#1 2009-03-28 07:15:44

**_Kamal_**

Presenter output doesn't load well in other flash applications

We are evaluating Adobe Presenter for its suitability for an application we have been developing. The application is written in Flex (version 3.2). It's a web based application, not using AIR. Here's a show stopper we came across:

Adobe Presenter generated content has a 'viewer.swf'. In our application, we use a SWFLoader (it's a Flex widget) to load the viewer.swf. It works well. The presentation gets loaded and starts playing. But the problem is if we specify the url of viewer.swf of another presentation, the second presentation loads only up to the point where the initial page with the circling arrow (that Adobe branding page) is seen. Rest of the presentation does not load up. The circling arrow continues to be seen. When the url of the viewer.swf of the first (correctly loaded) presentation is specified, sometimes the first one starts playing correctly. Sometimes it also comes and start to stay at the circling arrow slide. And at some other times, a fast blinking warning message like window could be seen, but is not clear to understand what it is.

Some code snippets:

a) How we use SWFLoader in our Flex app:
<mx:SWFLoader id="swfloader" autoLoad="false" showBusyCursor="true" width="100%" height="100%"/>

b) How we load Presenter created content:
swfloader.load("http://mydomain.com/presentation1/viewer.swf");

c) How we switch to another presentation:
SoundMixer.stopAll();
swfloader.load("http://mydomain.com/presentation2/viewer.swf");

Appreciate your help in figuring out a remedy or to learn if Adobe Presenter generated content cannot be used like this.

**_mark2741_**

Re: Presenter output doesn't load well in other flash applications

I'd bet the problem is that the viewer.swf is an AS2-based swf. I have no idea if it was rewritten in AS3 or not. Hopefully someone from Adobe will confirm. We really should have the .fla for the viewer anyways...

If it is AS2-based, then you will probably run into more showstoppers and I suggest

For example, AS2 swf's that are loaded into an AS3 container (like your flex swf) cannot be unloaded from memory unless you publish your Flex app to Flash Player v10 specs (then you can use the unloadAndStop() method that Adobe put out to address this problem).

If the viewer.swf is AS3 based (which I kinda doubt), then ignore this response : )

If the viewer is in fact AS2, then I highly suggest you find a different way to present your content. On second thought...why use Presenter in the first place? You won't get the scorm/aicc code to work when it's wrapped (the component from Andrew Chemey available on this site is awesome for this, but is AS2 only). So I'm not sure what benefit you would get out of using Presenter for your content. I think you'd be better off looking at another product for the content.

**_Kamal_**

Re: Presenter output doesn't load well in other flash applications

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the quick response. I tried using unloadAndStop() method with the latest version of the Flash Player (10.something-the-latest). That too did not solve the problem.

Regarding the version of ActionScript, I too guess it's 2.0 (or even 1.0). Flash version of couple of swfs are:

Adobe Presenter generated content:
viewer.swf: Flash version 6 (oops - AS2.0 or even AS1.0?)
viewer-lite.swf: Flash version 8

Flex output:
playerProductInstall.swf: Flash version 6
OurMainApp.swf: Flash version 9

When content is created, there was another problem. Adobe Presenter 7 (the latest version) does not allow embedding other flash animations which use AS3. We are limited to AS2. According to a forum post elsewhere, this has been done to make sure all the Adobe Presenter generated content will be compatible with Connect Pro which is expected to run in Flash Player 8, 9 and 10.

Could you please give us some hints as to what other products that might help us? Our application is Flex based and we love to see something that doesn't have basic issues like this.

**_DougLubeyOfLouisiana_**

Re: Presenter output doesn't load well in other flash applications

We are starting to evaluate the Adobe Captivate software which you can produce content in either AS2 (action script 2) or AS3 (action script 3).

AS for differences in the two BREEZE PRESENTERS:
Both are written in AS2 (uses action script virtual engine 2) [AS3 uses the virtual engine 3]
ABOUT ACTION SCRIPT VERSIONS OF APPLICATIONS
AS2 content can not be coded against in AS3 content swf files
AS3 content can not be coded against in AS3 content swf files
In other words: AS3 applications are not backward compatible (they will never be able to communicate)
In other words: AS2 applications are not upware compatiable (they will never be able to communicate)
FLEX USES AS3.

So onto how the BREEZE APPS and player run the files
BREEZE PRESENTER 6 produces several SWF files and MP3 files...BREESE presenter 7 does too.
(which are assoicated to the power point files)
BOTH PRESENTER VERSIONS PRODUCE 1 parent swf file which inturns reads the xml and imports the MP3 and SWF files.

CAPTIVATE PRODUCES 1 large file for every pptx ppt FILE (In other words: powerpoint slide 1-5 will be combined into 1 large swf file........and the player handles the pre-loading)...all items are maintained inside of a library of the SWF file.

BUT WE HAVE LIMITATIONS WITH THE SCORING PAGES IN CAPTIVATE..for example...when producing a captivate file for an LMS which is SCORM or AICC compliant. The score page is shown to the user but in reality the score has not been recorded to the LMS until after the click continue.  I can not tell you how many people just close their broswer after seeing a score...CAPTIVATE still has a tight leash around how you can communicate to an LMS, how often you communcate, where you communicate in the course, what you communicate to the LMS..Yes it appears to be better than the BREEZE but still has a ways to go in becoming user friendly.. You think with everything they are doing surrounding flash...they would start to incorporate a better elarning desing studio.

ABOUT THE TIMELINES FOR BREEZE PRESENTER: (BOTH USE 30 fps (frames per second)
BREEZE PRESENTER 6 is TIMELINE BASED...if you have an audio file of 40 seconds)...timeline will be
30 fps * 40 seconds ....1200 frames

BREEZE PRESENTER 7 will produce only 1 frame (in other words all the animiatiosn and timings are coded into Action Script)...the timeline does not exist anymore in BREEZE 7 produced content..........this stinks if you want to "not" use the PRESENTER engine...and use a custom built engine that utilizes the individual swf files which are synced to the recorded audio.

THIS STYLE OF 1 frame in PRESENTER 7 also causes other issues if you want to inherit the SWF files into another application as a child.

The parent movie can no longer get the width, heights xscale, yscale properties fron the individual swf files produced by the powerpoint breeze 7 publisher anymore.

We also can not use the timeline to ensure the "SWF" file is staying in sync with the generated "MP3"...  YOU CAN NOT USE a frame rate to do this...becuase no matter how hard you try the frame rate is based of the computer cycles and not of of a "TIME"...kind of ironic in how "TIMELINE" implies "TIME", but really has nothing to do with time.

In short...I will be staying with PRESENTER 6 for the near term becuase of the horrible changes PRESENTER 7 made to their timelines /action script.  I am sure it was good for them, but terrible for individuals like me.. The could of at least produced an API or something I could of used to better program against it.

We will also continue to Evaluate "CAPTIVATE".....which I starting to see some short-comings in this product too (SEE ABOVE)

Thanks,

Doug Lubey of Louisiana
www.douglubey.com

additional search engine references I used to find this page:
difference between adobe breeze presenter 7 and adobe breeze presenter 6
What version of action-script (actionscript) does breeze presenter 7 produce
What version of action-script (actionscript) does breeze presenter 6 produce
Timeline differences between presenter 7 and presenter 6
breeze presenter content is compiled differently with presenter 6 than in presenter 7
action script 3 problems loading content swf files using FLEX
action script 2 will work with presenter 6 and presenter 7 but problems may arrise depending
on how the action scrip is written
PS. by comments were about captivate 4 for elearning development and web based development

**_Ruth_Lopez_**

Re: Presenter output doesn't load well in other flash applications

Sorry for being a bit offtopic, but my eye was caught by the discussion and i decided to ask, if anyone know how to get XML based image viewer SWF file? thank you for  responding.

Last edited by **_Ruth_Lopez_** (2012-06-20 03:52:50)

**_Bellapattins_**

Re: Presenter output doesn't load well in other flash applications

I'm using SWFObject to pull the flash in, I can see the static elements that exist in the SWF, but can't see the fancy viewer - that just shows as a black box.

The way I have/had configured all of this is:

- upload the scandango.swf to my assets.
- Query the location/ID of the scandango asset in Shopify (using [[ 'scandango.swf' | asset_url ]] with curly brackets instead of square ones, courtesy of Shopify's Tetsuro).
- uploaded the SWFObject.js
- in the theme.liquid file I modified cell phone spyware  the banner/feature area by referencing the SWFObject script and adding a FlashContent div for the so to write over

As to the flash, I have told it to point to a specific URL for the XML data it needs (hosted on images.scandango.co.uk) it also pulls in images from the same location (again all hard linked in the XML rather than referenced).

I experienced errors at first so made a crossdomain.xml file which is on images.scandango and uploaded as an asset.

Does anybody have any ideas please, they would be gratefully appreciated!

Cheers

Last edited by **_Bellapattins_** (2011-09-07 05:10:28)