Php flash counter questions

[Metal Fusion]

hi
newbie here
I have this problem:
My flash counter is a movie clip that is wethin another movie clip.
How do i set this in the php file?

Second question:
The latest version of php which i have installed 4.2.3 requires you to use this to display variable $_POST etc.
How do i modify that for teh script??

Thanks

[Flash-db]

Surprisingly you should not have to change anything for this one.  The $_POST or $HTTP_POST_VARS['myvar'] is only needed if variables are being sent from the Flash movie to the PHP script.  In this case you do not have to worry since no variables are being sent from the Flash movie to the PHP script.  Basically the Flash movie calls the script and it then updates a text file (increments the current number by one) - in effect counting the number of times the file has been called (which is also the number of times the movie has been visited).  

Here is the PHP script.

Code: [Select]


<?php<br><br>$filename = "PHPCounter.txt";  // text file to write to (make sure to change permissions).<br><br>// Opens a new file for writing to (fp is short for file pointer, although it can be named anything).<br>// this reads the current count from the file.<br>$fp        = fopen( $filename,"r"); <br>$Old      = fread($fp, 100); <br>fclose( $fp ); <br><br>// Split the current data where there is an equal sign<br>$Old = split ("=", $Old, 5);<br><br>// Increment the old count from the file by 1.<br>$NewCount = $Old[1] + '1';<br><br>$New = "Count=$NewCount";<br><br>// Open the same file for writing (w) and write the new count.<br>$fp = fopen( $filename,"w");<br>if (flock($fp, 2)) { <br>fwrite($fp, $New, 100); }<br>fclose( $fp ); <br><br>// Finally print the new count out so the flash movie can read the number in.<br>print "Count=$NewCount";<br><br>?>


The flock part is an attempt at locking the file so it can only be written to once - although you can get much more complicated with that part.

Hope that helps.

[Musicman]

Hi,

this is the same script, rewritten to do locking correctly...

Code: [Select]


<?php<br><br>$filename = "PHPCounter.txt";  // text file to write to (make sure to change permissions).<br><br>// Opens a new file for first reading, then writing to (fp is short for file pointer, although it can be named anything).<br>// this reads the current count from the file.<br>$fp        = fopen( $filename,"r+");<br>// lock the file - this will wait until noone else has a lock<br>flock($fp, LOCK_EX);<br>$Old      = fgets($fp);<br><br>// Split the current data where there is an equal sign<br>$Old = split ("=", $Old, 5);<br><br>// Increment the old count from the file by 1.<br>$NewCount = $Old[1] + 1;<br><br>$New = "Count=$NewCount";<br><br>// time to rewrite the file, so rewind to the beginning<br>fseek($fp, 0, SEEK_SET);<br>fputs($fp, $New);<br>// release the lock<br>flock($fp, LOCK_UN);<br>fclose( $fp );<br><br>// Finally print the new count out so the flash movie can read the number in.<br>print "Count=$NewCount";<br><br>?>


Musicman

[Metal Fusion]

ok i got taht
but heres another problem
my counter is in a movieclip called counter and counter is in a movieclip top which is placed at root
how can i specify the php script to point to _root.top.counter?

Thanks in advance

Thanks
metal Fusion

[Musicman]

Hi,

you dont have to...
If the flash part uses loadVariables('counter.php', this) it should work in any place in the clip heirarchy

Musicman

[Metal Fusion]

hi
it still doesnt work for me:
this is what i ahve:
2 layers in movie clip: Counter
layver actions:
frame 1: loadVariablesNum ("PHPCounter.php?ran="+random(9), 0);
Frame 2: loadVariablesNum ("PHPCounter.txt?ran="+random(9), 0);
frame 50: gotoAndPlay (2);

layer textbox:
dynamic textfiled variable: count

PHPCounter.php
<?php

$filename = "PHPCounter.txt";  // text file to write to (make sure to change permissions).

// Opens a new file for first reading, then writing to (fp is short for file pointer, although it can be named anything).
// this reads the current count from the file.
$fp        = fopen( $filename,"r+");
// lock the file - this will wait until noone else has a lock
flock($fp, LOCK_EX);
$Old      = fgets($fp);

// Split the current data where there is an equal sign
$Old = split ("=", $Old, 5);

// Increment the old count from the file by 1.
$NewCount = $Old[1] + 1;

$New = "Count=$NewCount";

// time to rewrite the file, so rewind to the beginning
fseek($fp, 0, SEEK_SET);
fputs($fp, $New);
// release the lock
flock($fp, LOCK_UN);
fclose( $fp );

// Finally print the new count out so the flash movie can read the number in.
print "Count=$NewCount";

?>

PHPCounter.txt
Count=3

problem:
the script works
but it doesnt wshow in the textbox in flash

Thanks
Metal Fusion

[Musicman]

Hi,

get rid of the call to phpcounter.txt (the php returns the information already) and try using "Count"

Musicman

[Metal Fusion]

hi musicman
i tried as you suggested, but the data still wont display.
But the textfile gets updated correctly.

Whats wrong???  

Thanks

MEtal fusion

[Mohsin Sumar]

hmm.. i tried doing this but i donno wat the problem is?

well.. this is the error that is showed up on the browser wen i chk out my PHPCounter.php file

Code: [Select]


Warning: fopen("PHPCounter.txt","r+") - The file access permissions do not allow the specified action. in /host/m/o/h/p/o/r/mohsinsumar.port5.com/counter-tests/PHPCounter.php on line 7

Warning: Supplied argument is not a valid File-Handle resource in /host/m/o/h/p/o/r/mohsinsumar.port5.com/counter-tests/PHPCounter.php on line 9

Warning: Wrong parameter count for fgets() in /host/m/o/h/p/o/r/mohsinsumar.port5.com/counter-tests/PHPCounter.php on line 10

Warning: Supplied argument is not a valid File-Handle resource in /host/m/o/h/p/o/r/mohsinsumar.port5.com/counter-tests/PHPCounter.php on line 21

Warning: Supplied argument is not a valid File-Handle resource in /host/m/o/h/p/o/r/mohsinsumar.port5.com/counter-tests/PHPCounter.php on line 22

Warning: Supplied argument is not a valid File-Handle resource in /host/m/o/h/p/o/r/mohsinsumar.port5.com/counter-tests/PHPCounter.php on line 24

Warning: Supplied argument is not a valid File-Handle resource in /host/m/o/h/p/o/r/mohsinsumar.port5.com/counter-tests/PHPCounter.php on line 25
Count=1


and the PHP code is :

Code: [Select]


<?php<br><br>$filename = "PHPCounter.txt";  // text file to write to (make sure to change permissions).<br><br>// Opens a new file for first reading, then writing to (fp is short for file pointer, although it can be named anything).<br>// this reads the current count from the file.<br>$fp        = fopen( $filename,"r+");<br>// lock the file - this will wait until noone else has a lock<br>flock($fp, LOCK_EX);<br>$Old      = fgets($fp);<br><br>// Split the current data where there is an equal sign<br>$Old = split ("=", $Old, 5);<br><br>// Increment the old count from the file by 1.<br>$NewCount = $Old[1] + 1;<br><br>$New = "Count=$NewCount";<br><br>// time to rewrite the file, so rewind to the beginning<br>fseek($fp, 0, SEEK_SET);<br>fputs($fp, $New);<br>// release the lock<br>flock($fp, LOCK_UN);<br>fclose( $fp );<br><br>// Finally print the new count out so the flash movie can read the number in.<br>print "Count=$NewCount";<br><br>?>


well.. the probelm ? I donno.. Musicman .. i guess u shud know coz u made the script

[Metal Fusion]

hey mohsin
did you get the text to display in your textbox in flash?
if so how did you do that?

Thanks
Metal Fusion

[Mohsin Sumar]

got hte problem.. i chmoded the file to 777 but now the error showed up is:


Warning: illegal value for second argument in /host/m/o/h/p/o/r/mohsinsumar.port5.com/counter-tests/PHPCounter.php on line 9

Warning: Wrong parameter count for fgets() in /host/m/o/h/p/o/r/mohsinsumar.port5.com/counter-tests/PHPCounter.php on line 10

Warning: illegal value for second argument in /host/m/o/h/p/o/r/mohsinsumar.port5.com/counter-tests/PHPCounter.php on line 24
Count=1


wat does that mean? n how do I fix it?

[Mohsin Sumar]

well... the text displayed is 1 althe time

that means that the file is nt written.. those errors pop up

well.. its easy.. as the PHPCounter.txt has a variable called Count=(number) and the textbox has the variable Count and on Frame2 the action is loading the text file than the text is displayed

if u cant get it to show.. chk the text file for the Variable.. if its Count then chk the fla file to c if the variable of the text file is count too? got it

[Metal Fusion]

hi mohsin
i checked my variable for teh dynamic text field and its Counter and the textfiled is also Counter

I found out the problem
because php cant send teh data to my flash movie.
reason is that my visitor counter is in a movie clip (counter) which is in the movie clip (Topconver) which is in the top most layer of teh movie.

Now how can i tell the script to redirect the result there?


Thanks
Metal Fusion

[Mohsin Sumar]

ok.. i guess try this.. it shud work:

on the location .. most probably the second last line .. this one:

Code: [Select]

print "Count=$NewCount";

change this to:

Code: [Select]

print "_root.level1.level2.Count=$NewCount";

where by level1 is topconver and level2 is counter

change the level1 and level2 to their respective names as in ur movie..


hoping that this works

[Metal Fusion]

hm
didnt work for me

any ideas?

Thansk
Metal Fusion