Help!!! with uploading Flash Site

[JackFlashRaD]

Hey guys

I just made a website with Flash. Here is the url: www.hypercube6.com (http://www.hypercube6.com)
My problem is when i enter this site it leads to the folders and not directly to the site itself. Right now in order to get to the website i have to manually click on the swf file after i entered in the url. I think it has to do with the way i loaded up the html file and swf file? Am i suppose to change the code in the HTML file? Thanks for your help guys.

Charles

[Big Perm-dizzle]

try index.html not publish.html

JUST LAUNCHED - www.hirethisdesigner.com (http://www.hirethisdesigner.com) - check it out

[Big Perm-dizzle]

also dont scale images in flash....it looks like their are some scaled images because they are chopping....bring the images straight from photoshop the size you want them to be in flash....

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[fosod]

Hi Jack. I got your message. BIG PERM is on it.

Embed your flash movie into an HTML file and name whatever your root file should be named (your web host should have told you)

Usually that's index.html (although occasionally it's default.html or home.html)

Index.html is the file that the application looks to launch automatically when the domain is entered into the browser. Once the index.html is launched, and if you have embedded your Flash movie (by 'publishing' it through Flash MX--which creates the SWF AND HTML files), the website--www.yoursite.com--should automatically load it.

Does that make sense? I hope I helped

Kind regards,

Walter
Fosod Design Studios
--
www.fosod.com
Web Site and Graphic Design

[JackFlashRaD]

awesome thanks guys

[casedsgn]

Looks like you solved the index problem, good deal!

[JackFlashRaD]

Yes I have, there are still plenty of glitches that I have to fix. But it sure is excited. Thanks for the help Fosod. All critiques are welcome + advice/techniques.

Charles

[Big Perm-dizzle]

your flash site is 4mb which is to big....i had the same problem with my site a while back

did you optimize your images in flash? you can save loads of size if you go into the library (F11) and click the 'I' in the bottom of the window and lower the quality

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[JackFlashRaD]

Hey Big Perm

Yea I took your advice, I resized the images in photoshop, which reduced the file size of the website drastically. Thanks for the advice. I have yet to update it, my host is acting funny I can't even login to update the file manager. I still have a lot to change. Im going to get rid of the intro and instill a simple splash page. Hopefully I can figure out how to direct the splash to a new window that will open up my portfolio content.

[Big Perm-dizzle]

optimizing in flash is good also....every bit you can save the better....

whats the file size now?

JUST LAUNCHED - www.hirethisdesigner.com (http://www.hirethisdesigner.com) - check it out

[JackFlashRaD]

1.4 mb i believe

[JackFlashRaD]

What programs do you guys use when designing a simple splash page? Can a splash page designed in photoshop integrated with Flash do the same as a splash page designed in Illustrator? My goal for the splash page is to redirect the user to a new browser window that is my website. I know Fosod helped me with this but I am still curious to know the limitations of PS in webdesign.

Charles

[Big Perm-dizzle]

limitations of PS in webdesign?

PS is the program of choice......

splash page just like anyother html site set the link to 'blank'

......................

Splash pages are kinda going out on the web...that I have noticed.....if you want your site spidered by SE you really need some copy/ html text on the first page

JUST LAUNCHED - www.hirethisdesigner.com (http://www.hirethisdesigner.com) - check it out

[Big Perm-dizzle]

its hard to read your text on that BG color....and I dont care for the fake snow either....I like the abnormal size and the music.....music reminds me of a saturn commerical

you might want a preloader to show that the site is working

many people dont have there status bar active in their browser window and they would be able to tell the site is loading....they might get impatient and leave before it loads

JUST LAUNCHED - www.hirethisdesigner.com (http://www.hirethisdesigner.com) - check it out

[casedsgn]

Overall, the site is looking great and you're on the right track, Jack... Easy to navigate & nice color palette. A couple issues:
I'm with PERM on the type...If you want to go THAT small with your type, use a pixel font. (fontsforflash.com (http://fontsforflash.com)). That serif face gets lost, bad...especially white on orange and orange on grey.

Your portfolio images are too small to see what going on. Are they suppossed to enlarge when clicked?

You NEED a preloader. The site loads fairly quick on my connection, but the folks on a dailup are going to be waiting forever to see anything..and probably leave before the site loads. An external loadMovie re-structuring will help the load time as well.
How is the site structured now..is it one big swf that hops from scene to scene?

[JackFlashRaD]

Awesome critique guys, keep it coming. I'm trying to learn how to make a preloader to my disappointment its coming along very slowly because of my school work. I have not loaded everything in my porftfolio section Casedesign so that would be the reason that nothing loads up when clicking on the pics. Do you guys have any references to preloading? site? book? anything? Thanks once again.

Charles

[Big Perm-dizzle]

www.flashkit.com (http://www.flashkit.com)

www.actionscripts.org (http://www.actionscripts.org)

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[Ryan8720]

JackFlashRaD said...
What programs do you guys use when designing a simple splash page? Can a splash page designed in photoshop integrated with Flash do the same as a splash page designed in Illustrator? My goal for the splash page is to redirect the user to a new browser window that is my website. I know Fosod helped me with this but I am still curious to know the limitations of PS in webdesign.

Charles
Splash pages are a plague to the Internet.

http://edgewebdesign.org/ryan2.gif (http://www.edgewebdesign.org)

C:\DOS
C:\DOS\RUN
RUN DOS RUN

[JackFlashRaD]

what exactly is considered a splash page tho? Is it a static page that displays the logo and a brief introduction? or can a flash oriented page (animation) be considered a splash page?

[Ryan8720]

A flash intro is a type of splash page. A splash page is just an introductory page that doesn't really serve a purpose. They usually just contain an image and title (possibly even a couter in worst case scenarios).

Brief flash intros aren't all that bad if they are tasteful. I would even recommend one if Flash is a service you provide. Just make sure you have an option to skip the intro.

Splash images are a waste of time and bandwidth. Just keep your logo in a prominent place on your site and you won't need a splash page.

http://edgewebdesign.org/ryan2.gif (http://www.edgewebdesign.org)

C:\DOS
C:\DOS\RUN
RUN DOS RUN

[Big Perm-dizzle]

Now that all that was said...the only time I think splash pages are possibly ok are in portfolio sites
also if you were selling a product you want the viewer to see the product quickly splash pages slow the viewer from seeing the product/services

a splash page is okay when search engine optimization is not needed and you are not selling a product
possibly if you had a preloader on the splash page and the flash site was loading

JUST LAUNCHED - www.hirethisdesigner.com (http://www.hirethisdesigner.com) - check it out

[casedsgn]

You see a lot of flash sites with an HTML splash or landing page...to inform the viewer of the necessary requirements to proceed, especially if they're making use of the newest version of flash. Most everyone has the flash plugin by now...but you never know.
I agree though...having a splash page for the sake of having a splash page is a bad idea. No one wants to have to click any more than they have to, to see what they came to see.

[JackFlashRaD]

I will take all your advice into consideration guys. I think I should make one just for the sake of practice and experience, I need to learn.

[JackFlashRaD]

Just did a cheesey preloader for my site. Check it out. Oh and the site is not finished.
Tell me what u guys think.

[casedsgn]

You may want to give some sort of indication as to how much has downloaded and how much is left to go...I'm guessing you have this built as 1 BIG swf... if so, you can use _root.getBytesTotal() to get the size of the file and _root.getBytesLoaded() to see how much the user has loaded.

Drop those values into a variable and convert the number to kilobytes for easier handling, like this:

kLoaded = (Math.ceil(getBytesLoaded()/1000))+'k';
kTotal = (Math.ceil(getBytesTotal()/1000))+'k';

Then drop those values into a variable to be displayed through a dynamic text box, like this:

_root.loadingText = 'loaded '+kLoaded+' of '+kTotal;

Create a dynamic text box on your loading page with the value _root.loadingText


There are some better ways to do it, but this way is very easy to use.

[Big Perm-dizzle]

text is hard to read
dont really like the colors
snow effect looks like a tutorial

the music is okay

explore the possiblity of the design not just the flash aspect of it

JUST LAUNCHED - www.hirethisdesigner.com (http://www.hirethisdesigner.com) - check it out

[JackFlashRaD]

good stuff guys.

[JackFlashRaD]

Posted by Casedsgn "I'm guessing you have this built as 1 BIG swf"

My website layout is segmented with "scenes". Would you suggest a "preloader" scene in the forefront of the website layout, so
upon publishing the swf files it would load the files with the preloader on top then the main page? I thought ofthis but did not know how to link the "preloader" scene to the "main" scene (the main page of the website).