FLASH: CNET article - MM to release Flash Extensions

[John Olson]

Will these extensions be for Flash 5 only? Or will they work in Flash 4

also?


Macromedia aims to lighten burden for Flash developers

By Paul Festa

Staff Writer, CNET News.com

September 18, 2000, 5:55 a.m. PT

URL: http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-2806277.html


Macromedia is readying extensions to its Flash animation software

that will make it easier for developers to add interactive features

to their Flash movies.


Flash was originally designed to create simple, lightweight vector

graphics and animations. Vector graphics, defined by their geometric

contours, can be resized without loss of clarity and come in much

smaller files than traditional bitmap images, which are transported

and drawn pixel by pixel.


The extensions, expected to be released this week, are designed for

authors who use Flash to create interactive, online content and who

want to avoid Web scripting languages in which they may not be

fluent. Some of the extensions will bring Flash authors capabilities

that have so far belonged only to Dreamweaver, Macromedia's Web

authoring software.


"People are using Flash not just for animation but for interfaces,"

said Eric Ott, product manager for Dreamweaver. "We're introducing

visual techniques to help Flash developers build interactive

interfaces without having to use JavaScript."


JavaScript is a scripting language, originally developed by Netscape

Communications, that lets Web sites execute actions on a visitor's

computer. Those actions include creating pop-up windows, scrolling

text and letting Flash content interact with traditional HTML pages.

JavaScript is unrelated, except by name, to Java, Sun Microsystems'

cross-platform programming language.


Macromedia outlined four extensions to Flash. Authors will be able to

automatically add plug-in detection that finds the version of Flash a

Web site visitor has installed, directs visitors without the latest

version to Macromedia's Flash download page, and offers an

alternative Web address for non-Flash users who opt to skip the

Macromedia download.


Flash also will let authors automatically set cookies--files that a

Web site can read on future visits by the same computer--to tell the

site when someone has already seen a splash screen, an introductory

page that most people want to see only once.


A third extension will let Flash movies validate forms, an action

that involves double-checking information that visitors have entered

such as credit card numbers, phone numbers and other integers. The

final extension focuses on the integration of Flash movies and HTML

pages. The ability of Flash and HTML pages to interact will depend on

the use of JavaScript.


Macromedia updated Flash 5 three weeks ago.


Along with the Flash extensions, the company will post an extension

to its Fireworks image-editing software, which will facilitate the

conversion of HTML text to graphical images.


All of the extensions will be posted to Macromedia's Exchange

warehouse for free software extensions.

--


	John J. Olson


	Multimedia Production Manager


	Maricopa Advanced Technology Education Center

	2323 West 14th Street Suite 540

	Tempe, Arizona 85281


	http://matec.org


	phone	(480) 517-8664

	fax	(480) 517-8669



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