can flash work directly with php?

steveDD

Hi,
I am trying to create a contact us page in adobe flash. There are 4 fields, name, email, type and message. I would like these fields to be entered into my mysql database.

I am aware code needs to be added to the action properties of the flash file. I have then completed a .php file that puts the information into the database.

On testing it it appears the flash side of it is not working. I am wondering if this has to be coded in xml or would php be ok? Also if their are any tutorials that would assist me to complete this process.

Kind regards

Steve

NogDog

I do not know flash, but presumably it must have some way to send HTTP post-method requests just like a HTML form? If so, then you want it to send such a request with your PHP script as the targeted URL (like the "action" attribute of a HTML form tag).

Personally, I'd rather go with plain old HTML form for something like a contact form, so that users are not required to have Flash installed and enabled just in order to contact you. (I browse with Firefox with the FlashBlock extension enabled, so that I'm not bombarded with annoying Flash animations/sounds unless I specifically enable them.)

shmoo525

Your flash code should resemble this:

objectName.variable1 = "hello";
objectName.variable2 = "world";
objectName.variable3 = 1000;

submit_btn.onRelease = function():Void
{
	objectName.send("http://www.website.com/resultspage.php", "_self", "POST");
};

Your PHP needs to loop through the properties of the objectName object to get the values.

steveDD

This is what I have currently.

I have a flash file that I have created it is a contact us box with 4 fields, named:
name, email, type, message

I also have a submit button called submit

I wish for these boxes once populated to be submitted to my mysql database.

I have a table called contact in my mysql database and fields by with the same name including a auto increasing id field.

I have a php file which is the following

<?php

$conn = mysql_connect("localhost", "username", "password");
mysql_select_db("blc", $conn);

$catagory = $_POST['name'];
$company = $_POST['email'];
$description = $_POST['type'];
$value = $_POST['message'];


$query="INSERT INTO contact values ('', '$name', '$email', '$type', '$message')";

$sql_run = mysql_query($query, $conn) or die(mysql_error());


?>

Does anyone have any generic code that I could modify to complete this transaction or guide me to the right code etc... I am stuck trying to populate my database.

Thanks in advance

Steve

shmoo525

(EDIT: I corrected a mistake in my flash code. Ugh, corrected another one too......)

(EDIT: Also, I guess I should probably add that my code is ActionScript 2.0, not 3.0)

Use this ActionScript code in the main timeline of your Flash swf:

var submitObject:LoadVars = new LoadVars();


submit.onRelease = function():Void
{
     submitObject.name = name.text;
     submitObject.email = email.text;
     submitObject.type = type.text;
     submitObject.message = message.text;
     submitObject.send("http://www.website.com/resultspage.php", "_self", "POST");
};

This assumes that your text fields are on the root timeline of the swf file (ie; they're NOT inside another movie clip). You must give the corresponding text fields instance names of:

name
email
type
message

Also, I'm no PHP master, but I think your INSERT line should read:

$query="INSERT INTO contact values ('', '$catagory', '$company', '$description', '$value')";

steveDD

If I put in

$query="INSERT INTO contact values ('', '$catagory', '$company', '$description', '$value')";

these are not my values they are name, email, type, message

I have just put that code into the flash file but when I hit the button to send nothing happens. Any idea?

I pasted the code into the action - frame properties. So all that is showing code wise is your code.

steve

steveDD

I havent actual given the submit but a var name I have given it an instance one "sendmessage"

I believe I will need to assign a var name to this of e.g. send for this code to work, correct?

Steve

steveDD

to make it fun I am getting compile errors on this part of the script

var submitObject:LoadVars = new LoadVars();

submit.onRelease = function():Void

any ideas. I have looked and I don't believe you can assign vars to buttons, so how do I go about the submit procedure?

shmoo525

You don't give the submit button a var. The "submit" in this line:

submit.onRelease = function():Void

needs to be the instance name of your submit button. So in your example above, it would be:

sendmessage.onRelease = function():Void

Maybe this tutorial will help a little better...

http://www.thegoldenmean.com/technique/flashMX_mailform1.html

steveDD

I understand this now,

var submitObject:LoadVars = new LoadVars();


sendmessage.onRelease = function():Void
{
     submitObject.name = name.text;
     submitObject.email = email.text;
     submitObject.type = type.text;
     submitObject.message = message.text;
     submitObject.submit("http://www.website.com/contactscript.php", "_self", "POST");
};

This is now the script I am using which is causing errors. My vars are name, email, type, message and my submit instance is called sendmessage contactscript.php is the php file for submitting to the database.

But for some reason I am still getting 2 errors both compiler errors.

error 1:- var submitObject:LoadVars = new LoadVars();
Statement must appear within on/onClipEvent handler

error 2:- sendmessage.onRelease = function():Void
Statement must appear within on/onClipEvent handler

Also does this code need to be closed and opened with any tags?

shmoo525

I think you're putting the actionscript code into the button's movie clip, instead of in the main timeline.

Erase the code out of that button clip. (Well, COPY it first).
Go to the main timeline of the flash project and create a new layer and name it "actions".
Right-click the first frame in this new layer and choose "Actions". A new window should pop up where you can enter code. Hit Paste then close the window. Hit save and then recompile it.

I just created a sample swf and got no compile errors. By the way, I renamed the variables (and the instance names for the fields) to:

myName
myType
myEmail
myMessage

because some of them (name and type, I believe) were reserved words.

Does anyone know if there is a way to upload/attach files to messages on this forum? If so, I can attach it for you to download. What version of Flash do you use?

(EDIT)

Ohhhhh...... I see you have a typo....

submitObject.submit("http://www.website.com/resultspage.php", "_self", "POST");

should read

submitObject.send/B;

(and make sure you put in your actual website instead of "website.com" 🙂

steveDD

Ok, I am slowly getting somewhere. When I click the enter button now the page does a cannot find server error page with the link showing as the contactscript.php which it is not running. it is just trying to open that page.

Also it still isnt going into my mysql this is where I am at with the code. Is there a code I need to add so that the page I can move to another flash page once the request is completed. Also is there something wrong with my php hence why it is not sending?

I have changed the vars to myname, mycontact, myabout, mymessage
and the instance is still sendmessage for the submit button.

The flash code has been applied by right clicking on the layer and going into actions on the contact form.


var submitObject:LoadVars = new LoadVars();


sendmessage.onRelease = function():Void
{
     submitObject.myname = myname.text;
     submitObject.mycontact = mycontact.text;
     submitObject.myabout = myabout.text;
     submitObject.mymessage = mymessage.text;
     submitObject.send("http://WEBSITE.com/contactscript.php", "_self", "POST");
};

and php code is as follows (I have changed the table name to contacts).



<?php

$conn = mysql_connect("local host", "username", "password");
mysql_select_db("blc", $conn);

$myname = $_POST['myname'];
$mycontact = $_POST['mycontact'];
$myabout = $_POST['myabout'];
$mymessage = $_POST['mymessage'];


$query="INSERT INTO contacts values ('', '$myname', '$mycontact', '$myabout', '$mymessage')";

$sql_run = mysql_query($query, $conn) or die(mysql_error());


?>

steveDD

Can anyone help with this code?

shmoo525

Try adding:

echo "myname: " . $_POST["myname"] . "<br/>";
echo "mycontact: " . $_POST["mycontact"] . "<br/>";
echo "myabout: " . $_POST["myabout"] . "<br/>";
echo "mymessage: " . $_POST["mymessage"] . "<br/>";

after the line that reads:

$mymessage = $_POST['mymessage'];

.......to make sure the values are getting through to the PHP page. Now test out your pages and enter some info into the form. If you hit submit and it shows what you entered, then you know the data is getting though....... and the problem lies somewhere else.