PUBLISHING

When you save a Flash animation, it's given an extension of FLA. Every time you preview an animation, Flash generates a file with an extension of SWF. It's the swf file that you use on a web page.

I've had the best success when both the fla file and the swf file are saved in the same folder for a web site. I also use the "publish" feature to establish the settings to use when exporting the swf file.

Here's the process:

Open "publish settings" from the File menu.

You'll note that in the first pane, formats, there are several options. Since my main intent for most projects is to put them on a web page, the only types of files I publish are the swf file for placing in a Dreamweaver document, and the html file.

I discovered, through painful trial and error, that without the html file, my swf animations weren't showing up on the web. So I end up with three separate files in my site's animation folder: the fla (original), the swf (the movie that gets placed in Dreamweaver), and an html file. The swf file and the html file are both uploaded to the site server.

If you want to create a standalone movie that someone can play off a disk or CD, you'd want to also check (and name) a Windows exe file and a Mac projector.

Quicktime movies are also appropriate for either standalone use, or for putting on a web page.

publish settings

exported files

In the "flash" pane, you'll find options for how Flash will behave when the file is exported. So far, I've found that the defaults work very well.

If you choose a version lower than 7, any effects and code new in Flash MX 2004 may not export properly since those previous versions didn't support them.

Note that in the pane you can choose to use ActionScript 2, or 1. If you change this setting to ActionScript 1, you'll be prompted to save the file in an earlier version of Flash.

You can select "protect from import" if you don't want anyone to "borrow" your animation from the web and convert it back into a Flash file. I've actually seen a file that was downloaded from the web. There's only one layer, and each frame is a keyframe. There's not much one can do with it, although there is a complete library, so you might be able to recreate the movie from scratch.

If you "protect from import" or select "debugging permitted" you'll need to provide a password if there are some people you'd like to have access to the original movie.

Finally, in the HTML pane, the defaults work well.

You may want to select 100% for dimensions, since that will resize the movie, depending on the viewer's monitor resolution.

At this point, you can click the "publish" button and your files will be exported. Or, you can click OK and return to your movie.

The settings you established are saved with the file, so you don't have to check this dialog box everytime you want to export/publish your movie.

Remember, though, that to use the swf file in Dreamweaver, you want to choose "publish" from the file menu, not just "export."

To use your animation, place it into your Dreamweaver document by using either the Flash icon in the insert bar, or the the insert media command from the menu.

If your entire page is a Flash movie, you can upload the html and swf files Flash generates directly to the server. Just make sure you give it the file name appropriate for its place in your site—if it's your first page, you must name the Flash file along with the swf and the html files "index."

PUBLISHING When you save a Flash animation, it's given an extension of FLA. Every time you preview an animation, Flash generates a file with an extension of SWF. It's the swf file that you use on a web page. I've had the best success when both the fla file and the swf file are saved in the same folder for a web site. I also use the "publish" feature to establish the settings to use when exporting the swf file.
Here's the process: Open "publish settings" from the File menu. You'll note that in the first pane, formats, there are several options. Since my main intent for most projects is to put them on a web page, the only types of files I publish are the swf file for placing in a Dreamweaver document, and the html file. I discovered, through painful trial and error, that without the html file, my swf animations weren't showing up on the web. So I end up with three separate files in my site's animation folder: the fla (original), the swf (the movie that gets placed in Dreamweaver), and an html file. The swf file and the html file are both uploaded to the site server. If you want to create a standalone movie that someone can play off a disk or CD, you'd want to also check (and name) a Windows exe file and a Mac projector. Quicktime movies are also appropriate for either standalone use, or for putting on a web page.
In the "flash" pane, you'll find options for how Flash will behave when the file is exported. So far, I've found that the defaults work very well. If you choose a version lower than 7, any effects and code new in Flash MX 2004 may not export properly since those previous versions didn't support them. Note that in the pane you can choose to use ActionScript 2, or 1. If you change this setting to ActionScript 1, you'll be prompted to save the file in an earlier version of Flash. You can select "protect from import" if you don't want anyone to "borrow" your animation from the web and convert it back into a Flash file. I've actually seen a file that was downloaded from the web. There's only one layer, and each frame is a keyframe. There's not much one can do with it, although there is a complete library, so you might be able to recreate the movie from scratch. If you "protect from import" or select "debugging permitted" you'll need to provide a password if there are some people you'd like to have access to the original movie.
Finally, in the HTML pane, the defaults work well. You may want to select 100% for dimensions, since that will resize the movie, depending on the viewer's monitor resolution. At this point, you can click the "publish" button and your files will be exported. Or, you can click OK and return to your movie. The settings you established are saved with the file, so you don't have to check this dialog box everytime you want to export/publish your movie. Remember, though, that to use the swf file in Dreamweaver, you want to choose "publish" from the file menu, not just "export."
To use your animation, place it into your Dreamweaver document by using either the Flash icon in the insert bar, or the the insert media command from the menu. If your entire page is a Flash movie, you can upload the html and swf files Flash generates directly to the server. Just make sure you give it the file name appropriate for its place in your site—if it's your first page, you must name the Flash file along with the swf and the html files "index."