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Flash Pre-loader to Html site

melvin

I'm working on a website in Dreamweaver, trying to use as little flash as possible.
I would like to have an intro page set up in flash that shows a graphic pre-loader (a small thin box filling up with true bytes loade also).
Is there a simple way to have the flash animation check for bytes loaded of another URL?
Any tutorial or Dreamweaver Component Downloads available?

 
Feb 8, 05 3:31 pm
e

go to macromedia's site. they have a robust help, exchange, and tutorial section.

Feb 8, 05 3:34 pm  · 
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fakeid

i'm assuming that you think dreamweaver produces flash for you, which is not the case.. dreamweaver isn't a flash generator but a web page composer, it attaches flash files to web pages for you.. first you need the flash program to create the flash files that you desire, then you insert the flash files into your web pages using dreamweaver..

i suggest you skip the tutorials if you want to save some time.. the fastest way is to just cut and paste the codes into the flash program.. google the pre-load bar, the codes from different sources might differ but they serve the same purpose.. here's one of the sites.

http://www.oscartrelles.com/flash/

Feb 8, 05 4:57 pm  · 
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melvin

fake id
thanks for the link. I fully understand the difference between the two programs. And you're right, I"m looking for something I can cut and paste the code.
I've done pre-loaders before that check the bytes of a flash scene, when the whole site is in flash. What I want is a flash preloader site to check the bytes loaded of another URL.
I'll check out your link and try these tonight, but would appreciate anyone else's suggestions
Thanks

Feb 8, 05 6:05 pm  · 
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pencrush

why do you want to preload an html page? The reason for most preloader is because the flash site is rather large. A single html page shouldn't need a preloader unless you have some inordinately large image files. If that's the case you could also build a dhtml preloader.. check google.

Feb 8, 05 6:44 pm  · 
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Christopher Connock

the actual html file is just text and should never be large enough to deserve a pre-loader.

if the images on your site are fairly large you could preload those with a dhtml preloader like pencrush mentioned, but the dhtml preloaders would usually only give you a per-image-loaded feedback, not bytes-loaded feedback like a flashloader. thats why the dhtml versions look slightly jerky, because the 'percent' loaded is only done a per image basis.

so...

you could make a swf for each image file and a little preloader built in for each image. which could be interesting. or you could make a flash preloader that runs first and loads the images in your site, but i don't know if they would officially be in the cache or if the browser would reload them anyway.

my old site is a prime example of overused preloaders, nowadays broadband is really king - unless you are doing images over 70-80k - they aren't worth it.

bottom line - kudos on trying to use flash sparingly. i think you might be able to go a step further and just let the images load in html. if you can't code a preloader yourself or have problems finding a cut/paste solution then its not worth your time - spend that gained time on content.

Feb 8, 05 7:01 pm  · 
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pgb

I have had a fair amount of experincial with flash and am not aware of any really easy way to do this. pencrush is right, you may want to build a dhtml pre loader. Or you can easily use flash and load the images or what not directly into a flash movie, there for loading each page on its own, similar to the way an HTML page loads (does not eat up as much bandwidth). Can I ask why you are trying to do this? and why you are trying not to use flash?

The world of web languages can be extremely frustrating some times, but with more knowledge of what you are trying to do, the better other can help you out.

You can also check out if you haven't already:

flashkit.com
actionscript.org


PGB

Feb 8, 05 7:09 pm  · 
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melvin

thanks,
sounds like there isn't going to be an easy way to do this, and perhaps not a need.
I am doing this in dreamweaver and not flash, because it will be so simple, there's no reason for me to spend the time in flash. also, I want someone else to be able to edit this easily, not just the source files, and they're an extreme novice

Feb 8, 05 8:09 pm  · 
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trace™

Flash is not slower than Dreamweaver for a lot of things. If you needed a preloader, then I assume you have images to load (text should fast enough without a plugin, even small graphics are fast enough.
It sounds like you are making things a lot harder than they have to be.

The only reason Flash got a bad name was because people went over board at the beginning. Flash, imo, is so much better than html for portfolio sites. It's also easier to get something to look decent, no browser problems, less trouble shooting (depending on how much actionscript you are putting in).

It's personal preference and depends on teh site's content. Personally, flash is a lot more fun, allows for more possibilities, and is reliable.

Feb 9, 05 9:08 am  · 
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