Detecting Flash Plungin

[Ainthalang]

Need some help here please,

I need to know how I can detect if someone has the flash plug in to view my web page that has Flash, and if they don't it would send them to the page that does not have Flash in it?
PLEEEEAAAAASSSEEE HELP!!!

[GreatGooglyWoogly]

Here is a tutorial that will show you how to do just that and without Java as well.

http://www.flashkit.com/tutorials/in..._sniffer.shtml

Remember, that this will put a non-flash page as the first page of your site, so you can add metatags to catch the search engines, a hit counter, etc.

Hope it helps. I use it on my site and 2 people have gone to the non-flash page according to my sitestats, so I know it is working.

[Ainthalang]

hey thanks but I still can't get to work, the flash sniffer was what I was trying o use beforeand I couldn't get it to work. I have the flash plug-in my my computer and when I went to the example page it took me to the non-flash page when it should have taken me to the flash page!!!! Think you can tell me step by step what to do??????

[Larselarse]

Originally posted by Ainthalang
Need some help here please,

I need to know how I can detect if someone has the flash plug in to view my web page that has Flash, and if they don't it would send them to the page that does not have Flash in it?
PLEEEEAAAAASSSEEE HELP!!!

please go to javascript.com for a tutorial

[GreatGooglyWoogly]

The easiest way is to download their example from the tutorial and just modify those files directly. So you will have:

Index.htm - contains the flash movie and the code:
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" CONTENT="10; URL=non_flash.html">
And it tries to play the Flash File - sniffer.swf

Sniffer.swf - contains the actionscript GetURL "Flash.html" which you will change to GetURL "Yoursitename.html" - which is your published flash file. Be sure to publish a new version with your changes.

non-flash.html - just a plain html page that should direct them to the macromedia site to download the plugin, and contain a back button for them to go back to your site when they have the plugin. You will have to build this.

So here is how it works:

User pings site - Index.htm opens and tries to run sniffer.swf. If it can't, it aborts to non-flash.html. If it can, it runs sniffer.swf which redirects the paget to yoursitename.html.

What your user sees is about a half second of a white page loading with a little box with an x in it, then it goes to one of the two option pages.

Let me know if you need more...

[Ainthalang]

OK, here is where I am at what should I do now?

1) I created a page that has flash in it and one that does not have flash

2) my web page with flash in it is called index.htm and the page without flash is called index2.htm

Now my question is????
1) Shoudl the code:
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" CONTENT="10; URL=non_flash.html">

go on my index.htm page?

What I want to be done is my index.htm would open up and if people do not have the flash plug-in they would be redirected to my other page which is index2.htm

So far I keep going to my index2.htm even though i have the plug in!!!

I apprecaite your help and patience!!!

[GreatGooglyWoogly]

Ok, once again, I will suggest that you download the example files from that tute and modify them - it makes understanding this easier.

The way that this sniffer works is by loading a plain html page (Index.htm) with a very small flash movie inside it (sniffer.swf). There are two parts to this page:
1. the Flash file that sends the user to your flash page
2. the code that sends the user to your non-flash page

Sounds like your Index.htm page is your main flash page...yes?

If so, then you are skipping a step and that is why it isn't working.

Index.htm needs to be a blank html page with a single flash movie "sniffer.swf" in it. Sniffer.swf's purpose in life is to send them to your flash page if they have the plugin.

So, use the "index.htm" page from the tute download, modify sniffer.swf to send them to what is now your "Index.htm" (rename it) and hopefully it should work.

If your current "index.htm" is not your main flash page and it is a blank page with just the sniffer.swf...please let me know and we'll try to think through this further...

[Ainthalang]

OK, I did it all to the "T", but I'm still going to the page without the Flash!!!!

1) I created a index.htm page wth the flash sniffer.swf file in it along with the code:
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" CONTENT="10; URL=non_flash.html" >

2) Created my page with flash in it called flash.html

3) Created a page with out flash called non_flash.html

4) ran my index.htm page and after awhile it took me to the page without flash (non_flash.html)

What am I doing wrong!!!!!!!!!!!
What version of the Flash plugin is it looking for? cause I'm running flash 4 plugin!!

[GreatGooglyWoogly]

If you like, you can zip everything up and send it to me and I can see if I can make it work. My email address is in my footer.

[MojoMan]

You forgot to modify the sniffer swf to load your flash page! Get it?

[Ainthalang]

What do you mean???
I opened the snifer.fla file and the only modification I thought I needed to do was change the the Get URL to what ever my flash page was called????

[GreatGooglyWoogly]

Yes, that is all you should have to do to the sniffer file. Go ahead and send me your stuff and I will look at it this afternoon.

[GreatGooglyWoogly]

Your Index.htm file is significantly different from the Index.htm file that is included in the download from the tutorial. When I used that Index.htm file and modified it to reflect your index3.htm as the non_flash page and uploaded it to my server, it worked.

I will email you the new index.htm and try it using that.

[Ainthalang]

hi,
Thanks for all your help. When I took the index file you sent me and replace my old one, it still didn't work. So what I did was went and downloaded the Flash 5 exe. Player and guess what!! It works now.

but I still have some questions??

1) why didn't it work when I was running the flash 4 Player even though I used Flash 4 to create the sniffer file in the first place?

2)Should I be exporting my movie in a lower version of Flash?
Example: I have Flash 4 when I export the movie should I export it to version 3?

Thanks again