F-IN-BOX supports External API. You can call functions of a movie and a movie is able to get data from an application synchronously (instead of fscommand).

• Call an ActionScript function from an application
• Call an application function from a flash script

import flash.external.*; 

ExternalInterface.addCallback("CallMeFromApplication", this, InternalFunction); 

function InternalFunction(str: String): String { 
   TextArea1.text = str; 
   return "The function was called successfully"; 
}

var
   Response: WideString; 
begin
   Response := FlashPlayerControl1.CallFunction('Some text for TFlashPlayerControl'); 

   ShowMessage(Format('The function returned: %s', [ Response ] )); 
end;

WideString Response = 
   FlashPlayerControl1->CallFunction("Some text for TFlashPlayerControl"); 

ShowMessage("The function returned: " + Response);

on (click) { 
   _root.TextArea1.text = flash.external.ExternalInterface.call("SomeFunction"); 
}

procedure TMainForm.FlashPlayerControl1FlashCall(ASender: TObject; 
  const request: WideString); 
begin
   FlashPlayerControl1.SetReturnValue('Current time is: ' + 
                                      TimeToStr(Time) + #13#10 + 
                                      'This info is returned by application');
end;

void __fastcall TMainForm::FlashPlayerControl1FlashCall(TObject *ASender, 
      const WideString request) 
{ 
   FlashPlayerControl1->SetReturnValue("Current time is: " + 
                                       TimeToStr(Time()) + 
                                       "\r\nThis info is returned by application"); 
}

One of the problem with Macromedia / Adobe Flash Player ActiveX programming is that you have to control what version of Macromedia / Adobe Flash Player ActiveX you are using. For example, the property "Stacking" exists only in Macromedia / Adobe Flash Player ActiveX 5 but doesn't exist in later revisions. TFlashPlayerControl automatically detects what Macromedia / Adobe Flash Player ActiveX version is being used and prevents failure if access to non existant properties/methods is attempted. Applications using TFlashPlayerControl are not only compatible with Macromedia / Adobe Flash Player ActiveX 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, but are also "smart" about how Macromedia / Adobe Flash Player ActiveX control is used. This makes your application more robust which can result in fewer technical support issues.

Streaming is an ability to load the content in the asynchronous mode. If you load a movie using LoadMovieFromStream, the movie is loaded into LoadMovieFromStream. If your movie is large, it may take some time. Another example: you have encoded an SWF/FLV file and want to load it into the player. If you use LoadMovieFromStream, the player will play the file only after all of the data is decoded. That's why the ability to provide content in the asynchronous mode is important.

Remarks:

• to load a movie or another resource data (*.flv, *.jpg, *.mp3, *.xml etc.) you should use a stream (AStream). To provide content, write to this stream (AStream.Write);
• if you write data in a separate thread, call AStream.Write using Synchronize;
• if AStream.Write returns 0, loading has been cancelled (for example, another movie is being loaded);
• free AStream (AStream.Free) when loading is finished (even if loading has been cancelled);

There are few use cases:

• Loading a movie in the asynchronous mode
• Loading an external resource (*.flv - flash video, *.swf, *.jpg, *.mp3) by full path (i.e. beginning with http://) in the asynchronous mode
• A movie is loaded using LoadMovieFromStream, PutMovieFromStream, LoadMovieUsingStream or PutMovieUsingStream. A movie loads an external resource (*.swf, *.jpg, *.mp3, but except *.flv - flash video) using its relative path (i.e. something like "images/image1.jpg"). You should provide the resource in the asynchronous mode.

Use LoadMovieUsingStream or PurMovieUsingStream.

Remarks:

• use a movie stream to load a movie. To provide movie content, write to this stream;
• if you write data in a separate thread, call Write (of the movie stream) using Synchronize;
• if Write returns 0, loading has been cancelled (for example, another movie is being loaded);
• free the movie stream when loading is finished (even if loading has been cancelled);

Here is an example how to load a movie:

var
   MovieStream: TStream;
begin
   FlashPlayerControl1.LoadMovieUsingStream(0, MovieStream);
   ContentProviderThread := 
      TContentProviderThread.Create(MovieStream);
end;
...

TContentProviderThread = class(TThread)
private
   FMovieStream: TStream;
   FBuffer: TMemoryStream;
...

end;
...

procedure TContentProviderThread.DoWrite;
var
   nWrittenBytes: integer;
begin
   nWrittenBytes := FMovieStream.Write(FBuffer.Memory^, FBuffer.Size);

   if nWrittenBytes = 0 then
      // Write returns 0, if loading was cancelled by some reason
      FStop := true;
end;
...

procedure TContentProviderThread.Execute;
begin
   while not FStop do
   begin
      // preparing buffer
      PrepareBuffer;

      if FBuffer.Size > 0 then
         DoWrite;
   end;

   // free the stream after providing all amount of data!
   FMovieStream.Free;
end;

TStream* MovieStream;

FlashPlayerControl1->LoadMovieUsingStream(0, MovieStream);

TContentProviderThread* ContentProviderThread = 
   new TContentProviderThread(MovieStream);
...

class TContentProviderThread : public TThread
{
   private:
      TStream* FMovieStream;
      TMemoryStream* FBuffer;
...

};
...

void __fastcall TContentProviderThread::DoWrite()
{
   int nWrittenBytes = FMovieStream->Write(FBuffer->Memory, FBuffer->Size);

   if (0 == nWrittenBytes)
      FStop = true;
}
...

void __fastcall TContentProviderThread::Execute()
{
   while (!FStop)
   {
      // preparing buffer
      PrepareBuffer();

      if (FBuffer->Size > 0)
         DoWrite();
   }

   // free the stream after providing all amount of data!
   FMovieStream->Free();
}

var
   MovieStream: TStream;
begin
   // set global handler
   SetGlobalOnLoadExternalResourceHandlerEx(ContentProvider);
   FlashPlayerControl1.LoadMovieFromStream(0, MovieStream); // load movie
...

procedure TMainForm.ContentProvider(const URL: WideString; 
                                    Stream: TStream; 
                                    out bHandled: Boolean);
var
   ContentProviderThread: TContentProviderThread;
begin
  if URL = 'http://FLV/FlashVideo.flv' then
  begin
    ContentProviderThread := TContentProviderThread.Create(Stream);

    bHandled := true;
  end;
end;
...

TContentProviderThread = class(TThread)
private
   FResourceStream: TStream;
   FBuffer: TMemoryStream;
...

end;
...

procedure TContentProviderThread.DoWrite;
var
   nWrittenBytes: integer;
begin
   nWrittenBytes := FResourceStream.Write(FBuffer.Memory^, FBuffer.Size);

   if nWrittenBytes = 0 then
      // Write returns 0, if loading was cancelled by some reason
      FStop := true;
end;
...

procedure TContentProviderThread.Execute;
begin
   while not FStop do
   begin
      // preparing buffer
      PrepareBuffer;

      if FBuffer.Size > 0 then
         DoWrite;
   end;

   // free the stream after providing all amount of data!
   FResourceStream.Free;
end;

TStream* MovieStream;

FlashPlayerControl1->LoadMovieUsingStream(0, MovieStream);

TContentProviderThread* ContentProviderThread = 
   new TContentProviderThread(MovieStream);
...

class TContentProviderThread : public TThread
{
   private:
      TStream* FResourceStream;
      TMemoryStream* FBuffer;
...

};
...

void __fastcall TContentProviderThread::DoWrite()
{
   int nWrittenBytes = FResourceStream->Write(FBuffer->Memory, FBuffer->Size);

   if (0 == nWrittenBytes)
      FStop = true;
}
...

void __fastcall TContentProviderThread::Execute()
{
   while (!FStop)
   {
      // preparing buffer
      PrepareBuffer();

      if (FBuffer->Size > 0)
         DoWrite();
   }

   // free the stream after providing all amount of data!
   FResourceStream->Free();
}

procedure TMainForm.FlashPlayerControl1LoadExternalResourceEx(
  ASender: TObject;
  const URL: WideString;
  Stream: TStream;
  var bHandled: Boolean);
var
   ContentProviderThread: TContentProviderThread;
begin
   if URL = 'images/embedded_image1.jpg' then
   begin
      ContentProviderThread := TContentProviderThread.Create(Stream);

      bHandled := true;
   end;
end;
...

TContentProviderThread = class(TThread)
private
   FResourceStream: TStream;
   FBuffer: TMemoryStream;
...

end;
...

procedure TContentProviderThread.DoWrite;
var
   nWrittenBytes: integer;
begin
   nWrittenBytes := FResourceStream.Write(FBuffer.Memory^, FBuffer.Size);

   if nWrittenBytes = 0 then
      // Write returns 0, if loading was cancelled by some reason
      FStop := true;
end;
...

procedure TContentProviderThread.Execute;
begin
   while not FStop do
   begin
      // preparing buffer
      PrepareBuffer;

      if FBuffer.Size > 0 then
         DoWrite;
   end;

   // free the stream after providing all amount of data!
   FResourceStream.Free;
end;

void __fastcall TMainForm::FlashPlayerControl1LoadExternalResourceEx(
      TObject *ASender,
      const WideString URL,
      TStream *Stream,
      BooleanRef bHandled)
{
   if (URL == WideString("images/embedded_image1.jpg"))
   {
      TContentProviderThread* ContentProviderThread = 
         new TContentProviderThread(Stream);

      *bHandled = true;
   }
}
...

class TContentProviderThread : public TThread
{
   private:
      TStream* FResourceStream;
      TMemoryStream* FBuffer;
...

};
...

void __fastcall TContentProviderThread::DoWrite()
{
   int nWrittenBytes = FResourceStream->Write(FBuffer->Memory, FBuffer->Size);

   if (0 == nWrittenBytes)
      FStop = true;
}
...

void __fastcall TContentProviderThread::Execute()
{
   while (!FStop)
   {
      // preparing buffer
      PrepareBuffer();

      if (FBuffer->Size > 0)
         DoWrite();
   }

   // free the stream after providing all amount of data!
   FResourceStream->Free();
}