ActionScript™ 3.0 Bible

Chapter 36. Interfacing with JavaScript

Introduction

In this chapter

• Communicating from Flash to JavaScript

• Communicating from JavaScript to Flash

This chapter looks at Flash applications embedded in HTML pages and interfacing with JavaScript. We'll take a look at how you can communicate from Flash to JavaScript and vice versa.

Communicating Between JavaScript and Flash

When you deploy Flash content in a web browser, you may want to be able to communicate with the container HTML page. You may want to call JavaScript functions from the SWF, and you may want JavaScript functions to be able to call functions within the SWF. That lets you make integrated applications, of which the SWF is just one component.

The following sections take a look at the ways in which you can communicate between Flash and JavaScript.

Using ExternalInterface

You can use the flash.external.ExternalInterface class to both call JavaScript functions from Flash and to call ActionScript functions from JavaScript. The ExternalInterface class has been tested successfully in the following browsers:

• Internet Explorer 5.0 and above for Windows

• Netscape 8.0 and above for Windows and Macintosh

• Mozilla 1.7.5 and above for Windows and Macintosh

• Safari 1.3 and above for Macintosh

• Firefox 1.0 and above for Windows and Macintosh

Calling JavaScript functions from Flash

Using ExternalInterface, you can call JavaScript functions from within a Flash SWF. With ExternalInterface, the JavaScript function can return a value to Flash.

To call a JavaScript ...