ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition By Colin Moock
Appendix F. Support for GET and POST
Table F-1 lists, by function, the official support for HTTP GET and POST on Windows and Macintosh in Standalone Player 5 and Standalone Player 6. Note the following general rules:
Standalone Player 5 on Windows and Macintosh does not support POST.
Standalone Player 6 on Windows does not support POST for functions that receive results in a web browser rather than the Player.
Hence, even if POST works on your system, you should use GET wherever possible for the best results on the most platforms.
Table F-1. Support for GET and POST as HTTP methods in Flash Standalone Player 5 and Standalone Player 6 for Windows and Macintosh
Function
Win GET F5
Mac GET F5
Win POST F5
Mac POST F5
Win GET F6
Mac GET F6
Win POST F6
Mac POST F6
getURL( )
[1]
[2]
loadMovie( )
[1]
loadMovieNum( )
[1]
loadVariables( )
[3]
[1][3]
loadVariablesNum( )
[3]
[1][3]
LoadVars.send( )
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
[2]
LoadVars.sendAndLoad( )
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
MovieClip.getURL( )
[1]
MovieClip.loadMovie( )
[1]
MovieClip.loadVariables( )
[1]
XML.send( )
[1]
[2]
XML.sendAndLoad( )
[1]
[1] POST requests are converted to GET requests but no variables are sent (i.e., the query string is missing). In my tests, POST works in Standalone Player 5 on Macintosh, but the consensus from Macromedia and the developer community is that POST does not work reliably in that Player.
[2] POST requests are converted to GET requests, and data is transferred via the GET request query string.
[3] The entire loadVariables( ) method works neither in the Standalone Player nor with executable Projectors (i.e., movies bundled with the Standalone Player in a single executable file).