Macromedia MAX 2005 - Anaheim, CA What’s New In Flash 8
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Specifying Publish Settings with HTML and Version Detection
Let’s go back and revisit our Detect Flash Version settings, and how Flash will publish your HTML
template.
Playing Flash content in a web browser requires an HTML document that activates the SWF file and
specifies browser settings. This document is generated automatically by the Publish command, from
HTML parameters in a template document.
The template document can be any text file that contains the appropriate template variables--
including a plain HTML file, one that includes code for special interpreters such as ColdFusion or a
template included with Flash.
You can customize a built-in template or manually enter HTML parameters for Flash using any
HTML editor.
HTML parameters determine where the Flash content appears in the window, the background color,
the size of the SWF file, and so on, and set attributes for the object and embed tags. You can
change these and other settings in the HTML panel of the Publish Settings dialog box. Changing
these settings overrides options you've set in the SWF file.
NOTE:
Flash Version Detection configures your document to detect the version of Flash Player that
the user has and shows the user to alternate HTML code if the user does not have the
targeted player.
Currently, Flash uses JavaScript to detect the Flash player, and to display some simple HTML
content. You will notice that the Content and Alternate file options have been eliminated from Flash
8.
For a more sophisticated experience you can download the Flash Detection Kit. This contains three
ways of detecting the Flash player:
• ActionScript Detection – ActionScript solution
• Client-Side Detection – JavaScript/VB Script solution that comes with Flash 8
• Express Detection – Installs the player directly from the Macromedia website
You can find the kit at:
http://www.macromedia.com/software/flashplayer/download/detection_kit/
