Hi,
I'm currently working on creating a website to display my animations (which i created in flash for this purpose) amongst other things.
Heres the thing: I literally have never attempted to create a website b4 in my life! I've been learning up via many searches and tutorials and such, and just doing trial and error things.
This is how basic my knowledge is: I don't know how to get my flash animations actually on the viewable web! Well, i know basically all the steps accept the last part.
I've purchased my domain name etc (not hosting yet as i want to create it first b4 sending it to a remote server). I also have decided due to search engine reasons, i would like to create a website not entirely in flash, but rather incorporate both so it's good for the actual viewer and the search engines. I have both the latest versions of Flash and Dreamweaver to work with so that is a good start i assume.
Here's the problem, all the tuts i've found are great for the actual designing of flash websites, but i can't find any that help me understand, or show me how, to use the stuff i've created for the web in flash, and incorporate it into Dreamweaver for eventual uploading to the actual viewable online site (so my whole website won't end up being entirely flash based). For example, i've created a flash button using the movieclip method, which looks good and works fine in the flash enviroment, but i don't know how to get it into Dreamweaver as a button. Dreamweaver has an 'insert flash button' option, but that is for their 'own' buttons, and there is no otpion for inserting custom buttons created in flash by me (well, that i can see!).
This is probably very simple to achieve (although it wasn't explained very well above!), but i'm the noob incarnate with website design and getting it on t'net!
Also, if i were to create the whole website in flash, does that mean everything is done in flash, meaning you literally upload the finished local site to the remote one from flash? Probably a stupid question, but i really am at that fun learning curve stage...
Cheers for your help guys and girls,
T
________________________________Perpetual Motion________________________________
If your Flash button is saved as a button symbol, you should be able to import it into Dreamweaver as a Flash button. If you're using a movieclip as a button, you'll have to import the movieclip into DW.
It's been a while since I did Flash/Dreamweaver combo stuff, so I can't be more specific than that, and the above is based on memory, so it might be a bit off.
You might want to check out flashkit.com - lots of Flash-specific info, including a forum for questions just like this.
Thanks for the reply,
Is their a specific way you would incorporate a flash movieclip into DW? Do you have to go thru a certain process to make sure a button mc keeps its functions for example?
I apologise if it's a really basic Q, but i'm still at a basic level.
Thanks, Rich
PS: Yeah i came accross Flashkit a while back. It's been a good help. Unfortunatley i couldn't find anything on there about this (perhaps i'm not wording it right to come up with the right responses?). Also, somehow i managed to fluff my flashkit forum application, and now can sign in there, but can't post! Grrrreat...
________________________________Perpetual Motion________________________________
If I remember correctly, there is a "load Flash element" function (or something similarly-named) that you use to bring Flash elements into DW. The functionality of your movie clip should come in just fine.
Thanks for that, as i think i've (hopefully) figured it out now. My problem was my eagerness i think, as i was just trying to see if it worked, and in doing so wasn't bothering to publish the mc button properly, instead just sending in the .swf preview that flash gives ya. When i used the proper swf after publishing, it seems to work fine >touch wood!< doing the method you said.
Anyway, thanks again. And i'm sure i'll get stuck again soon enough, so i'll leave with the immortal words of arnold: i'll be back! ;)
T
________________________________Perpetual Motion________________________________
DreamWeaver just gives you a GUI so you don't have to type in HTML. There's a button for inserting/embedding an SWF file which will add that to the HTML code DreamWeaver generates.
You said you're new so I have to ask, did you Publish your Flash file to create an SWF? The native file format for Flash is FLA. That native file cannot be embedded into an HTML document. You have to Publish it (under the File menu), which at that time Flash does give you an option for generating an HTML file along with the SWF. You can then open the HTML file generated in Flash within DreamWeaver for editing.
Yeah, i was doing exactly that, which now i realise - was a pretty numbnutted thing to do! S'pose it's like 'they' say: it's easy when ya know how. Too eager was my problem, as i've just started to get my hands on web designing (especially with dreamweaver).
Just got the DW v.0.2 update aswell, which gets rid of the annoying 'click to activate' thing and adjusts for the new IE updates on embedding, so it looks how i wanted it now (well, atleast in the browser preview as i've yet to actually upload anything).
Thanks for your help guys (and patience)
________________________________Perpetual Motion________________________________
New problem :)
I've insterted the above mentioned movieclip button into dreamweaver (doing insert>flash --which is the only way of doing it with a mc i think). In flash, i added the button to getURL onRelease and link to a page, which works all fine and dandy in the flash preview. The problem now is when i insert it into dreamweaver, the button works great, but now doesn't link to the page like it did in flash. I'm stumped....as per usual with this web stuff!
I know it's not really anything to do with ani, but i notice alotta u guys have your own websites and thought perhaps you would know what to do (i'm only doing it in the goal of getting my ani's on the web anyway, so i suppose it ultimatley is ani based)
Thanks again,
T
________________________________Perpetual Motion________________________________
Everything should work fine as long as your file directory is correct. i.e. If you have an index.html page with button.swf in it that links to page1.html, your file directory should look like this:
button.swf
index.html
page1.html
Double-check where you published the SWF. It's probably not looking in the correct folder for the page you want to link to.