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Class BinaryDataLoader

Package | com.greensock.loading
Class | public class BinaryDataLoader
Inheritance | BinaryDataLoader DataLoader LoaderItem LoaderCore flash.events.EventDispatcher

Loads generic binary data - identical to using a DataLoader with its "`format`" special property set to `"binary"`. The reason for having a `BinaryDataLoader` class is to allow certain file extensions (like ".zip") to be associated with it so that the `LoaderMax.parse()` method can accurately parse URLs with those file extensions. If you do not plan on using the `LoaderMax.parse()` method, however, you could save a small amount of kb by simply using DataLoaders with their format set to "binary" instead of using BinaryDataLoaders.
The following are essentially the same:
`new DataLoader("file.zip", {format:"binary"});
new BinaryDataLoader("file.zip");`
If you'd like to associate additional file extensions with BinaryDataLoader, you may use the `LoaderMax.registerFileType()` method.
OPTIONAL VARS PROPERTIES
The following special properties can be passed into the BinaryDataLoader constructor via its `vars` parameter which can be either a generic object or a `DataLoaderVars` object:

- name : String - A name that is used to identify the loader instance. This name can be fed to the `LoaderMax.getLoader()` or `LoaderMax.getContent()` methods or traced at any time. Each loader's name should be unique. If you don't define one, a unique name will be created automatically, like "loader21".
- alternateURL : String - If you define an `alternateURL`, the loader will initially try to load from its original `url` and if it fails, it will automatically (and permanently) change the loader's `url` to the `alternateURL` and try again. Think of it as a fallback or backup `url`. It is perfectly acceptable to use the same `alternateURL` for multiple loaders (maybe a default image for various ImageLoaders for example).
- noCache : Boolean - If `true`, a "gsCacheBusterID" parameter will be appended to the url with a random set of numbers to prevent caching (don't worry, this info is ignored when you `LoaderMax.getLoader()` or `LoaderMax.getContent()` by `url` or when you're running locally)
- estimatedBytes : uint - Initially, the loader's `bytesTotal` is set to the `estimatedBytes` value (or `LoaderMax.defaultEstimatedBytes` if one isn't defined). Then, when the loader begins loading and it can accurately determine the bytesTotal, it will do so. Setting `estimatedBytes` is optional, but the more accurate the value, the more accurate your loaders' overall progress will be initially. If the loader is inserted into a LoaderMax instance (for queue management), its `auditSize` feature can attempt to automatically determine the `bytesTotal` at runtime (there is a slight performance penalty for this, however - see LoaderMax's documentation for details).
- requireWithRoot : DisplayObject - LoaderMax supports subloading, where an object can be factored into a parent's loading progress. If you want LoaderMax to require this BinaryDataLoader as part of its parent SWFLoader's progress, you must set the `requireWithRoot` property to your swf's `root`. For example, `var loader:BinaryDataLoader = new BinaryDataLoader("file.zip", {name:"zipFile", requireWithRoot:this.root});`
- allowMalformedURL : Boolean - Normally, the URL will be parsed and any variables in the query string (like "?name=test&state=il&gender=m") will be placed into a URLVariables object which is added to the URLRequest. This avoids a few bugs in Flash, but if you need to keep the entire URL intact (no parsing into URLVariables), set `allowMalformedURL:true`. For example, if your URL has duplicate variables in the query string like `http://www.greensock.com/?c=S&c=SE&c=SW`, it is technically considered a malformed URL and a URLVariables object can't properly contain all the duplicates, so in this case you'd want to set `allowMalformedURL` to `true`.
- autoDispose : Boolean - When `autoDispose` is `true`, the loader will be disposed immediately after it completes (it calls the `dispose()` method internally after dispatching its `COMPLETE` event). This will remove any listeners that were defined in the vars object (like onComplete, onProgress, onError, onInit). Once a loader is disposed, it can no longer be found with `LoaderMax.getLoader()` or `LoaderMax.getContent()` - it is essentially destroyed but its content is not unloaded (you must call `unload()` or `dispose(true)` to unload its content). The default `autoDispose` value is `false`.
  ----EVENT HANDLER SHORTCUTS----
- onOpen : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.OPEN` events which are dispatched when the loader begins loading. Make sure your onOpen function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`).
- onProgress : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.PROGRESS` events which are dispatched whenever the `bytesLoaded` changes. Make sure your onProgress function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`). You can use the LoaderEvent's `target.progress` to get the loader's progress value or use its `target.bytesLoaded` and `target.bytesTotal`.
- onComplete : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.COMPLETE` events which are dispatched when the loader has finished loading successfully. Make sure your onComplete function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`).
- onCancel : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.CANCEL` events which are dispatched when loading is aborted due to either a failure or because another loader was prioritized or `cancel()` was manually called. Make sure your onCancel function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`).
- onError : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.ERROR` events which are dispatched whenever the loader experiences an error (typically an IO_ERROR or SECURITY_ERROR). An error doesn't necessarily mean the loader failed, however - to listen for when a loader fails, use the `onFail` special property. Make sure your onError function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`).
- onFail : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.FAIL` events which are dispatched whenever the loader fails and its `status` changes to `LoaderStatus.FAILED`. Make sure your onFail function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`).
- onIOError : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.IO_ERROR` events which will also call the onError handler, so you can use that as more of a catch-all whereas `onIOError` is specifically for LoaderEvent.IO_ERROR events. Make sure your onIOError function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`).
- onHTTPStatus : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.HTTP_STATUS` events. Make sure your onHTTPStatus function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`). You can determine the httpStatus code using the LoaderEvent's `target.httpStatus` (LoaderItems keep track of their `httpStatus` when possible, although certain environments prevent Flash from getting httpStatus information).

Note: Using a `DataLoaderVars` instance instead of a generic object to define your `vars` is a bit more verbose but provides code hinting and improved debugging because it enforces strict data typing. Use whichever one you prefer.

Example
Example AS3 code:

     import com.greensock.loading.*;
     import com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent;

     //create a BinaryDataLoader
     var loader:BinaryDataLoader = new BinaryDataLoader("file.zip", {name:"myZipFile", requireWithRoot:this.root, estimatedBytes:6800});

     //begin loading
     loader.load();

     //or we could parse() and array of files, creating a LoaderMax queue with loaders for each file. To do that, we'll first create the array:
     var files:Array = ["files/archive.zip","images/1.jpg","files/report.pdf","swfs/child.swf"];

     //since we want the parse() method to recognize the .pdf file as a BinaryDataLoader, we should registerFileType() first because pdf isn't one of the extensions recognized by default.
     LoaderMax.registerFileType("pdf", BinaryDataLoader);

     //before we parse() the array, we need to activate() the loader types that LoaderMax should recognize (we only need to do this once)
     LoaderMax.activate([BinaryDataLoader, ImageLoader, SWFLoader]);

     //now parse the files and create a LoaderMax queue
     var queue:LoaderMax = LoaderMax.parse(files, {onProgress:progressHandler, onComplete:completeHandler, onChildFail:childFailHandler});
     queue.load();

     function progressHandler(event:LoaderEvent):void {
      trace("progress: " + event.target.progress);
     }

     function completeHandler(event:LoaderEvent):void {
      trace("completed " + event.target);
     }

     function childFailHandler(event:LoaderEvent):void {
      trace(event.target + " failed.");
     }

Copyright 2011, GreenSock. All rights reserved. This work is subject to the terms in http://www.greensock.com/terms_of_use.html or for corporate Club GreenSock members, the software agreement that was issued with the corporate membership.

See also

com.greensock.loading.data.DataLoaderVars

Public Properties
Hide Inherited Public Properties
Show Inherited Public Properties

| Property | Defined by
--- | --- | ---
|  | auditedSize : Boolean Indicates whether or not the loader's `bytesTotal` value has been set by any of the following: Defining an `estimatedBytes` in the `vars` object passed to the constructor Calling `auditSize()` and getting a response (an error is also considered a response) When a LoaderMax instance begins loading, it will automatically force a call to `auditSize()` for any of its children that don't have an `estimatedBytes` defined. | LoaderCore
|  | autoDispose : Boolean When `autoDispose` is `true`, the loader will be disposed immediately after it completes (it calls the `dispose()` method internally after dispatching its `COMPLETE` event). | LoaderCore
|  | bytesLoaded : uint Bytes loaded | LoaderCore
|  | bytesTotal : uint Total bytes that are to be loaded by the loader. | LoaderCore
|  | content : * The content that was loaded by the loader which varies by the type of loader: ImageLoader - A `com.greensock.loading.display.ContentDisplay` (a Sprite) which contains the ImageLoader's `rawContent` (a `flash.display.Bitmap` unless script access was denied in which case `rawContent` will be a `flash.display.Loader` to avoid security errors). | LoaderCore
|  | httpStatus : int The httpStatus code of the loader. | LoaderItem
|  | loadTime : Number The number of seconds that elapsed between when the loader began and when it either completed, failed, or was canceled. | LoaderCore
|  | name : String A name that you use to identify the loader instance. | LoaderCore
|  | paused : Boolean If a loader is paused, its progress will halt and any LoaderMax instances to which it belongs will either skip over it or stop when its position is reached in the queue (depending on whether or not the LoaderMax's `skipPaused` property is `true`). | LoaderCore
|  | progress : Number A value between 0 and 1 indicating the overall progress of the loader. | LoaderCore
|  | request : URLRequest The `URLRequest` associated with the loader. | LoaderItem
|  | scriptAccessDenied : Boolean If the loaded content is denied script access (because of security sandbox restrictions, a missing crossdomain.xml file, etc.), `scriptAccessDenied` will be set to `true`. | LoaderItem
|  | status : int Integer code indicating the loader's status; options are `LoaderStatus.READY, LoaderStatus.LOADING, LoaderStatus.COMPLETED, LoaderStatus.PAUSED,` and `LoaderStatus.DISPOSED`. | LoaderCore
|  | url : String The url from which the loader should get its content. | LoaderItem
|  | vars : Object An object containing optional configuration details, typically passed through a constructor parameter. | LoaderCore

Public Methods
Hide Inherited Public Methods
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| Method | Defined by
--- | --- | ---
|  | BinaryDataLoader(urlOrRequest:*, vars:Object = null) Constructor | BinaryDataLoader
|  | addEventListener(type:String, listener:Function, useCapture:Boolean = false, priority:int = 0, useWeakReference:Boolean = false):void | LoaderCore
|  | auditSize():void Attempts loading just enough of the content to accurately determine the `bytesTotal` in order to improve the accuracy of the `progress` property. | LoaderItem
|  | cancel():void If the loader is currently loading (`status` is `LoaderStatus.LOADING`), it will be canceled immediately and its status will change to `LoaderStatus.READY`. | LoaderCore
|  | dispose(flushContent:Boolean = false):void Disposes of the loader and releases it internally for garbage collection. | LoaderCore
|  | load(flushContent:Boolean = false):void Loads the loader's content, optionally flushing any previously loaded content first. | LoaderCore
|  | pause():void Pauses the loader immediately. | LoaderCore
|  | prioritize(loadNow:Boolean = true):void Immediately prioritizes the loader inside any LoaderMax instances that contain it, forcing it to the top position in their queue and optionally calls `load()` immediately as well. | LoaderCore
|  | resume():void Unpauses the loader and resumes loading immediately. | LoaderCore
|  | toString():String Returns information about the loader, like its type, its `name`, and its `url` (if it has one). | LoaderCore
|  | unload():void Removes any content that was loaded and sets `bytesLoaded` back to zero. | LoaderCore

Events
Hide Inherited Events
Show Inherited Events

| Event | Summary | Defined by
--- | --- | --- | ---
|  | cancel | Dispatched when the loader is canceled while loading which can occur either because of a failure or when a sibling loader is prioritized in a LoaderMax queue. | LoaderCore
|  | complete | Dispatched when the loader completes. | LoaderCore
|  | error | Dispatched when the loader experiences some type of error, like a SECURITY_ERROR or IO_ERROR. | LoaderCore
|  | fail | Dispatched when the loader fails. | LoaderCore
|  | httpStatus | Dispatched when the loader's `httpStatus` value changes. | DataLoader
|  | ioError | Dispatched when the loader experiences an IO_ERROR while loading or auditing its size. | LoaderItem
|  | open | Dispatched when the loader starts loading. | LoaderCore
|  | progress | Dispatched each time the `bytesLoaded` value changes while loading (indicating progress). | LoaderCore
|  | securityError | Dispatched when the loader experiences a SECURITY_ERROR while loading or auditing its size. | DataLoader
|  | unload | Dispatched when the loader unloads (which happens when either `unload()` or `dispose(true)` is called or if a loader is canceled while in the process of loading). | LoaderCore

Constructor detail

BinaryDataLoader | () | constructor

`public function BinaryDataLoader(urlOrRequest:*, vars:Object = null)`

Constructor

Parameters

| `urlOrRequest:*` — The url (`String`) or `URLRequest` from which the loader should get its content.
| `vars:Object` (default = `null`)`` — An object containing optional configuration details. For example: `new BinaryDataLoader("file.zip", {name:"myZipFile", onComplete:completeHandler, onProgress:progressHandler})`. The following special properties can be passed into the constructor via the `vars` parameter which can be either a generic object or a `DataLoaderVars` object: name : String - A name that is used to identify the loader instance. This name can be fed to the `LoaderMax.getLoader()` or `LoaderMax.getContent()` methods or traced at any time. Each loader's name should be unique. If you don't define one, a unique name will be created automatically, like "loader21". alternateURL : String - If you define an `alternateURL`, the loader will initially try to load from its original `url` and if it fails, it will automatically (and permanently) change the loader's `url` to the `alternateURL` and try again. Think of it as a fallback or backup `url`. It is perfectly acceptable to use the same `alternateURL` for multiple loaders (maybe a default image for various ImageLoaders for example). noCache : Boolean - If `true`, a "gsCacheBusterID" parameter will be appended to the url with a random set of numbers to prevent caching (don't worry, this info is ignored when you `LoaderMax.getLoader()` or `LoaderMax.getContent()` by `url` or when you're running locally) estimatedBytes : uint - Initially, the loader's `bytesTotal` is set to the `estimatedBytes` value (or `LoaderMax.defaultEstimatedBytes` if one isn't defined). Then, when the loader begins loading and it can accurately determine the bytesTotal, it will do so. Setting `estimatedBytes` is optional, but the more accurate the value, the more accurate your loaders' overall progress will be initially. If the loader is inserted into a LoaderMax instance (for queue management), its `auditSize` feature can attempt to automatically determine the `bytesTotal` at runtime (there is a slight performance penalty for this, however - see LoaderMax's documentation for details). requireWithRoot : DisplayObject - LoaderMax supports subloading, where an object can be factored into a parent's loading progress. If you want LoaderMax to require this BinaryDataLoader as part of its parent SWFLoader's progress, you must set the `requireWithRoot` property to your swf's `root`. For example, `var loader:BinaryDataLoader = new BinaryDataLoader("file.zip", {name:"myZipFile", requireWithRoot:this.root});` allowMalformedURL : Boolean - Normally, the URL will be parsed and any variables in the query string (like "?name=test&state=il&gender=m") will be placed into a URLVariables object which is added to the URLRequest. This avoids a few bugs in Flash, but if you need to keep the entire URL intact (no parsing into URLVariables), set `allowMalformedURL:true`. For example, if your URL has duplicate variables in the query string like `http://www.greensock.com/?c=S&c=SE&c=SW`, it is technically considered a malformed URL and a URLVariables object can't properly contain all the duplicates, so in this case you'd want to set `allowMalformedURL` to `true`. autoDispose : Boolean - When `autoDispose` is `true`, the loader will be disposed immediately after it completes (it calls the `dispose()` method internally after dispatching its `COMPLETE` event). This will remove any listeners that were defined in the vars object (like onComplete, onProgress, onError, onInit). Once a loader is disposed, it can no longer be found with `LoaderMax.getLoader()` or `LoaderMax.getContent()` - it is essentially destroyed but its content is not unloaded (you must call `unload()` or `dispose(true)` to unload its content). The default `autoDispose` value is `false`. ----EVENT HANDLER SHORTCUTS---- onOpen : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.OPEN` events which are dispatched when the loader begins loading. Make sure your onOpen function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`). onProgress : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.PROGRESS` events which are dispatched whenever the `bytesLoaded` changes. Make sure your onProgress function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`). You can use the LoaderEvent's `target.progress` to get the loader's progress value or use its `target.bytesLoaded` and `target.bytesTotal`. onComplete : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.COMPLETE` events which are dispatched when the loader has finished loading successfully. Make sure your onComplete function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`). onCancel : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.CANCEL` events which are dispatched when loading is aborted due to either a failure or because another loader was prioritized or `cancel()` was manually called. Make sure your onCancel function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`). onError : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.ERROR` events which are dispatched whenever the loader experiences an error (typically an IO_ERROR or SECURITY_ERROR). An error doesn't necessarily mean the loader failed, however - to listen for when a loader fails, use the `onFail` special property. Make sure your onError function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`). onFail : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.FAIL` events which are dispatched whenever the loader fails and its `status` changes to `LoaderStatus.FAILED`. Make sure your onFail function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`). onIOError : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.IO_ERROR` events which will also call the onError handler, so you can use that as more of a catch-all whereas `onIOError` is specifically for LoaderEvent.IO_ERROR events. Make sure your onIOError function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`). onHTTPStatus : Function - A handler function for `LoaderEvent.HTTP_STATUS` events. Make sure your onHTTPStatus function accepts a single parameter of type `LoaderEvent` (`com.greensock.events.LoaderEvent`). You can determine the httpStatus code using the LoaderEvent's `target.httpStatus` (LoaderItems keep track of their `httpStatus` when possible, although certain environments prevent Flash from getting httpStatus information).

See also

com.greensock.loading.data.DataLoaderVars