Flash

From WidgetAvenue Wiki

Contents 1 Benefits 2 Requirements 3 Parameters 4 Issues 5 Useful links

Benefits

• Flash is the only format which allows to play multimedia content (video, music...).
• waHTML/waJS or HTML/JS widgets do not support Flash embedding, so it is recommended to use the Flash format directly.
• ActionScript can be used to communicate with the wrapper and contextual functions.

Requirements

• Flash version: no specific requirement. However AS3 should be used to communicate with the environment of the widget using ActionScript.
• Size: It is advised to use resizable swfs rather than fixed size, as rendering on startpages will be nicer. If a fixed size is preferred, suggested width is 300 px. Otherwise, if the swf file is resizable, the width can vary from 200 px to 400 px.

Parameters

• root name is "flash"
• ratio or (width and height) need to be specified

Issues

• Flash is not supported on mobile platforms.
• On certain desktop platforms (Vista Sidebar, Apple Dashboard), transparency is not supported, so it is advised to use a rectangular shape.
• On Apple Dashboard external links and mouse over events will not work. Additionally, there are special requirements for Flash to work: see Using Flash Widgets On Apple Dashboard.

Useful links

• Creating A Flash Widget
• Flash Specific Parameters
• Using Flash Widgets On Apple Dashboard