im slowly learning about flash. im playing around with flash 10 cs4 and its like learning a whole new programming language. one of my questions in my mind was how can you pass information from html and get that information to display on a flash movie. or the reverse, get a variable string from a flash movie (.swf) to html. how about if i had a form? well, i was able to do this. so hopefluly you can learn how you can start making flash movies. so in my example, i will create a form with two fields. i am using adobe flash cs4 version 10.

1. create new flash file with ActionScript 3.0
29p-7037-flash-file-3-0.gif

2. with the text tool create two input fields and give them instance names:
sending_ti
received_ti
29p-7037-flash-input-field.gif

3. now create a button with instance name of send_button - if you dont know how to create a button, just go to Window > Common Libraries > Buttons
29p-7037-flash-buttons.gif

4. now hit F9 to open your Actions window and copy and paste this actionscript into the actionscript area:
29p-7037-flash-actions-script.gif

ActionScript CODE:
import flash.external.ExternalInterface;
import flash.events.Event;
function getTextFromJavaScript(str:String):void {
received_ti.text = "From JavaScript: " + str;
}
ExternalInterface.addCallback("sendTextToFlash", getTextFromJavaScript);
function clickSend(event:Event):void {
var jsArgument:String = sending_ti.text;
var result:Object = ExternalInterface.call("getTextFromFlash", jsArgument);
received_ti.text = "Returned: " + result;
}
send_button.addEventListener("click", clickSend);


5. you are done with the action scripting. now create your .swf file and html by publishing your document and save it as wallpaperama-flash.fla
29p-7037-flash-wallpaperama-fla.gif

6. you will see the flash create two files:
wallpaperama.fla
wallpaperama.html

7. open wallpaperama.html and edit. copy and paste this javascript code between the <head> and </head> html tags:

<script language="JavaScript">
function getFlashMovie(movieName) {
var isIE = navigator.appName.indexOf("Microsoft") != -1;
return (isIE) ? window[movieName] : document[movieName];
}
function formSend() {
var text = document.htmlForm.sendField.value;
getFlashMovie("ExternalInterfaceExample").sendTextToFlash(text);

}

function getTextFromFlash(str) {
document.htmlForm.receivedField.value = "From Flash: " + str;
return str + " received";
}
</script>


8. now put the html form code anywhere you want betweend the <body> and </body> tags
<form name="htmlForm" method="POST" action="javascript:formSend();">
Sending to ActionScript:<br />
<input type="text" name="sendField" value="" /><br />
<input type="submit" value="Send" /><br />
<br />
Received from ActionScript:<br />
<input type="text" name="receivedField">
</form>



9. save the changes. now upload both files into your server and open wallpaperama.html with your browser from your website and see it in action.

NOTE: if you try to run the wallpaperama.html from your local computer you will get this error:

SecurityError: Error #2060: Security sandbox violation: ExternalInterface caller file:///C:/localserver/mysties/wallpaperma.swf cannot access file:///C:/localserver/mysties/wallpaperma.html.
at flash.external::ExternalInterface$/_initJS()
at flash.external::ExternalInterface$/addCallback()
at ExternalInterfaceExample_fla::MainTimeline/frame1()


ok, if you are too lazy to do it, you can download the whole tutorial files i have provided:
wallpaperama-flash-example.zip

hope that helps