Flash CS3 Documentation

Using ActionScript 3.0 Components > Using the FLVPlayback Component > Using the FLVPlayback component > FLVPlayback component parameters > Specifying the source parameter

Specifying the source parameter

The source parameter lets you specify the name and location of the FLV file, both of which inform Flash how to play the file.

Open the Content Path dialog box by double-clicking the Value cell for the source parameter in the Component inspector. The dialog box looks like this:

FLVPlayback Content Path dialog box

The dialog box provides two check boxes that can determine the dimensions of the FLVPlayback instance and specify whether to acquire the dimensions and cue point information from the FLV file. For more information, see The FLV file options.

The source

Enter the URL or local path for either the FLV file or an XML file that describes how to play the FLV file. If you do not know the exact location of an FLV file, click the folder icon to open a Browser dialog box to help you find the correct location. When browsing for an FLV file, if it is at or below the location of the target SWF file, Flash automatically makes the path relative to that location so you can serve it from a web server. Otherwise, the path is an absolute Windows or Macintosh path. To enter the name of a local XML file, you must type the path and name.

If you specify an HTTP URL, the FLV file plays as a progressive download. If you specify a URL that is an RTMP URL, the FLV file streams from Flash Media Server or FVSS. A URL to an XML file could also be a streaming FLV file from Flash Media Server or FVSS.

You can also specify the location of a SMIL file that describes how to play multiple FLV file streams for multiple bandwidths. The file uses the Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) to describe the FLV files. For a description of the SMIL file, see Using a SMIL file.

You can also specify the name and location of the FLV file using the ActionScript FLVPlayback.source property and the FLVPlayback.play() and FLVPlayback.load() methods. These three alternatives take precedence over the source parameter in the Component inspector. For more information, see the FLVPlayback.source, FLVPlayback.play(), and FLVPlayback.load() entries for the FLVPlayback class in the ActionScript 3.0 Language and Components Reference.

The FLV file options

The Content Path dialog box also has two options. The first option, Match Source FLV Dimensions, specifies whether the FLVPlayback instance on the Stage should match the dimensions of the source FLV file. The source FLV file contains preferred height and width dimensions for playing. If you select the first option, the dimensions of the FLVPlayback instance are resized to match these preferred dimensions. However, this option is available only if the second option is also checked.

The second option, Download FLV For Cue Points And Dimensions, is enabled only if the content path is an HTTP or RTMP URL, which means the FLV file is not local. (Any path that does not end in .flv is also considered a network path because it must be an XML file and could point to FLV files anywhere.) This option specifies whether to download or stream a portion of the FLV file to acquire the FLV file dimensions and any cue point definitions that are embedded within it. Flash uses the dimensions to resize the FLVPlayback instance, and it loads the cue point definitions into the cuePoints parameter in the Component inspector. If this option is not selected, the first option is disabled.

Flash CS3