Re: FLASH: Distinguish Flash 2 from 3 plugin?

[Colin Moock]

flashershocker [dot] com

,Internet writes:

>Is it possible?

yup...with some limitations (read on)


>Anything clever?

2 ways.


1) the entry for v2 and v3 in javascript's navigator.plugins array differs, so

you can pattern match on the different entries.

instructions on how at:

http://colinmoock.iceinc.com/webdesign/flash/detection/detect3-info.html


2) if you use the flash + meta approach, you can detect either 2 or greater or

just 3. here are then instructions on how (pasted from my site...).

http://colinmoock.iceinc.com/webdesign/flash/detection/noscriptdetection.html


How To Detect Flash 3 

To detect Flash 3, follow these steps: 


  1.Create a Flash movie with three frames. 

  2.Set the movie size to the smallest it can be

    (18 pixels square). 

  3.Create an empty keyframe on the second

    frame of the movie. 

  4.Create a Movie Clip with two keyframes. 

  5.On frame 2 of the Movie Clip you just

    created, add a Get URL action with a "URL"

    set to the page that contains your Flash 3

    content (you put the Get URL is inside a

    Movie Clip so that only the Flash 3 player

    will execute the command, preventing Flash

    2 users from wrongfully seeing your Flash 3

    content). 

  6.Place your Movie Clip on the movie stage at

    the second keyframe of your main movie

    timeline. 

  7.Embed your Flash movie onto an HTML

    page with a META Refresh set to take the

    user to a non-flash page after 15 seconds. 

    Notes: 

        Here's a sample META tag: 

        <META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh"

        CONTENT="15;URL=nonflash.html">

        You can adjust the amount of time the

        META tag waits before taking the user

        to the non-Flash page by changing the

        number "15" in the code above. Just

        remember that on older machines,

        browsers take 5-10 seconds to load the

        Flash plug-in. 

        In Netscape, make sure you don't

        include the "swLiveConnect=true"

        parameter in your movie EMBED tag,

        otherwise the browser will pause for

        5-20 seconds while loading Java. If

        your site uses FS Command, you

        should enable LiveConnect on

        subsequent pages. 

        Remember to make sure that the colour

        of your Flash movie and your HTML

        document are the same. 

  8.As with Flash 2 detection, make the process

    feel natural for the user by adding a

    "Loading..." message centred in the middle

    of the screen (using a table). Also, you'll

    need to explain the upgrade process for

    Flash 2 users on your non-Flash page. 


sorry for the weird line breaks...pasting from netscape ain't pretty...



colin


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