Flash Site Design - Adding Company Name to Flash Website

Author

Adding Company Name to Flash Website

contref1

2007-11-19, 6:15 am

Hi Everyone,

I have a question about Flash CS3. When I search for my website on Internet
Explorer, the web site link comes up, but
instead of the link stating "FranchelleDesigns", it says "Index". I tried
adding my Company name to Action Script, but
it does not work, it just gives a code error under the website link.

Can anyone assist?

Thanks in advance for your help!

aniebel

2007-11-19, 6:15 pm

contref1, you will need to upload your SWF file of your site... and an HTML
page that has that SWF embedded in it... to your hosting site. To do this,
you'll need Dreamweaver or some other FTP application. The easiest way to get
that HTML page is to go into your Publish settings in Flash and make sure HTML
is ticked. When you publish your file, it will also create an HTML document
with the SWF already embedded. Then change the name of the HTML file to
index.html and upload those two files. More than likely, there is a generic
index.html file on your site right now. Either change the name of the one on
the server or overwrite it with your new file.

contref1

2007-11-19, 6:15 pm

Hi Amy,

Thanks for all the information, but I already know how to upload my website
files. In order for the to web page to view on the internet, the Flash fla
file needs to be index.html. I changed the file last night, then tried to view
the web page on the internet, it says "page can not be found", so I had to
change it back to index.html

Somehow I will figure it out. I just want my website link on the internet to
say Franchelle Designs, instead of Index.

Thanks again for your help!

r_critchlow

2007-11-19, 6:15 pm

contref -
That's what Amy and I have been trying to explain to you. Inside the
index.html file you will have what are called tags. The first tag you see is
<HTML>, the next tag is (generally) <HEAD>.

Somewhere after the <HEAD> and before the </HEAD> you need to add a line that
says:

<TITLE>Franchelle Designs</TITLE>

It does not go inside the flash file (i.e. does not go in ActionScript). For a
complete reference to HTML coding, I suggest you view this site:

http://htmlhelp.com/reference/html40/

Good luck.

contref1

2007-11-19, 6:15 pm

Hi Rex,

Thanks for the quick reply. I do know how to add tags, but I don't know where
to go within my Flash index.fla to add the tags.
In Adobe Golive there is a source tab, and that's where I would add my tag
lines, but I can not find anything even close to that in Adobe Flash CS3.

The only source I know is Action Script, and as we both know, that does not
work.

I will have to get out my tutorial CD and through it again, maybe it will
explain where to place the tag lines.

Thanks!

Sketchsta

2007-11-19, 6:15 pm

Hi contref1... please read carefully..

1) to have your flash content on the internet, you need ONLY your .swf file
AND a HTML file called index.html (usually)

Amy has described (in detail) how you can get this HTML page. Read her post
again.

--- YOU DO NOT add your fla file on the server. YOU DO NOT rename your fla to
index.fla. ---

The <HEAD> tags that Rex told you about in both posts, are located INSIDE your
HTML page.

Heres what you do...
first--- RIGHT CLICK on your HTML file.
second --- OPEN WITH ( some text editor ) NotePad will do just fine.
third--- once it opens, you will see your html code. (this is where Rex's post
comes in)
First tag will be <HTML> then <HEAD> then <TITLE> ****HERE is where you want
to change the name to Franchelle Designs****
then </TITLE> </HEAD>

then you want to SAVE your changes... now when you open your html file, it
will be called Franchelle Designs.

I hope this helps you understand abit better.
Good Luck.

contref1

2007-11-19, 6:15 pm

Hello Everyone,

I am not uploading my fla file to the internet, only the swf and html file.
Ok, I better understand where to place the
code. I am going to give it a try, I have been wondering where the html codes
are located.

Thanks for all your help and I will post again after I try Amy and Rex
instructions .

Franchelle

contref1

2007-11-20, 3:15 am

Hi Amy and Rex,

I have tried the instructions. I am having a hard time getting the new code
to hold in notepad. I enter
"Welcome to Franchelle Designs" into the html code, resave, but when I go to
open html file again in notepad,
the code is back to where it was before, from the starting point.

Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks again for all your help!

Sketchsta

2007-11-20, 6:15 am

Are you by any chance re-publishing your HTML file from Flash again after you
changed the <TITLE> tag?

If not...then what you are saying doesn't make any sense.
You say that you make your changes to the file....then you save it....when you
open it again, the changes you made havent been saved... This doesnt make any
sense, something must be changing your HTML file back to its default.... the
ONLY way for this to happen that i know of, is if you re-publish if from
Flash.. ( by pressing F12 for eg..)

contref1

2007-11-20, 6:15 pm

Hello,

After I make the changes, I am still working in my Flash website, I am only
viewing the html file, not republishing.
I noticed once I do so, the codes go back to default. I will make the changes
in notepad after I am completely finished
with the html page.

So, every time a person updates their website, they will have to go and update
in notepad, correct?

Thanks!

r_critchlow

2007-11-20, 6:15 pm

Somebody pleast stop me before blood shoots out of my eyes! 8-\

contref1

2007-11-20, 6:15 pm

Wow, sorry to have bothered you. I do appreciate your help. I am very new to Flash CS3, I am only trying to learn.

Thanks!

r_critchlow

2007-11-20, 6:15 pm

Contref,

I apologize for that outburst. It was uncalled for and unprofessional of me.
Please accept my apology. I will try to explain it another was so you might
understand.

I think your problem stems from a lack of understanding of the publishing
process, not from an ignorance of the Flash development environment. That said,
let me see if I can give you the 40,000 foot perspective.

When working in a development environment, you work on what we call LOCAL
FILES. These are files that reside on your computer or local network. When you
have finished development (and sometimes before you finish) you do what's
called PUBLISHING your documents. (Note that this is different than the Flash
menu option Publish - that only compiles the FLA file into a SWF file and
creates the HTML file). By this we generally mean you upload these files to
some web server somewhere on the internet. To make this perfectly clear, this
means you will have two copies of every file - one on your computer, and one on
the internet server. When you edit the file on your computer and save it,
unless the file is locked for some reason, there is no reasonable way that file
will 'roll back' to a previous version without you being told it is happening.
The file could be set to READ ONLY, which would prevent you from saving your
changes, but again, you would be told that with a pop-up box. Hopefully this
explains why some of us are so confused as to your problem.

One other possible problem I can see happening is that you are editing the
source that you get from the internet (like in your browser going to View =>
Source" and editing that file, then saving it and refreshing the page. What you
would have to understand in this case is that every time you view the source
and change it, you are viewing what's on the web server and saving your changes
to your local computer. This is fine except that you have never uploaded the
modified code to the web server and, thus, will NEVER see the changes you have
made. Please note that all of this is done in applications outside of Flash and
really doesn't have a place in these forums, but that's OK. We will still help
you out.

There are two ways to get pages to a web server. Some hosting services offer a
web-based file upload application (iX Webhosting and MySpace photos are good
examples of this). The other method is to use an FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
program. Examples of this are CuteFTP, CoreFTP - but there are hundreds of
these applications that you can use. I've only named two.

Now, there are four files that encompass the Flash file:
1. The FLA file. This is the un-compiled, native Flash document - the one you
do all your editing to.
2. The SWF file. This is the compiled Flash file that will be uploaded
(published) to the web server.
3. AC_RunActiveContent.js. This is a file that must be placed on your web
server along with the SWF and HTML files. This is a script file that examines
the users computer to determine which version of Flash Player has been loaded
onto the users computer.
4. The HTML file. This is the main 'page' that holds your SWF file. It also
contains what is called Meta Data - of which the title of the page is a part
and contained withing the <TITLE> </TITLE> tags.

Now that I've covered the content, let's look at the general steps required to
publish your page:

1. Create your flash file and save it to your hard drive.
2. Select Publish from the File Menu - this creates the SWF and HTML files and
puts a copy of the AC_RunActiveContent.js in the directory with those other two
files.
3. Use a text editor like Notepad or UltraEdit to open the HTML file. This
file will be in the same directory as your FLA and SWF files and will have the
same name. Example: if your named your FLA file "Home.FLA", you will also see
"Home.SWF" and "Home.HTML"
4. Add the line <TITLE>My Page Title</TITLE> to the HTML file just below the
<HEAD> tag.
5. Save the file and exit your text editor.
6. Open the web servers file transfer application OR your FTP application and
log into your server.
7. Upload the HTML, SWF and JS files to the server (making sure they are in
the proper directories).
8. Use your browser to view the web site.

I think that is as plain and as detailed as I can possible answer your
question. If that doesn't solve your problem, you need a better man than me.
Again, I apologize for my outburst.

contref1

2007-11-20, 10:15 pm

Dear Rex,

Thank you for the apology. Outbursts happen to the best of us. Now with that
said, I also thank you for the lengthy
explanation regarding the flash software program, although, everything that
you have explained, I already know.

I have listened to dozens of videos on www.lynda.com and from total training.
The problem with the videos, they do
not explain where the codes are located within the html file, nor explain
where to view them.

Also the html file that I am viewing within Notepad is on my computer, not on
the web server (www.siteground.com).
I have a folder on my computer with the name "Flash Website" and that's where
all the Flash Fla, Html, Swf, Graphics files
are located, and that's the folder I work from to make changes to the website.
After all the changes are made, then I
upload to the web server, and I use FileZilla to upload my Flash Files.

I have tried a numerous times to change the codes to html file using Notepad,
and the changes do not take place, the file reverts
back to default, and yes, I am saving the html file, before I close it, and
no, I am not going back into Flash to choose File/Publish.

I am not sure why the html file wants to revert back to default. I will have
to look into it, and if I can not figure out why, then I will contact Adobe
Tech Support.

Thanks again for all your help, it's really appreciated. Happy Thanksgiving!

Take Care!

r_critchlow

2007-11-21, 3:15 am

Contref -

Your explanation puts a different spin on the problem. With the file reverting
to the pre-save version (and since we have determined that you have a firm
grasp on the technology <I bow humbly for my poor assumption> ) . We are still
left with two possibilities. Either the file is reverting on your PC, or on the
web server. My best guess is that it is on the server. I've observed this a
couple of times in the past. One thing you can try - since you clearly have a
copy of the index.html file (or whatever the name of your main page happens to
be) is to completely delete the index.html file from the web server then upload
your local file to the server using your FileZilla.

Just to be certain that the problem is on the server, before doing that I
would be inclined to check my PC. After making and saving the changes in the
file, close it and re-open it in your text editor and verify the changes exist
in the local file.

Regardless, I seriously doubt that the problem lies with Flash. Should you
desire real-time assistance, my contact information is all on my web site.

Happy Thanksgiving to you as well. I hope you enjoy the holidays.