Flash Reference

Issue:

• Only can see video when full screen mode activated (StageDisplayState.FULL_SCREEN).
• Other content not visible when full screen.

Reason:

• Flash Player uses hardware acceleration to scale the video file, rather than scaling it through software.
• By hardware acceleration for full-screen, FLVPlayback component instance take over whole full screen area by default.

Solution:
Set the fullScreenTakeOver parameter to false.

• FLVPlaybackInstance.fullScreenTakeOver = false;

Information:
Using the FLVPlayback component with Flash Player 9 Update 3

Issue:

• Text in dynamic/input text field not displayed.
• Text missing after scale, screw, or rotate the text field.
• Text problem when masking or tweening.

Reason:
Flash does not embed the entire font with all the characters. By default, only used glyphs embeded for static text fields, and no glyphs embeded for dynamic and input text field.

Solution:
Embed the required font glyphs to your Flash document.

Firstly, make sure that the fonts that you want to embed has already been installed in your local machine.

To embed a font thru Property Inspector

1. Create a dynamic text field on your stage


2. From the Property Inspector select 'Embed...' (or 'character' for older version of Flash software).


3. Choose the character ranges that you want to embed.


4. Press OK

Note: Make sure that you choose all the range of characters that may appear in the textfield
For Flash 5, you can embed the font thru the Text Options panel (Window>Panel>Character).

To embed a font in ActionScript

1. Emmbed the font to the library of your Flash document
   - Open Library (Ctrl-L).
   - Click on the Library options button, select New Font.
   - In Font Symbol Properties dialog, select font, style, and size, set the value for name (e.g. my_font), then press OK.


2. Set linkage for the font symbol
   - Right click on the font symbol in Library, select Linkage...
   - In Linkage Properties dialog, enable the Export for Actionscript option, then press OK.


3. Create text field
   - Create a dynamic or input text field on your stage
   - In Property Inspector, set the font (my_font*), and set the style and size same value with step 1
   - Set the instance name for the text field, (e.g. my_txt)



4. Add ActionScript
   - In Action Panel, add the following script

   • For ActionScript 2
   • var myFormat:TextFormat = new TextFormat();
     myFormat.font = "my_font";
     myFormat.size = 24;
     my_txt.autoSize = "left";
     my_txt.embedFonts = true;
     my_txt.setTextFormat(myFormat);
   • For ActionScript 3
   • var myFont:Font = new my_font();
     var myFormat:TextFormat = new TextFormat();
     myFormat.font = myFont.fontName;
     myFormat.size = 24;
     var myTextField:TextField = new TextField();
     myTextField.autoSize = TextFieldAutoSize.LEFT;
     myTextField.defaultTextFormat = myFormat;
     myTextField.embedFonts = true;

With the font embeded in your Flash document, you can dynamically set the font style, format, rotation, alpha, & etc. and allows mask, tween, and skew of a dynamic text field while gives a consistent, predictable viewing of fonts in your swf. However, embeding a font will increase your SWF file size.

Font embedding in other software
Flash is not the only software which require manual embedding font into published document.

In Microsoft PowerPoint, we need to embed fonts in Save As dialog, Save Options,
choose Embed TrueType fonts for PowerPoint 2003 or below, or choose Embed fonts in the file for PowerPoint 2007.

For web application, we can embed font by converting the font to Portable Font Resources (.pfr) and Embeddable Open Type (.eot) format, and then using <link> and <style> html tag to embed the font.

• <link rel="fontdef" src="yourfont.pfr">
  <style type="text/css">
  <--!
  @font-face {
  src:url(fonts/yourfont.eot);
  }
  -->
  </style>

Additional Information:

LiveDocs:
Embedding fonts

Flash Quick Start:
Embedding fonts

Issue:

• How to display other HTML content above a swf?
• DHTML menus appear underneath swf
• HTML layer z-index not working on swf object

Reason:
By default wmode="window", Active Content is rendered directly to the screen on top of web browser window, which means it appears on top of other HTML content.

Solution:
Set the wmode parameter for swf object & embed tag to "opaque" or "transparent".
e.g.:

• In HTML,
  1. add to object tag:
     <param name="wmode" value="opaque">
     
  
  
  2. add to embed tag:
     wmode="opaque"
     
  
  
  So your html code will looked like:
  • <object ... >
    ...
    <param name="wmode" value="opaque">
    <embed ... wmode="opaque" ... >
    </object>
• From Flash,
  1. From menu, File > Publish Settings,
  
  
  2. click HTML tag,
  
  
  3. select "Opaque Windowless" for Window Mode.
  
  
  4. Publish
  
  
• From Dreamweaver,
  1. Select the swf in the Design View.
  
  
  2. In the Properties panel, choose Parameters.
  
  
  3. Enter "wmode" (without quotes) for the Parameter.
  
  
  4. Enter "transparent" (without quotes) for the Value.
  
  
  5. Save the document.
  
  

Additional Information:

TechNote:
Flash content displays on top of all DHTML layers
How to make a Flash movie with a transparent background

Issue:

• Security warning "Click to activate and use this control."
• Flash button need double click in MSIE
• How to remove border/frame/rectangle around swf in MSIE?
• How to automatic activate active control?
• Rollover on swf in MSIE
• ac_runactivecontent.js

Reason:
An update to Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) 6 changes its way in handles some webpages that use ActiveX controls and Java applets like Adobe Reader, Apple QuickTime Player, Macromedia Flash Player, Microsoft Windows Media Player, Real Networks RealPlayer, Sun Java Virtual Machine, and more. After you install this update, you cannot interact with ActiveX controls loaded by the APPLET, EMBED, or OBJECT elements, until these controls are enabled. To enable an ActiveX control, manually click the control.

Solution:

1. By using JavaScript:
   • Preparing your website to handle the Microsoft changes to Internet Explorer
   • JavaScript Flash Player Detection and Embedding with SWFObject
   • Sample 1
   • Sample 2


2. By installing extension/updater
   • Installing the Flash Active Content Update extension
   • Converting Active Content with the Dreamweaver 8.0.2 Updater

Additional Information:

Developer Center:
Active Content Developer Center
Active content FAQ

TechNote:
Installing the Flash Active Content Update extension

Microsoft Support:
Internet Explorer ActiveX update

MSDN:
Activating ActiveX Controls

Flash Application Icons

	Macromedia Flash 5 & below
	Macromedia Flash MX/MX2004
	Macromedia Flash 8
	Adobe Flash CS3

Related file formats, extensions, and icons

	.as - ActionScript File ActionScript source files, contain ActionScript source code, can be edited with any text editor such as Notepad or SimpleText.>
	.asc - ActionScript Communication File Server-Side ActionScript (SSAS) source files used to develop flexible client-server Flash Communication Server MX applications.
	.aso - ActionScript Object Cache files created during compilation, contain compiled ActionScript byte code. To delete ASO cache files, in Flash authoring environment, select Control - Delete ASO files.
	.clr - Flash Color Table File Color set for Macromedia Flash Color Swatches.
	.exe - Flash Player / Window Projector File Executable application, can not be edited with Flash authoring software.
	.fla - Flash Document Contain source material for the Flash application, include all the information required to develop, design and test content. Can be edited with Flash authoring software and compiled into .swf files.
	.flp - Flash Project XML files used to reference all the document files contained in a Flash Project, allow the user to group multiple, related files together to assist in Flash project organization, compilation and build.
	.flv - Flash Video A proprietary file format used to deliver video over the Internet using Adobe Flash Player or be embedded within SWF files.
	.jsfl - Flash Javascript File Add functionality in the Flash Authoring environment, contain Javascript code and access the Flash Javascript API.
	.mxi - Macromedia Extension Information XML file provides information for the Extension Manager to use. In particular.
	.mxp - Macromedia Extension Package Extension Package, to be opened with Extension Manager for extensions installation.
	.spl - FutureSplash Document Contain source material for the FutureSplash application.
	.swc - Shockwave Flash Component File Contain a compiled clip, ActionScript class file, and other files for distributing components.
	.swd - Shockwave Flash Debugging File Temporary debugging files used during Flash authoring software. Once finished developing a Flash project these files are not needed and can be removed.
	.swf - Shockwave Flash Completed, compiled and published files that cannot be edited with Flash authoring software.
	.swt - Shockwave Flash Template File Templatized forms of .swf files, used by Macromedia Generator.