lowest flash version

[LegoGirl]

Hi,

I have got the whole flash detecting and install working fine.
The only problem is that sometimes end-users don't have administrator rights on their computer and have told me that they are unable to install flash using my CD.

So this got me thinking, my projects have simple Swish2 animations on them. Nothign terribly fancy, so would they be able to view the CD as normal if they had Flash 5 plugin instead of version 6? I have googled to try to download an older version of the flash plugin to test it myself, but was unable to find it.

Also, what version of flash do each of the Windows OS come preinstalled with?

Or, is there a way to bypass the administrator rights issue?

Regards,
Leeane

[Corey]

Re: lowest flash version

Well first of all that's probably a very rare problem, 80% of your users will already have the flash plug-in 5+ installed, and of the remaining 20% 95% will probably have access to install the plug-in, so...

But anyways you can playback any flash content at the version it was published at or higher. So in other words if you publish your Flash as version 5 anyone with version 5 or higher will see that content no problem. If you publish at version 6 then they must have version 6 plug-in or higher, etc. You can use %FlashVersion% to check that.

As to the Windows OS question there are many versions of the Windows OS and each one has a different version of Flash built in. Try searching at Google or asking in the forum at Flashkit.com for specifics...

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[eric_darling]

Re: lowest flash version

I think Swish 2 produces Flash 5 legal files. You can probably safely bet on that. But, I'm sure someone around here knows for sure.

FWIW, I have worked around this issue by creating two separate pages where everything is identical except for the Flash content. I substitute still images in the places where Flash would otherwise play, and use Corey's suggestion to put an FSCommand in an empty Flash file on the non-flash page with the on FSCommand set to jump to the Flash enabled page. If Flash is installed, it jumps to the Flash enabled page. If Flash isn't installed, it won't jump.

[LegoGirl]

Re: lowest flash version

Thanks for your replies.
I tried searching the FLashKit Swish help forums but was unable to confirm that Flash 5 is fine for .swf files.

Anyone have an old flash 5 plugin installer lurking around on their computer? Or know where I could download it?

Otherwise I will use your work_around eric_darling (although flash just makes everything so much prettier :P ).

Cheers.

[AGRO]

Re: lowest flash version

I have the boxed set of Flash 5. I would imagine the player installer is on there. Let me check and I will get back to ya.

[AGRO]

Re: lowest flash version

Or........you could just go here and download them

[LegoGirl]

Re: lowest flash version

thanks agro. was looking for a page like that for ages,

[Corey]

Re: lowest flash version

I don't think you are allowed to distribute those, if you read the agreement you agreed to when you signed up for your Macromedia player distribution license I believe it states that you must distribute the player they specify, that being the latest version.

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[LegoGirl]

Re: lowest flash version

I wont be distributing the older versions of flash. I just wanted to test my project using older versions of flash.

That way, instead of requiring a version of flash greater than or equal to 6, i could require greater than or equal to 5 (which would mean there is less of a chance that the end-user has to be prompted to install flash).

Havinf said that, I uninstalled flash 6 and installed flash 5, and when I go to run the project it just shows up white boxes where the flash objects are supposed to be. I think its something to do with the way I installed the older version of flash (on that site agro linked, the older versions are .cab files. so i pasted flash.osx into C:\Windows\System32\Macormedia\Flash and the swflash.inf into C:\Windows\inf but not sure if that was the correct thing to do).

Anyways, I will keep fiddling around with it all
Thanks
Leeane

[Corey]

Re: lowest flash version

There's a variety of freeware tools which can tell you the version of a given flash .swf, you don't need a player to test them... You can start here http://www.swftools.com/, AGRO has a nice links list somewhere in the computer chat forum too... If you want to test them you can do so by using your newer player. Know what I mean? i.e. if the movies work in the old player they'll definitely work in the new player too... So:

1. Check what version you have here http://www.macromedia.com/support/fl...st_version.htm if you are worried that you might have tweaked things and want to be sure.

2. Install/re-install the newest player.

3. Find a tool which allows you to simply view the version info of any .swf (AGRO?)

That should be about the easiest way to do what you need...

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[AGRO]

Re: lowest flash version

I use SWF Decomplier Pro to view the version of the flash movie. Here is a screen snag...



Here is the list of links I posted awhile ago. I have not updated them in a long time, if I forgot any please add them.


<font color=red>Macromedia:</font color=red>
FlashMX
Flash Player
Macromedia FlashMX FREE Trial
Macromedia Exchange for FlashMX
FlashMX Support by Macromedia

<font color=red>3D Third Party Programs for Flash:</font color=red>
Electric Rain Swift3D v3.0
Discreet Plasma v1.0
Insane Tools 3D Flash Animator v3.7

<font color=red>Flash Resources:</font color=red>
FlashKit

<font color=red>Transparent/Windowless Flash:</font color=red>
Northcode SWF Studio v1.0
Flashants IceProjector v1.0.3

<font color=red>Convert Video to Flash (.swf) format:</font color=red>
Flashants SWF2Video v1.1
Sorenson Squeeze v3.5
Wildform Flix Pro / Flix SE / Flix Lite
vid2Flash v1.0
V2F v1.0

<font color=red>Flash Text Effects:</font color=red>
Mix-FX v1.04
Anim-FX v1.30
Wildform SWFX v2.0
Swish v2.0
Flash Text Scroller Wizard
CoffeeCup Firestarter v5.0
Flax v1.5

<font color=red>Misc for Flash:</font color=red>
Flash Intro Builder

<font color=red>Flash to a Screensaver:</font color=red>
WallsMedia Screen Saver v2.50
Flash Saver v4.0
Flash 2 Screensvaer v1.7
Selteco Flash Designer v1.5
ScreenTime v2.0
Flash Saver Maker v1.61
Flash2X Screensaver Builder v1.0.0
littlepeter Flash Screen Saver v2.0
WallsMedia Desktop Wallpaper Player v2.60
Flash Desktop 2002 v1.2
ScreenSaver Maker v1.0
Swiff Saver v2.1
ScreensaverMaker v1.81

<font color=red>.swf Apps:</font color=red>
Flash2X Flash Hunter v1.0.0
Hot Flash Player
Sothink Glanda 2001a
Openworld Flash Explorer v 1.1
Flash Grabber v1.0
Macromedia Flash Interface Improver v2.0
360 Flash Panorama Viwer
Sothink SWF Decompiler MX 2002 Pro
EXE2SWF
FlashForge v6.02
Hoolicon v3.20
Versiown v3.20
SWF extractor v2.2
Swiff Chart v2.4
SWF Scanner v2.6.3
FLASHJESTER tools
Flare Products
Action Script Viewer v3.0
FlashCollector v1.0
SendFLASH
Liatro SWF Decoder
Generated List Scroller
Screen Flash v1.0

<font color=red>Flash image converters:</font color=red>
GIF2SWF v2.1
Flash Image Builder v3.2
Boomer v4.0
SWF6 JPEG-to-Flash Converter v1.3.0
SWF Convert v1.2.3

[Corey]

Re: lowest flash version

Kller...

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[LegoGirl]

Re: lowest flash version

Ok well I thought I would email SwishZone just to make sure.

------<< SWiSH Support Responded 7/31/2003 7:59:41 PM >>------
Hi Leeane,
SWiSH exports to SWF4 format, so any player above version 4 should work.

Regards,
david

-----------------------------------------------------------
So there we go, just thought I would post in the hope it might help someone else in the future.

Its good since I can reduce my required flash version from 6 to 4. So less chance of someone having to install flash.

Thanks for all your help Corey and Agro. Those links will prove useful.

[Corey]

Re: lowest flash version

Yeah, just FYI that's David Michie, the same guy from Flashkit which is why I was saying, "Try [searching at Google or] asking in the forum at Flashkit.com for specifics..." [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] You'll get the same answers at Flashkit that you'll get at Swishzone, especially in the Swish forum. Anyhow glad to hear you're up and running...

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software