chr(9) add "/c" add chr(9) add "echo" add chr(9) add "text3=" add TypeVar add ">c:\content.txt"
;
}
Now we're adding the ASCII equivalent of the number 9, which I believe is a tab. I could be wrong, but either way, just use it as a spacebar. Put it wherever you would press the spacebar after typing in a command. Hell that's what I did and it's working great
on (press) {
fscommand ("exec", "command.com" add chr(9)
add "/c" add chr(9) add "echo" add chr(9) add "text3=" add TypeVar add ">c:\content.txt"
;
}
This is another tricky one. I know it's a command line switch, but what it does exactly I couldn't say. Just keep it in there
Heh.. it's starting to seem like maybe I shouldn't be the one instructing you :\ Anyway, we shall continue.
on (press) {
fscommand ("exec", "command.com" add chr(9) add "/c" add chr(9)
add "echo" add chr(9) add "text3=" add TypeVar add ">c:\content.txt"
;
}
After adding another chr(9) (our spacebar ;p) we have to tell DOS what to write in the text file. To write something, DOS uses the "echo" command. To test it out in Windows, click Start -> Run and type
command in the box. That will bring up your DOS prompt. Now type
echo, press
space, and type what you want DOS to write. It will basically just copy what you typed, or echo it?
on (press) {
fscommand ("exec", "command.com" add chr(9) add "/c" add chr(9) add "echo" add chr(9)
add "text3=" add TypeVar add ">c:\content.txt"
;
}
Now we're adding the string "text3=". You do not need to do this, but if you want your Flash movie to be able to load the variables from the file it just wrote to, the text file will need to assign variables to its text. Soooooo, whatever is written in this file will be named "text3" and that's what your Flash movie will call when it wants to load the file. Again, you don't need this if you just want to write to a file.
on (press) {
fscommand ("exec", "command.com" add chr(9) add "/c" add chr(9) add "echo" add chr(9) add "text3="
add TypeVar add ">c:\content.txt"
;
}
This isn't a command or anything, it's just a variable assigned in the example I got this code from. So right now, DOS is being told to write the following string into a text file: "text3=(whatever TypeVar says)". So if TypeVar is a text field and the user typed "hello" into it, DOS would be writing "text3=hello" in the file. If you take the "text3=" out of the command, DOS will write "hello".
on (press) {
fscommand ("exec", "command.com" add chr(9) add "/c" add chr(9) add "echo" add chr(9) add "text3=" add TypeVar
add ">c:\content.txt");
}
Now this one is a little strange to me. Of course we're adding the path of the file we want to add this text to, but why there is a greater-than sign (>) in there i'll never know. It looks like it's actually emulating the DOS prompt. My guess is that you don't need that in there, but I haven't tried it. Now then, change that line to wherever you want the file, making sure to use the DOS path and NOT the Windows path. Also, as stated before, if your file is cut off, place 2 slashes before the file name ("c:\windows" will be "c:\\windows"
.
So there you have it. A very weak attempt at explaining that command ;p Now I know this post is long, but since it is, I may as well take the time to show you something you might be interested in. DOS is a very very powerful tool when combined with Flash. I'm sure you're aware that Flash can only open EXE and COM files (and maybe a few others), but why can't it open anything else? I was fooling around with DOS and I wrote an easy little code that will open anything on the user's computer, IF the file is associated with a program. So as long as you're not trying to open a PWL file or something, you should be ok. Mind you this will only work in a stand-alone Flash application.
on (press) {
fscommand ("exec", "command.com" add chr(9) add "/c" add chr(9)
add "start" add chr(9) add "c:\\windows\\media\\ding.wav"
;
}
Since you know the basics, we'll just get right to it. The "start" command is the equivalent of the Windows "run" command. They both open the file you specify with the program it's associated with.
on (press) {
fscommand ("exec", "command.com" add chr(9) add "/c" add chr(9) add "start" add chr(9)
add "c:\\windows\\media\\ding.wav");
}
Again, we're adding the path. Copy and paste this code into one of your Flash projects (or a new one) and apply it to a button. Now mind you Flash will not play the sound if you have Sound Recorder associated with your WAV's, but it will open it. You can replace the path and the file to anything you want
Think about it.. instead of loading variables from a text file, you can just open up the whole damn thing!
Well, I hope this article was somewhat helpful to you Collin (and anyone else who might be reading ;p). Should you need any more information or help with this, feel free to post again or contact me at j.ski@angelfire.com and i'll assist in any way possible. I think this is my favorite aspect of Flash by far, since it wields so much power
Hope this helps!!!
JuiCe
