How to Build and Host a Flash Web Site

Building and hosting a website in Flash is an excellent way to present your work to the public.

Building and hosting a Flash site is an excellent way to showcase your work, share videos and images with friends and colleagues or publish a multimedia project for an online audience. While Flash is a professional-level programming application, building a simple site is possible if you are familiar with the program's interface. A multitude of hosting options exist, and the server capacity will vary if you are publishing lengthy videos or complex animation. For publishing a simple website, a minimal hosting plan will serve your needs.

Things You'll Need

• Personalized URL and monthly hosting account

Instructions

Building a Flash Site

1. Open Flash Professional and create a new project. Select "File" > "New." In the "New Document" window, select the "Flash File (ActionScript 2.0)" setting.

   ActionScript is the programming language used in Flash to add interactivity to your project. As you advance in your knowledge of the program, you will use either ActionScript 2.0 or 3.0 to build projects.

2. Set the dimensions of your web page. Go to "Properties," select "Size" and set the dimensions of your Stage, which represents your website. In Flash, the Stage is the workspace located below the Timeline. The most common size for websites is 1,024 pixels wide by 768 pixels high.

3. Set the background color of your website by selecting the "Background" box and picking a color.

4. Choose a Frame Rate at 15 fps frames per second. Frame rates are used for animation; most Internet videos are set at 30 fps, but this will vary depending on your project and may be adjusted at any time.

5. Create a new Layer in your Timeline to begin building your site. Go to "Insert" > "Timeline" > "Layers" and label your Layer by the main element you are creating, such as Navigation, Background or Text.

   Layers usually hold various elements of your project and help organize the complex sections of a site. The Frame is the actual holder of the content that will show when the Playhead of the Timeline falls on the appropriate Frame number. The Timeline shows each Frame of the project; each separate web page of your project will have a different Frame number. Once you advance in Flash, you will use ActionScript programming to direct the Playhead to different Frames of the Timeline based on the input of the user with different buttons for interactivity.

6. Import the assets into your Library in Flash from their locations on your computer. Assets are the graphics, images or videos created outside of Flash. Import by going to "File" > "Import" > "Import to Library," then follow the browsing options, and select "Import." The Library is located to the right of your Stage and will help you organize your assets as the project grows.

7. Place your assets on the Stage using the Selection Tool located at the top of the Tool Bar. Drag and drop your graphics from the Library directly onto the Stage. Use the Free Transform Tool to adjust the size of your assets.

   Use the Text Tool to add words to your site. Use a simple font for easy reading and the "Anti-Alias" setting in the Text Properties box for easy rendering of your text online.

8. Save your project as "index.fla," once the assets are placed properly and you are finished designing. The FLA file with the .fla extension will serve as your master project file and will not be published online. Labeling the file as "index" will tell your server that this is to act as the homepage once someone enters your URL address in an Internet browser.

9. Publish a preview of your site after saving the project file. Select "File" > "Publish Preview" > "Default" and Flash will create a preview of your site in an offline browser window.

   You must publish a preview so Flash will create the necessary files for publishing your project online. The preview will create the SWF, HTML and JavaScript files for publishing to the internet. The site will not work if all three files are not uploaded to your Internet server.

Hosting your Site

1. Select a hosting company online and register your URL. Sign up for monthly hosting in addition to registering your URL. Both a URL and a monthly hosting plan are necessary to publish any projects to the internet.

2. Access your FTP server from your hosting service using their specific instructions. The FTP server will allow you to upload your files directly to your URL folder to publish your site. Your host provider will send you the proper directions regarding access to your FTP (file transfer protocol).

3. Upload your project files to the directory folder on your server. The folder labeled with your URL name is where you will place your project files labeled "index" and are the SWF, JavaScript and HTML created during the Publish Preview stage.

4. Go to your URL and test your site. If you do not see your site, go to your "Properties" setting on your browser, clear your cache and refresh your browser. This should cause your site to appear.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose a hosting company with a good reputation and reliable technical support.

• File transfer programs, such as Fetch or Filezilla, save time and effort when working with your FTP server to upload files to the Internet.

References

• W3Schools Web Site

Resources

• Fetch
• FileZilla
• Dreamhost