Inserting Flash content



Inserting Flash content

You can use Dreamweaver to insert Flash content in your pages.

To insert a SWF file (Flash content):

1. In the Design view of the Document window, place the insertion point where you want to insert the content, then do one of the following:

o In the Common category of the Insert bar, select Media and click the Insert Flash icon.[pic]

o Select Insert > Media > Flash.

2. In the dialog box that appears, select a Flash file (.swf).

A Flash placeholder appears in the Document window (unlike Flash button and text objects). For information about setting properties for a Flash SWF file, see Setting Flash and Shockwave movie properties.

To preview Flash content in the Document window:

1. In the Document window, click the Flash placeholder to select the Flash content you want to preview.

2. In the Property inspector, click the Play button. Click Stop to end the preview. You can also preview the Flash content in a browser by pressing F12.

|TIP |  |To preview all Flash content in a page, press Control+Alt+Shift+P (Windows) or Shift+Option+Command+P (Macintosh). All |

| | |Flash objects and SWF files are set to Play. |

About Flash file types

Dreamweaver comes with Flash objects you can use whether you have Flash installed on your computer or not. If you have Flash, see Working with Flash for information about using these applications in an integrated manner.

Before you use the Flash commands available in Dreamweaver, you should know about the different Flash file types:

The Flash file (.fla) is the source file for any project and is created in the Flash program. This type of file can only be opened in Flash (not in Dreamweaver or in browsers). You can open the Flash file in Flash, then export it as an SWF or SWT file to use in browsers.

The Flash SWF file (.swf) is a compressed version of the Flash (.fla) file, optimized for viewing on the web. This file can be played back in browsers and previewed in Dreamweaver, but cannot be edited in Flash. This is the type of file you create when using the Flash button and Flash text objects. For more information, see Inserting and modifying a Flash button object, Inserting a Flash text object, and Inserting Flash content.

The Flash template files (.swt) enable you to modify and replace information in a Flash SWF file. These files are used in the Flash button object, which lets you modify the template with your own text or links, to create a custom SWF to insert in your document. In Dreamweaver, these template files can be found in the Dreamweaver/Configuration/Flash Objects/Flash Buttons and Flash Text folders.

You can download new button templates from the Macromedia Exchange for Dreamweaver website (go/dreamweaver_exchange) and place them in your Flash Buttons folder. For more information on creating new button templates, see the article on that topic at go/flash_buttons.

The Flash element file (.swc) is a Flash SWF file that lets you create Rich Internet applications by incorporating them in a web page. Flash elements have customizable parameters that you can modify to perform different application functions. For more information, see Inserting Flash elements and Editing Flash element attributes.

The Flash Video file format (.flv) is a video file that contains encoded audio and video data for delivery through Flash Player. For example, if you had a QuickTime or Windows Media video file, you would use an encoder (such as Flash 8 Video Encoder, or Sorensen Squeeze) to convert the video file to an FLV file. For more information, visit the Flash Video Developer Center at go/flv_devcenter.

Inserting and modifying a Flash button object

You can create, insert, and modify Flash buttons in your documents while working in Dreamweaver; Macromedia Flash is not required. The Flash button object is an updateable button based on a Flash template. You can customize a Flash button object, adding text, background color, and links to other files.

This section contains the following topics:

• Creating and inserting a Flash button

• Modifying a Flash button object

• Playing a Flash button object in the document

Related topics

• About Flash file types

• Inserting a Flash text object

• Inserting Flash content

• Working with Flash

Inserting a Flash text object

The Flash text object lets you create and insert a Flash SWF file that contains just text. This allows you to create a small, vector-graphic movie with the designer fonts and text of your choice.

To insert a Flash text object:

1. In the Document window, place the insertion point where you want to insert the Flash text.

2. To open the Insert Flash Text dialog box, do one of the following:

o In the Common category of the Insert bar, select Media and click the Flash Text icon.[pic]

o Select Insert > Media > Flash Text.

The Insert Flash Text dialog box appears.

[pic]

3. Complete the Insert Flash Text dialog box, and click Apply or OK to insert the Flash text in the Document window.

If you click Apply, the dialog box remains open, and you can preview the text in your document.

To modify or play the Flash text object, use the same procedure as you would for a Flash button (see Modifying a Flash button object).

Related topics

• About Flash file types

• Inserting and modifying a Flash button object

• Inserting Flash content

• Working with Flash

Working with Flash

You can use Dreamweaver to set playback and display options for a Flash file in a web page, or update the links in the movie. If Flash is installed, you can also select a SWF file in a Dreamweaver document and start Flash to edit it.

This section covers the following topics:

Editing Flash content in Dreamweaver

If Flash is installed, you can select a SWF file in a Dreamweaver document and open Flash to edit it. Flash does not directly edit the SWF file; it edits the source document (FLA file) and re-exports the SWF file.

To open and edit Flash content inserted from Dreamweaver:

1. In Dreamweaver, select Window > Properties to open the Property inspector, if it isn’t already open.

2. In the Dreamweaver document, do one of the following:

o Click the SWF file placeholder to select it; then in the Property inspector click Edit.

[pic]

|NOTE |  |If you do not have Flash, the Edit button is disabled. |

o Hold down Control (Windows) or Command (Macintosh), and double-click the movie placeholder for the movie you want to edit.

o Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the desired movie, and select Edit With Flash from the context menu.

Dreamweaver starts Flash, and Flash attempts to locate the Flash authoring file (FLA) for the selected SWF file. If Flash cannot locate the Flash authoring file, you are prompted to locate it. You cannot update a SWF file directly; you make changes to the source file, then export it as a SWF file.

|NOTE |  |If the FLA file or SWF file is locked, Dreamweaver prompts you to check the file out, cancel the request, or view |

| | |the file. |

3. In Flash, edit the movie. The Document window indicates that you are modifying a movie from within Dreamweaver.

4. When you are finished making edits, click Done.

Flash updates the Flash authoring document (FLA file), re-exports the movie file (SWF file), closes, and then returns the focus to the Dreamweaver document.

5. To view the updated SWF in the document, click Play in the Property inspector or press F12 to preview your page in a browser window.

Updating links in a SWF file

You can use Dreamweaver to update a link in a Flash file (SWF file), then update the change in the Flash authoring document (FLA file).

To update a URL link in a SWF file:

1. Set up a home page for the site, if you haven’t already done so.

You need to set up a home page in order to build a site map. In Site Map view, you need to display dependent files in order to update a link in a SWF file. By default the site map does not show dependent files. For information about displaying dependent files, see Showing and hiding site map files. For information about Site Map view, see Viewing a site map.

2. Open Site Map view.

3. To show dependent files, do one of the following:

o Select View > Show Dependent Files.

o Select View > Layout to open the Site Definition dialog box, then select the Display Dependent Files option.

The link appears beneath the SWF file.

4. Change the link by doing one of the following:

o To change the link in the selected SWF, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the link, then select Change Link, then in the dialog box that appears in the URL text box, type the new URL path.

o To update all instances of the link, select Site > Change Link Sitewide, then in the dialog box that appears, in the Change All Links To text box, browse to or type the path of the link you are changing and in the Into Links To text box, browse to or type the path of the new URL.

5. Click OK.

Any links updated by Dreamweaver in the SWF file are conveyed to the FLA source document when a launch-and-edit is performed. Dreamweaver automatically logs any link changes to the SWF file in the Design Notes, and when Flash passes the changes to the FLA file it removes them from the Design Notes.

Updating links in a SWF file

You can use Dreamweaver to update a link in a Flash file (SWF file), then update the change in the Flash authoring document (FLA file).

To update a URL link in a SWF file:

1. Set up a home page for the site, if you haven’t already done so.

You need to set up a home page in order to build a site map. In Site Map view, you need to display dependent files in order to update a link in a SWF file. By default the site map does not show dependent files. For information about displaying dependent files, see Showing and hiding site map files. For information about Site Map view, see Viewing a site map.

2. Open Site Map view.

3. To show dependent files, do one of the following:

o Select View > Show Dependent Files.

o Select View > Layout to open the Site Definition dialog box, then select the Display Dependent Files option.

The link appears beneath the SWF file.

4. Change the link by doing one of the following:

o To change the link in the selected SWF, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macintosh) the link, then select Change Link, then in the dialog box that appears in the URL text box, type the new URL path.

o To update all instances of the link, select Site > Change Link Sitewide, then in the dialog box that appears, in the Change All Links To text box, browse to or type the path of the link you are changing and in the Into Links To text box, browse to or type the path of the new URL.

5. Click OK.

Any links updated by Dreamweaver in the SWF file are conveyed to the FLA source document when a launch-and-edit is performed. Dreamweaver automatically logs any link changes to the SWF file in the Design Notes, and when Flash passes the changes to the FLA file it removes them from the Design Notes.

Inserting Flash Video content

Dreamweaver lets you easily insert Flash Video content in your web pages without using the Flash authoring tool. Dreamweaver inserts the Flash Video component; when viewed in a browser, this component displays the Flash Video content you select, as well as a set of playback controls.

[pic]

This section covers the following topics:

• About inserting Flash Video

• Inserting a Flash Video

• Detecting the Flash Player version to view the Flash Video

• Editing and deleting a Flash Video component

For more information on Flash Video, visit the Flash Video Developer Center at go/flv_devcenter.

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