How to Make a Hit Counter in Flash

A hit counter is a great way to keep count of how many visitors view your personal blog or web page on a daily basis. By using a program such as Flash, which is a multimedia software that enables you to create animations and interactivity to web pages, you can make a personalized hit counter.

Things You'll Need

• Plain text editing program
• Computer that can handle PHP

Instructions

1. 

   Find your computer's PHP enabled server and the ability to change the CHMOD settings of your files. If you already have all of this, then you are ready to proceed to the next step. Otherwise, open a new flash movie, go to "Modify," set the size to 350 by 50. Click "Okay." Next, select your text and drag out a text box "On Stage." Go back to the selection tool and set the property inspector text box to "Dynamic Text."

2. 

   Give the text box a name such as myCounter. Then, make a new text box and add the text you want to be displayed on your hit counter. One example would be "this has been viewed ____ times."

3. 

   Open up another new text box and reset it to "Static Text." It should have defaulted to "Dynamic Text," since that is what your last text box was set to. Again, change this to "Static Text." The two text boxes should now be sitting on top of each other.

4. 

   Select the first frame in your timeline and type: loadVariablesNum("PHPCounter.php",0);
   Cut and paste the code if you are concerned about making a mistake.

5. 

   Save your file. Name it something you will easily find. Then go to "publish settings" and choose "Flash & HTML."

6. Open a text file to store your count numbers. Simply open a plain text editor and type: myCount=0
   Start your counter at any number you wish, though 0 makes the most sense so you can easily keep track of visitors. If your Flash hit counter is not working, refer to a Web service that designs hit counters for a quick solution (see Resources).

Tips & Warnings

• Ask a friend who is knowledgeable in computer design to help you with your hit counter. Do a "test run" on the website where you place the counter. Make sure it's working properly before someone else gets the chance to tell you it isn't.

• Learning how to make a hit counter in Flash is not a simple task if you do not have computer programming experience. Utilize every web resource you can find. Start with the basics---fancy embellishments will only complicate the process. Skipping a step will cause your Flash to look like a jumbled mess. Be precise and persistent in your work and design.

References

• Premade Flash Counters and Countdowns
• Complete Hit Counter Tutorial

Resources

• Intricate Flash Design Steps