Actionscript Cookbook

14.11. Pausing and Resuming a Net Stream

Problem

You want to control the playback (pause or resume) of audio and/or video that is being played from a net stream.

Solution

Use the NetStream.pause( ) method.

Discussion

You can use the NetStream.pause( ) method to pause the playback of a net stream. For example, if a net stream is playing, the following line of code pauses its playback:

myNetStream.pause(  );

However, the pause( ) method, when used without a parameter, acts as a toggle between pausing and resuming playback. If the net stream in the preceding example is already paused at the time that the pause( ) method is invoked, the stream begins playing again at the point where it left off.

Alternatively, you can specify a Boolean parameter to indicate whether the net stream should pause or resume, regardless of its current state. A value of true causes a net stream to pause if it is playing or to remain paused if it is already paused. On the other hand, a value of false causes the net stream to resume playing if it is paused or to continue playing if it is already playing. For example:

// Cause a net stream to pause.
myNetStream.pause(true);

// Cause a net stream to play.
myNetStream.pause(false);

The play( ) method should not be used to resume the playback of a net stream, nor should it be used to fast-forward or rewind (see Recipe 14.12). The play( ) method retrieves a stream from the FlashCom server and adds it to a client’s net stream for playback. If you call play( ) more than once, ...