ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition

This is the Title of the Book, eMatter Edition

Copyright © 2007 O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.

408

|

Chapter 16: ActionScript Authoring Environment

to the .fla file in any way. To append or insert script text instead of replacing it, you

must manually copy and paste the text from an external text-editing application.

#include (Compile-Time Import)

When we export (compile)a.swf file from a .fla file, we can incorporate code from an

external text file using the

#include directive. For information on using #include, see

the Language Reference.

Shared Library (Runtime Import)

To import code from an external source while a movie is actually playing, we must

create a shared library .swf file with a movie clip containing the code to import.

Runtime import offers the most flexible approach to sharing code across movies,

because it does not require recompilation of the movies that import the shared code;

when the shared library .swf file is updated, the movies that link to it reflect the

update automatically.

The following procedures describe how to share a simple test function from a movie

called codeLibrary.swf to a movie called myMovie.swf. We’ll create the codeLibrary.swf

movie first:

1. Create a new Flash document.

2. Create a new movie clip symbol named sharedFunctions.

3. On frame 1 of the sharedFunctions clip, add the following code:

function test () {

trace("The shared function, test, ...