ActionScript: loading variables from a text file into _root

Question

I'm basically a noob in ActionScript, and I've run into a problem. I want to load variables from a text file into the _root of my movie. Like, the text file contains &var=value&var2=value2& , and I want them to go straight into _root so that I'd be able to call them as _root.var and _root.var2. First, I tried using the obvious solution, loadVariables. I've done it through the following function:

function getState (save){
    //loadVariables("getstate.php?save="+save, "/");
    loadVariables("state.txt, "/");
}

I've tried loading it to "_root" instead of "/", but still nothing. The request gets sent, but the contents of the text file get lost in hyperspace on their way to my code.

So I tried using LoadVars instead of loadVariables. This function disappointed me because there wasn't the option of dumping the vars right into _root, but I decided to try it anyway. Here's how my function looks like with LoadVars:

function getState (save){
    varReceiver = new LoadVars();
    varReceiver.onLoad = function(){
        varsRecieved=true;
        _root.notloggedin = this.notloggedin;
        _root.nostate = this.nostate;
        _root.saveName=this.saveName;
        //and lots of other variables
        trace (_root.saveName);
    };
    varReceiver.load("state.txt");
    trace (_root.saveName);
}

The trace that is inside the onLoad function returns the correct value, but the one after it returns undefined. I've tried waiting for the onLoad to happen with this loop:

while (varsRecieved != true){
    trace ("not yet...");
}

Which sent Flash into an endless loop.

I'd really appreciate some help on this matter =)

Answer 1

Put the code that needs to be executed after the information has been loaded in a separate function and call that function at the end of the onLoad handler:

function getState (save){
    varReceiver = new LoadVars();
    varReceiver.onLoad = function(){
        _root.notloggedin = this.notloggedin;
        _root.nostate = this.nostate;
        _root.saveName=this.saveName;
        //and lots of other variables
        trace (_root.saveName);
        doRest();
    };
    varReceiver.load("state.txt");
}

function doRest()
{
    // ...
}

Note that getState() will return before the information has been loaded, so existing code may have to be moved to doRest().