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Previous topics: Skinny Graphics, Creativity, User Testing
by John Croteau
Until recently, graphics on the Web were limited to GIFs and JPEGs. Now there is Macromedia Flash. It allows the creation of dazzling graphics and animations. Flash 3, the newest version of the technology, also gives you the capability of creating interactive games. It's also a very fast-loading format, which means users don't need to wait forever while animations download. How is this possible? Flash streams, and it streams well. A properly designed Flash page should normally start playing almost instantly. GIFs and JPEGs can be reduced substantially in file size when converted to the Flash format. This potential for reduced download times, combined with Flash's streaming capability, allows pages created with Flash to start displaying faster, load more quickly, and provide greater possibilities for design and presentation.
So what's the catch? Flash requires a plug-in or ActiveX control. The
plug-in is small (140K to 190K) and is normally easy to install. Netscape
4.5 includes the Flash plug-in, and Flash will be part of all new Netscape
browser versions. Internet Explorer 4 also includes Flash, but it is an
option that can be installed only after the main installation is completed.
Windows 98 includes Flash as part of its Internet options. If you are a
Flash developer, you'll need to make sure that the server that hosts your
Flash files is configured for the Flash MIME type.
This article will demonstrate how to create a simple timer using Flash. In Flash 3 there are many ways to complete tasks, including keyboard shortcuts. For consistency, I will generally refer to menu options in explaining how to perform an action. As you read, you may want to follow along and try the steps for yourself. To do this, you'll need to download a demo copy of Flash. The demo is fully functional for 30 days, so anything you create will be usable on the Web. You can also download the Flash work files used to create the clock and work with them as you read.
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