So you’re here because you find that you have an ugly box around your Flash content when viewing it in Internet Explorer.
Or you find you need to CLICK TWICE to get any Flash to work properly.
History of this problem:
These are a result of Microsoft losing a lawsuit with a company called Eolas. MS decided to not pay for a patent license and instead patched their browser to work in a way that does not infringe on the Eolas patent.
One Solution:
Visit www.Adobe.com and download the “fix” for Flash called “Active Content Update”. This fix adds a publishing option, and also a new “Command”. You must use this publishing option and use the Command in order to “add” the fix to your HTML page.
Anyone else: Please add relevant links to other solutions, and perhaps to that older thread which discussed this Eolas mess.
You’re wrong. SWF files usually contain a timeline. It certainly does “play”. That’s why there is play(); and stop(); as the most basic ActionScript most people learn first.
SWFObject is another popular solution, using javascript. It also provides the capability to provide alternative content for non-flash enabled visitors, and to activate in-page upgrading of the flash player.
I just started using swfobject (very nice), but I remember seeing “click to activate” even with said javascript solution in said POS browser… although, maybe I did not have it setup correctly…
I actually posted this in the ‘dhtml display over flash’ thread but it applies to here as well and is the best solution to IE’s “click to activate” bug I have seen-
====== re post below from another thread ===========
Thanks to a friend at another forum for this tip.
There IS a way to make flash run UNDER dhtml and still avoid IE’s “click to activate” feature (ahem!).
It took a bit of getting my head around how it all works but its not that hard in the end. I had to dig a bit more as my flash is pulling random movies and such but once you figure out how the so.addParam works, it’s easy stuff (basically the same as the old way of publishing flash).
I currently just use javascript include and in the javascript file I document.write the code that displays the flash and it works fine. However it doesn’t seem to work in IE7? any experience with this?
I’m definitely suggest to use SWFObject to fix this issue. It’s most smart and simple solution and also easily integrating with flash player ExpressInstall.
In the download package you will find few samples of usage.
Also pay attention to the SWFAdress script that intergrated with SWFObject. Very useful for the deep linking in flash sites.
‘On November 8, 2007, Microsoft announced that, as a result of recent technology licenses acquisitions, the ‘click to activate’ restrictions are no longer mandatory. Microsoft plans to remove the activation behavior from Internet Explorer in April 2008’