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Lets_Flash
| Lets Flash!
Most of you have visited web sites filled with video-like
animation, sound effects and music synchronized to the
animation, enhanced interactivity, and stunning graphics - all
of which appear to load and play almost instantly.
These sites seem to have rocketed their design to "another
level"
and you've surely wondered, "How did they do that?"
More than likely, you were experiencing a site designed using
Flash or the SWF file format.
Flash (developed by Macromedia) is the leading vector graphics
technology for designing high-impact, low-bandwidth web sites.
SWF (ShockWave Flash) is the file format used by Macromedia
Flash to deliver graphics, animation and sound over the
Internet. These techniques are rapidly changing the way we play,
work, or just browse online.
What are vector graphics? Vector graphics, which manipulate
coordinates and mathematical formulas rather than pixel-by-pixel
bitmaps, produce graphics files that are one-tenth the size of
bitmaps. Additionally, SWF can deliver animation, rich colors,
sound, and interactivity. Moreover, this approach downloads
faster, it's scalable (more on this below), and it boasts higher
quality than other graphics formats.
Well over 95% of Internet users can now view SWF content: over
300 million people have downloaded the Flash Player for their
browser. Even better, if you already run at least a 4.0 browser,
no plug-in is required - it's already there. Macromedia
published the specifications for SWF in April 1998. It is now an
open source format for development by third parties. The SWF
file format is being integrated into web design and graphic
applications more and more, and it's becoming increasingly
easier and faster for web designers and developers to learn and
to use.
Still, some of us just don't have the necessary time to learn
(or the money to invest) in these high-end applications. What to
do?
A quick search online will bring up dozens of resource sites
specializing in Flash and offering free ready-to-use SWF files
for you to download and embed into your site. So take advantage
of these generous offers and flash-up your site too.
But if you've never worked with these newer SWF files, you might
encounter a few initial problems -- or be unaware of some
interesting capabilities. Here's an explanation that will make
it quick, simple, and painless.
The SWF or Flash needs two basic ingredients. First, you need
the SWF file itself -- which contains the animation and any
sounds, all in one easy file. For our brief explanation here,
let's call this file "super.swf".
Second, you need the HTML script to place in your web page. The
HTML script contains simple instructions (called parameters),
and executes the SWF file in the area of your web document where
you insert the script -- kind of like a Java Applet, but that's
where any similarity ends.
Here is an example of the Flash HTML script that you would need
to add to your page:
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