Flash Site Design - Broswer Back Button Question

Author

Broswer Back Button Question

ColoradoSteve

2006-08-02, 10:45 am

Hello,

I have created an HTML web page with one Flash SWF file. This file has 3
sequential scenes as follows:
1. Loading scene (displays whil ethe rest of the file is loading
2. Intro scene (displays a little animated introductory movie to build the
home page for fun)
3. HomePage scene (displays the fully loaded home page)

When the user navigates to a subsequent screen by choosing a link from the
home page and then hits the browser's "Back" button (in this case Internet
Explorer), I'd like for them to be taken to the first frame of the 3rd scene so
they do not have to watch the introductory movie again (I do hav a "Skip Movie"
link, but I'd prefer for them to not even have to choose this in thi scenario).

However, when the IE browser's back button is selected, the entire movie is
played again. I assume it's jumping to the first frame of Scene 1 (Loading)
and then detecting that the file is loaded and fast forwarding to the first
frame of Scene 2 (Intro).

I thought maybe named anchors would help, so I named the first frame of the
3rd scene "HomePage". Then the movie initally reaches this scene the URL in
the browser changes to "default.html#HomePage" as I expected. However, if a
link is selected from the home page and then the browser's back button is
selected, although the URl returns to "default.html#HomePage", the intro movie
is displayed regardless.

There is one scenario that consistently works the way I want to to. It is as
follows:

1. Open the web site
2. Loading scene plays, Intro movie plays, and then HomePage is displayed
3. Choose a link for from the home page
4. New page (I'll call it Page2) is displayed the same browser window - Page2
has a completely different flash movie.
5. Choose a link from Page2
6. A third page (I'll call it Page3) displays in a NEW browser window
7. Close Page3 window
8. On the Page2 window, choose the browser's back button
9. The window displays the 32d scene (HomePage) of my initial flash movie as I
want it to.

This works consistently, but consistently doesn't work if I don't navigate to
Page3 as described. i have no idea why.

Sorry for the lengthy email, but I didn't want to leave out any pertinent
information.

Thanks so much

Steve

derobinson

2006-08-02, 10:45 am

I think there are methods out there (or on the immediate horizon) that allow
you to use the browser's back button to navigate within a single SWF, but I
don't think that's the answer for you.

Maybe using a Shared Object (basically a Flash cookie) to indicate the user
has already been through the intro would be a better way to go. So the first
time through you would write the SO, then you'd check for its existence on your
Intro Scene page. If its there, skip to the Home Page scene.

Here's the Live Docs link for SOs:
http://livedocs.macromedia.com/flas...n/00002661.html

Note: Be aware of the security restrictions on the Flash player.

Good luck!