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There are several questions about this in the forum, but I couldn't get a good answer for what I need.
I am getting into Canvas and Javascript, and I want to preload some images as soon as the game opens. I made an example of the method I wanted to build (and didn't work)
I have 3 files: "main.html" where the canvas (there is only one in this example) is declared and I try to load an image, "ImagePreloader.js" where I preload all the images and "Variables.js" where I have my variables.
Could anyone please help me with this image preloading metod, or suggest me a viable one? I think the image is not loading because I am not using an onLoad() function, which I couldn't understand in the tutorials I read so far (I know how to apply it to an image, but not to an array of images)
main.html:
<!DOCTYPE HTML>
<html>
<body>
<canvas id="myCanvas" width="800" height="600"></canvas>
<script type="text/javascript" src="Variables.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="ImagePreloader.js"></script>
<script>
// Basic canvas info
var canvas = document.getElementById('myCanvas');
var context = canvas.getContext('2d');
// Draw one of the images. Somehow it doesn't work :(
context.drawImage(imageArray[3], x, y, width, height);
</script>
</body>
</html>
ImagePreloader.js
// This should preload the images in imageArray[i] with 0 <= i <= 5 ... right?
function preloader()
{
for(var i=0; i<5; i++)
{
imageArray[i].src=images[i];
}
}
Variables.js
// array of sources of my images
images = new Array();
images[0]="img1.jpg"
images[1]="img2.jpg"
images[2]="img3.jpg"
images[3]="img4.jpg"
images[4]="img5.jpg"
// Stuff to draw the image
var x = 50;
var y = 50;
var width = 256;
var height = 256;
// Is this actually an array of images?
imageArray = new Image();
Thanks in advance!
332
Well, you will want to use a function which loads the images at a certain point, so you might as well try to understand onLoad. It's not that hard to grasp.
"onload" is a javascript event that occurs immediately after something is loaded. In other words: onLoad is like a javascript-native function which triggers when something is loaded. That something can be a window (eg: window.onload) or a document. What you want is the document onLoad event, as it triggers when your document is loaded.
Let's provide you with a simple example...
<body onload="preloadMyImages();">
This tells the browser "when you've loaded the document, run the preloadMyImages function".
All you have to do is then use that function to load your images into the client's browser cache.
function preloadMyImages()
{
var imageList = [
"image.gif",
"example/image.jpg",
"whatever/image.png"
];
for(var i = 0; i < imageList.length; i++ )
{
var imageObject = new Image();
imageObject.src = imageList[i];
}
}
That practically wraps it up and provides you with a fully working example. Enjoy!
EDIT
Since - according to your comment - you are looking for some more help, I would like to point you to https://stackoverflow.com/a/1038381/2432317 which (as one of many examples) shows how that you can (and probably should - depending on what you're planning do draw on your canvas) use img.onload too.
Yet, as I stated in my comment: it will all depend on where you want to take it. The more you dive into Javascript coding, the more you will understand what's going on. There are several good (partly free) books out there explaining how to code Javascript, use the HTML5 canvas, create preloaders, animations, talk about scopes etc.
A quick check at the big G of search engines turns up ample examples and tutorials too which will be helpfull for you. One of many examples: "How To Draw Images Onto Your HTML5 Canvas" which shows you preloading and looping an animation in a short and crisp tutorial.
But please, don't expect us to code it all for you - it's not going to happen. This is one of the not-so-rare cases where "learning by doing" will actually make you smarter. And if you hit another problem on your way to your final goal, you can always post a new question related to that new problem.
64
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