Button playing multimedia

[RTP]

I need a button/link (not sure about the correct terminology here) to play a flash movie on the same page without a page reload. Basically it's a play again button and a pause button. I'm not sure this can even be done with html, but i thought it was worth asking as i'd like, if possible, to have all text on my page flash free i.e. done in html.

Do i have to do the button in flash for it to play a flash movie? The problem is, it isn't linking to a another/seperate page to play the flash movie, the flash movie is on the same page. Page reloading is something i need to avoid, so if i can't do it this way i'll have to incorporate the button actually into the flash movie, which is a shame (but if i have to i have to...)

Thanks.

[mactheweb]

If you are playing a video or audio just embed the Flash video player in your page. Most Flash movie or music players have the necessary controls built right in.

[Major Payne]

If you need the code for your embedded Flash player, visit:

Embedded Media HTML Generator (http://cit.ucsf.edu/embedmedia/step1.php)

which is a free online generator.

Ron

[RTP]

Thanks for your reply guys.

But i'm not sure if this is what i'm after. Cus' wudn't this mean the button is with the actual movie/mutlimedia this way?

I need the button quite far away from the movie it plays? Like at the opposite end of the page?

If the method you have suggested can do this, great - but from experience embedding the movie gives buttons that are placed at the bottom of the movie - that are unable to be positioned/moved by yourself? I would need the button/control seperated from the movie and positioned in a seperate place on the page.

Thanks,
Rich.

[Major Payne]

You're pretty much stuck with the controls unless you have the software to edit your Flash movie (http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/vidtemplate_mediapreso_04.html).

Ron

[mactheweb]

First, I don't see why you would want to separate the controls from the movie. That seems like it would make things harder to use and understand.

But if you need to do this, the way is to do so is use the button to load the movie into the page when it is clicked.

The technically easiest solution would be to use an iframe. You embed the Flash movie on another page. Then load the Flash page in an iframe. Put a static image in the iframe as a place holder and then make the button a link to the actual movie page. Set the movie to play on load. A variation of that would be to have the movie load in a popup window.

Or your could use JavaScript to load the movie dynamically. That's a more elegant but much more technically involved answer. You might look at some JavaScript/Ajax libraries to see if someone has already done this.

Or you could start with a placeholder image and use a server side script to reload the page with the movie embedded.

I guess you could also make the whole page one Flash movie and put the controls where ever you want.

[RTP]

Thanks for your ideas.

I did over exaggerate about the controls at one end of the page and another. It was just to make a point a little bit clearer. What I'd actually need this for is slightly more different and user friendly (hopefully!).

Basically - i've got the movie, and below is a 'bar' (for lack of a better word). On that bar, the two buttons 'play again' and 'pause/play' are on the right hand corner. The rest of the bar contains text - which if i can, i'd like to be html based (extra hassle i know - but should be worthwhile). So obviously normally i'd just have the whole movie and bar as one flash piece. But because i'm trying to make the text (in the left hand text of the bar) html & seperate, i didn't know if flash movie's when imported to the page could take any other shape other than a rectangle, which would mean it'd overlap the left hand side of th bar (aka the html text bit).

I know i'd probably be able to have the text part of the bar 'float' over the flash embed - and thus look as if it is part of the bar thru a sorta visual effect. But whilst on the subject I thought i'd ask to see if there was this other method. But looks like it would be much mroe hassle the other way.

Thanks again for your help tho guys,
Rich.

PS: I have flash, so editing is not a problem.