How to Get Flash Templates on a Website?
Flash templates provide a multitude of methods for publishing complex Flash websites without learning the difficult programming language of ActionScript. Although a basic knowledge of Flash is still necessary for editing the template, utilizing the provided templates will allow you to allocate limited resources to your art, rather than building a difficult website from scratch. Publishing your Flash template on a website is relatively easy after you have access to your server and have edited the proper Flash files. The Adobe site provides vital resources necessary to learning Flash and working with the files you have obtained as templates.
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Instructions
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Download the Flash template files from the website where they were purchased. A multitude of sites exist for purchasing templates. You will need the files with the following extensions: .fla, .swf, .html and .js. These files are all necessary for publishing your site, and the SWF, HTML and JavaScript files will all be published to the Internet. If your site has image slide shows and movies, you will also have an XML file accompanying your Flash files. Use a HTML editing program, such as Dreamweaver or TextEdit, to edit your XML file. Directions for editing this file should be included in your template files.
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Open your FLA file in Flash Professional if any edits need to occur prior to publishing to the
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Save your file in a separate folder from the original files after your edits are complete. Preserving the original files will allow you to return to the template as it was written in case the edited templates become corrupted or you need to return to the original state of the template.
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Rename the FLA file with the name "index.fla" if this template will act as your homepage.
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Publish a preview of the Flash template prior to publishing to the Web. This step is necessary for the edits to appear and for the proper supporting files to be created. Go to "File," "Publish Preview," "Default" and Flash will open your offline browser window and publish the preview directly from your hard drive. Test the site's functionality and if all is correct, your site is ready to publish.
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Log on to your FTP server to upload your files to the Internet. You will need a hosting service or access to an online server at your domain URL in order to upload the template. Each server is different, so refer to your user account information for accessing your FTP server.
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Select the SWF, HTML and JavaScript files and upload them to the appropriate folder. For example, if you are publishing your site at http://www.myurl.com, after you log into your FTP server, you will see a series of folders. Double-click on the "myurl" folder and upload all three files and any supporting Flash files that are with the template, such as XML files for slide shows.
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Log out of your server, go to the Internet and enter your URL. The template should appear on your website at this time. If nothing appears, be sure to go to your Internet preferences settings, clear your cache and refresh the page.
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References
Resources
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