Flash

By Duane Taylor
November 2000

Introduction

Flash has become an industry standard in Internet animated graphics and interactive Web pages. Flash files are created using Macromedia Flash software (http://www.macromedia.com). They are played on the Web using a Flash Plug-in that is operated from the browser.

What is Flash?

Flash is a vector-based animation program. What this means is that it uses mathematical equations of vectors to fill in the blanks for animation. In the case below, the smiley face would travel from point A-B-C-D and the heart would travel from point A-B. In traditional animated programs the image would have to be pasted in several times over the path of one point to the other. Flash automatically fills in the blanks along the vector's path.

Another thing that is useful in Flash are the layers it uses. In the case below there would be two layers, one for each character. Each layer is imposed on a timeline that the developer can control for each character. In this case, the face and the heart could be set to travel to their final destinations in the same time. The program would automatically set the animation effect for both of them to travel the same time even though they have to travel different distances.

Any number of layers/characters can be inserted into the timeline, including images and sound.

How do you use it?

First you need the software from Macromedia (http://www.macromedia.com). The program has a fairly straightforward tutorial session that introduces all the important concepts of creating Flash programs. Once the idea is planned then it needs to be programmed and saved as a ".swf" file. It is this file that gets referred to on the Web page.

How do you embed Flash into a Web page?

In order to embed the file into the Web site you need to insert the following code, or something similar:

<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" 
codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/
cabs/flash/swflash.cab#3,0,0,0" width="100%" height="100%">
<param name="SRC" value="your movie.swf">
<param name="quality" value="best">
<embed src="your movie.swf"
pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/"
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%" height="100%">
</embed>
</object> 

These are the codes for embedding your Flash movie on the web. Remember to change the values that are in bold to correspond with your movie. You can also have Flash publish your movie for you by clicking File > Publish preview > HTML.

Considerations

If an organization chooses to incorporate Flash on their Web site, they can either create it themselves or contract someone to do it for them. If an organization chooses to create themselves they are either going to need someone on staff that can program in Flash, or allow a staff member to take the time to properly train to use the program. Either option could become expensive. The organization must carefully weigh the benefits over cost and practicality.

The cost of the licenced program is relatively expensive and needs to be considered during budgeting.

The size and the resource drain that Flash takes up is a very important consideration. Although Flash is relatively small compared to other animation programs for the Internet it still demands newer browsers and good connection speeds. If the target audience has a very bad connection and older computer equipment, Flash might not work.

Flash is not a good choice if the organization wishes to target any audience in areas with slow Internet connections or outdated equipment. Flash is great for flashy pages, but only when done right, which is rarely the case on the Internet.

Case studies

TARAhaat.com: Designing for Rural India (4 July 2001)
Despite the disadvantages of Flash, it has been put to good use in India. Developed as a "one-stop shop" for India's rural community to access information on matters ranging from education to market prices, the TARAhaat Web site has to cater to a widely diverse rural Indian community.