CoffeCup Flash FireStarter

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Hey everyone,

      Working on my website and I just recently wanted to test out the trial ver. of Firestarter by CoffeeCup. However not sure what the heck to do? How do I make it work with CuteSite Builder 5?

Thanks,
Ryan 

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You posted the same question on GlobalSCAPE forum.  So here is the same answer:



All flash is inserted the same way, no matter what program you use to create your flash movie.

Please take a look at this page (put together specifically for CSB5)
My preference is method 2 (you upload your flash file to the website and use CSB to pull it into the page).

[urlhttp://samisite.com/forum/index.php?topic=435.0]This page is a STEP BY STEP instruction of method 1 and 2[/url]
I put this one together for someone that needed more details than the original page had and posted it on the samisite forum for reference.


And also this page.
It provides a simple FIX for Internet Explorer pages with flash.
The fix has 2 pieces to it:
1) a tiny piece of code that is placed into an Insert HTML box on ANY WEBPAGE that has flash file in it.
2) a tiny js file that you copy to your website.

The code activates the js file.  The js file tells your browser to not ask for activation.

What it does: 
Microsoft actually caused the problem ON PURPOSE a few years ago, to PROTECT visitors!
When you mouseover a flash, you see a dotted line around it and a notice to CLICK TO ACTIVATE.
If your flash piece has interactivity (you want your visitor to click to get a link, use it as a menu, move something in the flash, etc) your visitor will have to CLICK TO ACTIVATE the flash, THEN click again to get the link.  So in effect, you must DOUBLE click the first time you use a menu, single click for other options!   What a pain.
The fix I am sending you eliminates the dotted line and hovering notice.  Best of all, the click is normal.

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Sam Your a Genius! Thanks... #2 did work the best...Ok SO next question...

My flash is more of an Intro to the site, is there anyway I can make it so that it's not the home but when people go to my URL that comes up first? The only reason I ask is I don't want to mess up my Search Engine Results!

Thanks,
Ryan 

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Again... Posting in two places....same answer in both places:

Splash pages DO interfere with search engine results.

If you want your INTRO page to load when people go to yourdomain.com then you would make it the index.htm page, check off MAKE THIS HOME PAGE in page properties.  And then give your old home page a name in page properties (SHORT TITLE file in CSB3 and 4, FILE NAME in CSB5).  Type in home in the field and it becomes home.htm.
Then when your site loads, the first thing they see is your intro, they click it to go to the "home page".

Downsides are many and can be confusing.
1) Irritation to visitors.  Most click a SKIP button/link if provided. Most do not want to sit through an ad for your site. And those accessing your site while at work, etc do not want sound.
2) Search engines do not like Flash pages because they can not read them.  Looks like a big fat nothing on the page to them! So you then must provide text links above or below your flash in the actual web page so you feed the search engines.  But even so, the page will have NO CONTENT.  This lowers your ranking/score.
3) Links from within your website to your home page yourdomain.com (the start, index.htm) page will take them back to your flash instead of the page you currently use as home page so your visitors get annoyed again having to sit through your ad again. (Ex...arrive at site, see intro, click to enter arrive at home.htm page with lots of links and info.  Click links...wander want to return to that page with lots of links so click home and arrive at the intro page again!) To avoid that, you must manually make links to your home.htm page instead of links to your HOME PAGE index.htm  Pain in the patoot.

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Just to say I agree with Sammy - flash intros are hugely annoying and mostly skipped. I would say unless someone like maybe david copperfield put up a site with it where the people visiting might be interested in some magic effects or something I don't think it does any thing good. Even with high speed it slows me down. Like most people I just want to get to the meat of any site I am visiting. Check your stats to see how long people are on your site I find most visitors are on a site for not more than a minute or two if they can't find what they are looking for  and you are wasting their time with a flash. I would make the flash available from a link if I just had to have it to prove something to my visitors so they can choose to see it or not. I agree with every thing Sammy says about it and have even left sites immediately due to a flash intro because I hate them that much lol. Sorry - just wanted you to know as you seem to be trying so hard to do the right things. IMHO that wouldn't be one of them.