Often happens that we are developing a website with Adobe Flash to a client and / or friend and it's required to store the data of users via a form.
How to do?
This tutorial will try to explain to less experienced how to enter data into a database ( mySQL) by Flash.
First we need to reaffirm the notion that Flash and mySQL can not communicate directly.
Need a server-side scripts (in this case PHP) that receives data from Flash and then insert them in the database.
I've created an example using a form in Flash that sends data to a PHP script (name, first name, address, city, state, email) which in turn will store them in the database.
First of all we must create a new table in our DB: in this case a table called "clients" with 7 columns (ID, name, surname, address, city, state, email).
The file. Sql to create the necessary table is as follows:
PHP Code:
CREATE TABLE `clients` (
`ID` INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY ,
`name` TEXT NOT NULL ,
`surname` TEXT NOT NULL ,
`address` TEXT NOT NULL ,
`city` TEXT NOT NULL ,
`state` TEXT NOT NULL ,
`email` TEXT NOT NULL
) ENGINE = MYISAM ;
I create a form in Flash as follows:
-- Six static text fields that contain the titles (name, surname, address, city, state, email)
-- Six input text fields in which the user will insert his informations
-- A dynamic text field that will display any messages for user (for example if it has not completed all fields)
-- A button for sending data
Here it is:
The Document Class ( Main.as ) contains the following code:
Code:
/*
*************************************
* Data Store Flash CS3 + PHP
* http://www.FlepStudio.org
* Author: Filippo Lughi
* version 1.0
*************************************
*/
package org.FlepStudio
{
import flash.display.*;
import flash.events.*;
import flash.text.*;
import flash.utils.*;
import flash.net.*;
import caurina.transitions.Tweener;
public class Main extends MovieClip
{
private var email_checker:CheckEmail;
private var timer:Timer;
private var film_mc:MovieClip;
public static var _Name:String;
public static var _Surname:String;
public static var _Address:String;
public static var _City:String;
public static var _State:String;
public static var _Email:String;
public function Main()
{
addEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE,init);
}
private function init(evt:Event):void
{
removeEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE,init);
form_mc.x=stage.stageWidth+10;
stage.frameRate=31;
email_checker=new CheckEmail();
moveInForm();
addButtonListener();
}
private function moveInForm():void
{
Tweener.addTween(form_mc,{x:stage.stageWidth/2-form_mc.width/2,time:0.7,transition:"easeOutElastic"});
}
private function addButtonListener():void
{
form_mc.send_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN,checkFields);
}
private function checkFields(evt:MouseEvent):void
{
if(email_checker.initCheck(form_mc.email_txt.text))
{
if(form_mc.name_txt.text!=''&&form_mc.surname_txt.text!=''&&form_mc.address_txt.text!=''&&form_mc.city_txt.text!=''&&form_mc.state_txt.text!='')
{
showWorking();
_Name=form_mc.name_txt.text;
_Surname=form_mc.surname_txt.text;
_Address=form_mc.address_txt.text;
_City=form_mc.city_txt.text;
_State=form_mc.state_txt.text;
_Email=form_mc.email_txt.text;
var send_data:StoreData=new StoreData(this);
}
else
displayError("fill in all the fields please");
}
else
displayError("invalid e-mail");
}
private function displayError(s:String):void
{
form_mc.error_txt.text=s;
hideError();
}
private function hideError():void
{
timer=new Timer(2500,1);
timer.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER,deleteError);
timer.start();
}
private function deleteError(evt:TimerEvent):void
{
form_mc.error_txt.text='';
}
private function showWorking():void
{
film_mc=new MovieClip();
film_mc.graphics.beginFill(0xFFFFFF,0.7);
film_mc.graphics.drawRect(0,0,stage.stageWidth,stage.stageHeight);
addChild(film_mc);
}
public function hideWorking():void
{
removeChild(film_mc);
displayError("Data has been stored");
reset();
}
private function reset():void
{
form_mc.name_txt.text='';
form_mc.surname_txt.text='';
form_mc.address_txt.text='';
form_mc.city_txt.text='';
form_mc.state_txt.text='';
form_mc.email_txt.text='';
form_mc.x=stage.stageWidth+10;
moveInForm();
}
}
}
At the following line:
var send_data:StoreData=new StoreData(this);
I instance a new class with name StoreData, this class will send data to PHP.
It's the following code:
Code:
/*
*************************************
* Data Store Flash CS3 + PHP
* http://www.FlepStudio.org
* Author: Filippo Lughi
* version 1.0
*************************************
*/
package org.FlepStudio
{
import flash.events.*;
import flash.net.*;
import flash.display.MovieClip;
public class StoreData
{
private var request:URLRequest=new URLRequest('http://www.flepstudio.org/swf/ImmagazzinareDati/storeData.php');
private var _fla:MovieClip;
public function StoreData(fla:MovieClip)
{
_fla=fla;
sendToPHP();
}
private function sendToPHP():void
{
var variables:URLVariables=new URLVariables();
variables.name=Main._Name;
variables.surname=Main._Surname;
variables.address=Main._Address;
variables.city=Main._City;
variables.state=Main._State;
variables.email=Main._Email;
request.method=URLRequestMethod.POST;
request.data=variables;
var loader:URLLoader=new URLLoader();
loader.dataFormat=URLLoaderDataFormat.VARIABLES;
addListeners(loader);
trace(variables);
try
{
loader.load(request);
}
catch (error:Error)
{
trace('Unable to load requested document.');
}
}
private function addListeners(d:IEventDispatcher):void
{
d.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE,onComplete);
}
private function onComplete(e:Event):void
{
var loader:URLLoader=URLLoader(e.target);
var vars:URLVariables=new URLVariables(loader.data);
if(vars.answer=="ok")
{
_fla.hideWorking();
}
}
}
}
The PHP file:
PHP Code:
<?php
/*
*************************************
Flash CS3 Data Store Form
http://www.flepstudio.org
Author: Filippo Lughi
version 1.0
*************************************
*/
/******** CHANGE YOUR DATABASE SETTING *******/
$dbhost = 'localhost'; // database host ( usually localhost )
$dbuser = 'root'; // database username
$dbpass = 'root'; // database password
$dbname = 'name'; // database name
$mysql = mysql_connect($dbhost,$dbuser,$dbpass);
mysql_select_db($dbname);
/* VARIABLES FROM FLASH */
$name=$_REQUEST["name"];
$surname=$_REQUEST["surname"];
$address=$_REQUEST["address"];
$city=$_REQUEST["city"];
$state=$_REQUEST["state"];
$email=$_REQUEST["email"];
/*INSERT INTO DB*/
$Query = "INSERT INTO `".$dbname."`.`clients` (`ID`, `name`, `surname`, `address`, `city`, `state`, `email`) VALUES (NULL, \"".$name."\", \"".$surname."\",\"".$address."\",\"".$city."\",\"".$state."\",\"".$email."\");";
/* ECHO TO FLASH */
if(mysql_query($Query))
{
$answer='ok';
echo "answer=".$answer;
}
else
{
$answer='nope';
echo "answer=".$answer;
}
?>
Next time we'll see how to retrieve the data.
EDIT: here is the second part:
Retrieve data from mySQL with Flash CS3
Source files:
27-08-08, 06:15
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