The Presentation File (simple_preso.swf)

The PresentationSWF UI component dynamically loads an external SWF movie. This external movie can be any normal Flash movie. The only consideration is that the PresentationSWF component will control the root Timeline of the loaded movie. The advance and reverse controller of the PresenationSWF component controls the position of the play head, stopping on each frame. The component will override any play head controls on the root Timeline.

The sample presentation used in this exercise is located in the sample applications installed with your Flash Communication Server. The FLA and SWF files can be found in the broadcast application.

This is not saying you can't have animation or sound within your movie. Animations, sounds, and interactivity can be encapsulated within MovieClips and placed on the Flash stage. The primary use for this will be presentations.

For those of you familiar with Microsoft PowerPoint, you can set up the Timeline to something that may be a little more familiar to you than the keyframe dots. The Timeline settings can be changed to display keyframes in Preview mode, similar to PowerPoint. Figure 9.9 shows how to access the Preview mode.

Figure 9.9. The presentation Flash file. Place the Timeline in Preview mode to simulate an interface similar to PowerPoint.

Presentation files must be accessible by both the controller and subscriber applications in order to be loaded.