Author Topic: Insert Flash into CSB  (Read 9348 times)

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Insert Flash into CSB
« on: March 14, 2008, 06:38:57 PM »
Thank you Sami for responding.  I've probably got something messed up so I walk back thru it.  Now one more question if you can help me out here on how to do a flash image.  I printed out your solution on how to do a flash on CSB.  I've read it 50 times and guess I have my dunce cap on today, what did you mean by:

"Place flash file into the WEBCOMPONENTS part of the INSERT HTML."  Which file are you talking about here?
I know how to place codes in the Webgems and also the WEBCOMPONENTS, just not sure how or where this file you're talking about derives from.  I just cannot get this flash thing down.

Again, thanks so much for all the help given to me and others.  You are my computer angel.

Arky

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Re: Insert Flash into CSB
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2008, 08:59:05 PM »
You use software to create a Flash object, such as SwishMax, CoffeeCup, Adobe, Xara Xtreme, etc.
Though the software is very different, they ALL create a piece of HTML code and a .swf flash object.

At the bottom of this post is an image that shows steps 1, 2, and 3 for reference.

1)  The CODE:  gives instruction to the browser how to play the flash movie.  Some of the software creates a FULL HTML page while others just give you the embed code.  Either way, You will only need the part of the code that starts with <object with and ends with object> as shown in this example:
Code: [Select]
<object
        classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"
        codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,79,0"
        id="ProvidenceHS"
        width="560" height="336"
      >
        <param name="movie" value="/projects/ProvidenceHS.swf">
        <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF">
        <param name="quality" value="high">
        <param name="base" value="">
        <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="samedomain">
        <embed
          type="application/x-shockwave-flash"
          pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"
          name="ProvidenceHS"
          width="560" height="336"
          src="/projects/ProvidenceHS.swf"
          bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
          quality="high"
          base=""
          allowscriptaccess="samedomain"
        >
          <noembed>
          </noembed>
        </embed>
      </object>

That piece of code is placed into the WHITE BOX on the Insert HTML interface.
Note that CSB's Insert HTML is same as Build Your Own Webgem in Trellix.

2) FLASH FILE - WEB COMPONENTS
- If you will be using FTP software or a file manager/control panel at your hosting company to upload the flash file (the file you created with flash software ending in .swf) skip to #3 below!  Note that using some EXTERNAL way of uploading the file keeps your CSB tlx design file smaller!
- If you want CSB to upload your file for you there are two steps you must do:
A. Click the button below the white box.  Different versions of Trellix/CSB may have different language on the button but it is exactly the same result!  It opens another box.  Use the ADD A FILE button to locate the flash .swf file on your computer.  The name of the flash file is in your CODE.   (my example code shows that the file is called ProvidenceHS.swf
B. You must change your CODE.  You MUST put ^GEMDIR/ into your code whereever it mentions your flash file.  Check out the modified code:
Code: [Select]
<object
        classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"
        codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,79,0"
        id="ProvidenceHS"
        width="560" height="336"
      >
        <param name="movie" value="^GEMDIR/ProvidenceHS.swf">
        <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF">
        <param name="quality" value="high">
        <param name="base" value="">
        <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="samedomain">
        <embed
          type="application/x-shockwave-flash"
          pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"
          name="ProvidenceHS"
          width="560" height="336"
          src="^GEMDIR/ProvidenceHS.swf"
          bgcolor="#FFFFFF"
          quality="high"
          base=""
          allowscriptaccess="samedomain"
        >
          <noembed>
          </noembed>
        </embed>
      </object>


3) PLACEHOLDER IMAGE is huge and ugly.  Trellix and CSB have large rectangular images that take up a lot of space on the page.  Sometimes you want a tiny image, sometimes you want a frame from the flash piece so it fits the same in the design window as the actual flash.  You can change your image ONLY WHEN YOU CREATE THE NEW INSERT HTML.  Once you have closed that box once, you can not change your image. You would have to create a NEW INSERT HTML box! Click the BROWSE button to find an image that you want to use.  Read more on this page.


More flash examples and instruction.





By the way.... if you can not see your file extensions (.tlx, .swf, .jpg, .gif, etc) on the end of the file names, I highly recommend you take the time to TURN ON THAT OPTION so you can see them!  Simply go to your MY DOCUMENTS folder and choose TOOLS, FOLDER OPTIONS and uncheck the box for HIDE EXTENSIONS FOR KNOWN FILE TYPES as shown in the image below.  This makes it EASIER to identify files!!!  Also using VIEW, DETAILS gives a very nice list of file names.

« Last Edit: March 16, 2008, 08:59:34 AM by Samrc »
-Samantha
TNG: "Sometimes, you can make no mistakes, do everything right, and still lose" - Capt Picard to Data
(:turtle: In memory of Turtle: May 22, 1944 - Nov 24, 2007  GURU, mentor, and really nice guy! :turtleleft: )

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Re: Insert Flash into CSB
« Reply #2 on: March 16, 2008, 05:08:42 AM »
 :clapping:

I have been waiting for someone to give me a play-by-play of how to do Flash and all this good stuff and you are the first person to give this much details.  Thank you for doing this.  Hopefully, it will help others that see this understand it too, or I may be the only one.

Many many thanks,

Arky

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Re: Insert Flash into CSB
« Reply #3 on: March 16, 2008, 09:06:38 AM »
Please also read about this extra step to fix a browser issue dealing with flash.

Flash, slideshows, movies, scripts, and all kinds of code snippets can be put into CSB using the SAME TECHNIQUE.
I demonstrate this technique many places on samisite, but this is the first time I did it specifically for flash.
Once you learn the 3 steps, you can implement just about any script/code snippet!

Moving this to Frequently asked questions area.
-Samantha
TNG: "Sometimes, you can make no mistakes, do everything right, and still lose" - Capt Picard to Data
(:turtle: In memory of Turtle: May 22, 1944 - Nov 24, 2007  GURU, mentor, and really nice guy! :turtleleft: )

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Re: Insert Flash into CSB
« Reply #4 on: June 06, 2009, 12:50:07 PM »
Hi Sami.  I'm trying to get a flash video on my site.  I read your thorough tutorial on this help page.  The SW I used to generate my swf file is called Power Video Cutter from AML Soft.  You said these file generators also produce some html code.  I do not get any html with my swf file.   My file is about 8 minutes long (7Meg). I plugged my file name into your two time-proven methods of inserting html into csb5 and all I get is a white square on my page.  I'm missing something here :(  I'm using Vista.

Thanks for your ongoing support of CSB.  We'd be hung out to dry if you weren't doing this.  Grampy Peter

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Re: Insert Flash into CSB
« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2009, 09:51:14 PM »
Vista is not the issue here, but glad you mentioned it.  Sometimes that does play a factor.

Quote
Power Video Cutter.  You said these file generators also produce some html code.  I do not get any html with my swf file.
I have not used that software but I can tell you that SHOULD produce some code for you. As I mentioned earlier, some of the software creates a FULL HTML page while others just give you the embed code and tell you to copy it. Different route to get there, but same destination.

Check for a PREVIEW, EXPORT, or VIEW/TEST in browser option in the software.
One of these will generate a plain white page with your flash on it. Sometimes this is actually shown in the internet explorer browser window.  If you right click on the plain white part of the page (not on your playing flash) you can VIEW SOURCE and see that lovely HTML coding that your software made for you.
Copy it and we can use it in CSB.  
(Let me know if you can't find it....)

When you use test page code, often it must be adjusted to point to the right place on your website.
ex:  src="C:\Documents and Settings\Sam\MyDocs\Samples\myflashfile.swf"
and you would change it to something like this instead:
src="myflashfile.swf"
Since the program that generates the swf is on your own computer, some software will provide that code that points to your own computer.  If you don't adjust it, WILL not load the flash file on the server because it will not find the file!

With the size of your flash file, I WOULD recommend that you manually upload your swf file to your website using FTP or file manager at the host control panel (if you have one).  Then use CSB to pull that file in (skip step 2, web components and send the file to the host yourself!). This will keep your CSB file smaller and less likely to have corruptions.  If you have already put the file into a web component, REMOVE IT and then FILE SAVE AS to compact the file again.

RECAP STEPS for YOUR situation:
1) code in the insert html white box (make sure it points to your file).
2) upload the file (Some people can use CSB, but in YOUR case I would MANUALLY upload)
3) placeholder image (take a screen shot of the flash and use that one image of the exact same size as your placeholder).
Publish.


Having said all that, if you are just converting the file from another format to flash, your program MAY NOT create code for you. IT SHOULD. It serves a couple purposes:
1) tells the browser the size of the file
2) tells the browser where to find the file
3) tells the browser which version of flash was used to create the file.

If you do not have code made by YOUR generator, you can:
1) modify someone else's code (if compatible).
2) use CSB 5's internal FLASH utility (don't know if it works on Vista).  You can read about this option here.  (Was not a favorite feature because I found bugs that never got resolved but still might help YOU).


Let us know how it goes.


(We support other software too, not just CSB   :) but CSB is still my favorite old comfortable shoe!)




« Last Edit: June 06, 2009, 10:16:26 PM by Samrc »
-Samantha
TNG: "Sometimes, you can make no mistakes, do everything right, and still lose" - Capt Picard to Data
(:turtle: In memory of Turtle: May 22, 1944 - Nov 24, 2007  GURU, mentor, and really nice guy! :turtleleft: )

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Re: Insert Flash into CSB
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2009, 04:19:05 PM »
Ok, I got it to work.  Thanks for a VERY thorough answer.
I uploaded my movie file using FileZilla. 
I used your html code example #2 for linking a file uploaded outside CSB.
I had 2 problems with my html code which I found thanks to your suggestion to view the page code using my browser.
I had the file name wrong...I had "My Movie" rather than "MyMovie". ;)
I had the path address wrong.  Took me a while to get that straight but I did it.

Many thanks again Sami, you do a wonderful job at supporting CSB.  Grampy Peter.

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Re: Insert Flash into CSB
« Reply #7 on: June 07, 2009, 09:05:46 PM »
There are two things that can trip you up with any program, not just CSB.
1) file naming!  This is the main issue.  You can read about proper naming practices for files, web pages, images, etc here.
If the code is calling for myflash.swf make sure it is spelled EXACTLY like that, with no spaces or characters (other than _.
2) linking!  If the name does not get you, then finding the LOCATION of the file will!

Sorry to hear that you ran into both issues.

BUT THRILLED that you got it working.   :boogie: :kickdancing: :boogie: :kickdancing: :boogie:
CONGRATULATIONS!
I am so glad you were able to work through it!
-Samantha
TNG: "Sometimes, you can make no mistakes, do everything right, and still lose" - Capt Picard to Data
(:turtle: In memory of Turtle: May 22, 1944 - Nov 24, 2007  GURU, mentor, and really nice guy! :turtleleft: )