ActionScript: The Definitive Guide

Name

Sound.attachSound( ) Method — associate a sound from the Library with a Sound object

Availability

Flash 5

Synopsis

soundObject.attachSound(linkageIdentifier)

Arguments

linkageIdentifier

The name of the sound to attach, as specified in the Library under Options → Linkage.

Description

The attachSound( ) method adds a new sound to a movie at runtime and places the new sound under soundObject’s control. Once attached, the sound may be started and stopped individually by invoking start( ) and stop( ) on soundObject.

In order for a sound to be attached to soundObject, the sound must be exported from the movie’s Library. To export a sound, follow these steps:

1. In the Library, select the sound to export.

2. Select Options → Linkage. The Symbol Linkage Properties dialog box appears.

3. Select Export This Symbol.

4. In the Identifier box, type a unique name by which to identify the sound.

Note that all exported sounds are loaded in the first frame of the movie that contains them (not when they are actually attached or played via ActionScript), which can cause long load delays if the sounds are large. You can gain better control over the loading of sounds by placing them in external .swf files and using loadMovie( ) to import them as necessary.

Usage

Only one sound may be attached to a Sound object at a time. Attaching a new sound to a Sound object replaces any sound previously attached to that object. Note that attachSound( ) will not work in movies loaded into a clip or a level via loadMovie( ) unless the ...