Question

I’m starting a project that will build a flash file with quite complex capabilities. I expect the size of the swf/swc files will be quite big. In order not to slow down the page download, can I build the swf file so only immediately needed components are loaded with the page and other later-stage components can be silently loaded in the background? Thanks.

Answer 1

Yes, you can asynchronously load SWF files. This is a common pattern for AS3 and Flex applications. Begin by loading a “shell” SWF which then:

1. Reads its configuration from an external source (like a config.xml file)
2. Begins preloading assets that it needs to execute immediately (like your library SWF files)
3. Bootstraps the view when preloading is done, waiting for further user interaction to load subsequent library SWFs

The Flex framework is outstanding for this and may be exactly what you’re looking for. Modules, as Flex calls them, are runtime-loaded libraries that bring in extra assets and classes in the form of SWFs. Modules are robustly supported in FlashBuilder projects, if that’s your IDE.

http://livedocs.adobe.com/flex/3/html/help.html?content=modular_5.html