David Pett

By using an external assets swf file, I have been able to drastically reduce the file size of my main swf file. In my external asset swf file I include all fonts and audio(sound effects). To do this, I create a swf file and make sure all of the assets have Linkage with a class name, for example a font that is used a lot, I might call “MainFont.” Once all assets are properly exported for Actionscript, Publish the swf file, and let the main swf know where it is:

private function loadAssets():void
{
	_loader = new Loader();
	try
	{
		_loader.load(new URLRequest("assests.swf"));
	}
	catch(e:Error){}
	_loader.contentLoaderInfo.addEventListener(IOErrorEvent.IO_ERROR, io, false, 0, true);
	_loader.contentLoaderInfo.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, assetsLoaded, false, 0, true);
}

private function assetsLoaded(e:Event):void
{
	e.currentTarget.removeEventListener(IOErrorEvent.IO_ERROR, io);
	e.currentTarget.removeEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, assetsLoaded);

	var app:ApplicationDomain = e.currentTarget.applicationDomain;
	try
	{
		Font.registerFont(app.getDefinition("MainFont") as Class);
	}
	catch(e:Error){}
	try
	{
		_loader.close();
	}
	catch(e:Error){}
	_loader = null;
}

private function io(e:IOErrorEvent):void{}

Once the swf file is loaded into your Application, you must use the ApplicationDomain of the loaded swf to access all classes in it. By using Font.registerFont(), I am able to add the font from the loaded swf file into my main Application and access it from anywhere.