The comments for this post are now closed, please post new FlashObject comments there.

Yes, I’m VERY interested in your new FlashObject script. Not to hurry you or anything but when do ya think you’ll have it done? ;-)

Thanks, I’m currently rewriting the script, so I’ll add that into the new version.

chrisgee,
It looks fine to me in firefox on osx. You may be interested in the new version of the FlashObject script i’m working on - the new version will not write alt content by default, and it will replace your html on the page, so you don’t need the noscript tags any more - the flash will just replace your alt content.

Here is the link to my file. http://www.cube-interactive.com/new_site/test/about2.html

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks!

Nice implementation! Thanks for putting this out.

Matteo:
And remember… my TFL works fine also with js disabled! No work-arounds needed…

Instead of a text warning can an image be used as a replacement?

Thanks

It would look like this:

myFlashObject.addVariable("varname", "value");

You are a Saint!!!

Create your content as if your Flash content is all plain images the same size your Flash movie is (or divs sized the same size as the Flash content. Then use the FlashObject code to replace that content. This way you don’t need noscript tags at all - since your content is there to begin with, if they have js disabled the page will display as intended.

I’ve been planning a little tutorial on best pratices from what I’ve learned from impelmenting this embed method on a few high traffic websites - snapple.com and the new Jetta mini site included (It has worked out great and really stands up to the test of high traffic websites).

Also keep in mind that every other XHTML valid method of embedding Flash that I have seen other than using JS (aside from the one that requires the extra XML file for each Flash movie) will not work 100% in Safari since it will ignore the param tags.

So, to solve the issue of JavaScript being disabled, it’s quite simple (and valid XHTML) to include noscript tags also containing the replacement content, therefore catering for nearly all possible combinations of Flash, No Flash, and JavaScript.

The only situation it doesn’t cater for is Flash installed but JavaScript disabled, although if you really wanted to, you could combine the noscript tags with this method, although the combination of all this stuff is veering off quite wildly into bloat territory, and I haven’t actually tested it to be sure it would work as intended.

“Horses for courses”, as the saying goes, and I still don’t believe there is a 100% satisfactory solution available for this problem, although yours is the best I’ve seen so far.

Since my current project only has non-essential Flash animations with replacement static images for when Flash isn’t present, I’m using your method here combined with some noscript tags and the replacement content also in the noscript tags, as that covers enough bases without as much bloat.

Thanks for your work, it’s good stuff!

I was having a similar problem with loading a jpg in the lower div layer and loading Flash with the OnLoad function in a higher div layer and I was getting the momentary flicker as Flash loaded. In my case I simply put the jpg in the higher level layer and loaded Flash below it. In frame two of my Flash I use GetURL to call a Javascript function that changes the style attribute of the top layer to ‘hidden’. Presto clean loading Flash. This might also work for you.

Geoff:

Do you know if this line of code is relatively multi-browser usable:
ImageTable.style.backgroundImage=’url(JWST-Pre.jpg)’;
This works In IE but I am not sure about other browsers.

Is there any way to replace the ‘URL(JWST-Pre.jpg)’ with a variable?
I have searched everywhere for an answer to that question to no avail.

I am using a Javascript array to select the specific image to load into the layer background by utilizing the above ’style’ method while the page is initially loading so I have it displaying while the page finishes loading and Flash loads in the layer below at onload.

Also, since I already have a jpg in place above the Flash layer is it possible to simply turn off the Flash detect so if Flash fails the jpg simply stays in place with no interuption or notification to the viewer?

Cheers

Solved the issue with IE6 not swapping movies. Not sure why it does it, might be something to do with relative pathing in IE. My solution was to take the code out of flash and place in the HTML page. Flash then calls this function still using getURL(”javascript:newContent(’”+urlLink+”‘);”) passing it the URL required that is stored in ‘urlLink’.

The html code turned out as follows:

<script type="text/javascript">
// <![CDATA[
var bodyFlashObject = new FlashObject("flash/madianGraphicsHomePage.swf", "siteBody", "756", "701", 7, "#BCB9AE");
bodyFlashObject.addParam("menu", "false");
bodyFlashObject.write('flashBody');
// ]]>
newContent = function(myContent) {
// <![CDATA[
var bodyFlashObject = new FlashObject(myContent, "siteBody", "756", "701", 7, "#BCB9AE");
bodyFlashObject.addParam("menu", "false");
bodyFlashObject.write("flashBody");
// ]]>
}
</script>

Only one small annoyance, IE gives a flicker of white when the flash movie changes. All other browsers are seamless with the transition. Can’t have everything hay.

So now you can change flash movies without using loadMovies(), using frames or iFrames (thanks for the idea but Geoff) or having to manually refresh the page.

For those who want to see this in effect visit http://www.madiangraphics.com/v2.0/ This site is under construction and will eventually move to the http://www.madiangraphics.com