How to import Textflow string into existoing Textflow object?

Hi all,

I've hit a bit of a wall on this particular issue. I've got a multi-user whiteboard that contains both normal text fields as well as TLF text fields. I'm working in oure AS3 - no Spark components are used.

What I need to achieve is updating the value (the contents so to speak) from one user's screen to another. Example: user A creates a new TLF text object on screen and types something. I'm creating a Textflow object and I add it to a container. Since all interactions on the whiteboard are synced I also send a command over the wire that forces the same object to be created on User B's screen. So far so good.

I now listen for changes to the textflow object:

textFlow.addEventListener(UpdateCompleteEvent.UPDATE_COMPLETE, onTextChange);

private function onTextChange(event:UpdateCompleteEvent):void

        {

            var newString:Object = TextConverter.export( TextFlow(event.textFlow), TextConverter.TEXT_LAYOUT_FORMAT, ConversionType.STRING_TYPE );

        }

I then send the newString Object over the wire from user A to user B. Effectivelt all I want to sync is the alue of the text inside the textflow object which may contain multiple paragraphs. Right now I send something liek the following over the wire:

<TextFlow direction="rtl" fontSize="12" paddingBottom="0" paddingLeft="0" paddingRight="0" paddingTop="0" paragraphSpaceAfter="2" paragraphSpaceBefore="2" whiteSpaceCollapse="preserve" version="2.0.0" xmlns="http://ns.adobe.com/textLayout/2008"><p><span>Start</span></p></TextFlow>

On user B's screen I then try to import this string:

textFlow = TextConverter.importToFlow( msg, TextConverter.TEXT_LAYOUT_FORMAT );

Unfortunately TextConverter.importToFlow returns a new TextFlow instance and I cannot figure out how to replace just the contents of the existing TextFlow instance that's already on user B's screen.

Am I missing a particular API? Is there a way to say: "I've got a textflow instance on stage, now take this  string and import it, starting with the first paragraph - but do not replace my xisting TextFlow instance."

I hope I am explaing myself well enough. In a nutshell: how can I import the contents of a TextFlow object instance into another TextFlow object instance without replacing that second instance (which is what TextConverter.importToFlow seems to do)?

Regards,

Stefan