Intro!

[youlilsheshe]

Hey i need some kind of intro for my site. how would i do that. Now I know that everyone is just going to say USE FLASH! but i dont have flash and i need someone to explain how to do it. If I need flash how do i get it and use it?

[iniquity101]

flash intros can be created with Macromedia Flash MX 2004

you can download a 30 day free trial here (http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/)

[youlilsheshe]

what do I do though?

[iniquity101]

if you have downloaded flash, click here (http://www.flashkit.com/index.shtml) for a website with a few tutorials and rescources.

Not sure how good they are though, but a google search will bring up many tutorials

[clairec666]

What about your users who don't have flash installed?

67.93285% of users won't be able to see your page! :D

[iniquity101]

Macromedia Flash Player is the world’s most pervasive software platform, used by over 1 million professionals and reaching 98% of Internet-enabled desktops worldwide as well as a wide range of devices.

so macromedia say (http://www.macromedia.com/software/player_census/flashplayer/)

[clairec666]

SO, it's just my home computer that doesn't have it. :D I was joking, anyway, just making fun of the "using javascript eliminates 13% of your audience" people. (Grrr, how many times have I read that quote now?)

Anyway, to avoid alienating the non-flash population (me included!) you can use javascript to determine whether the user has flash, and show a non-flashy version (!) to the minions.

Damn, that uses javascript! So, what about the 5.482903729573% of people who don't have flash OR javascript? Dammit.................... :rolleyes:

[pyro]

Originally posted by clairec666
just making fun of the "using javascript eliminates 13% of your audience" people.
Incorrect use of JavaScript needs to be pointed out.

Originally posted by clairec666
(Grrr, how many times have I read that quote now?)
Obviously, not enough.

Originally posted by clairec666
you can use javascript... So, what about the 5.482903729573% of people who don't have flash OR javascript?If JavaScript is used correctly, it won't be a problem at all. Simply serve the non-Flash, non-JavaScript content to users who have neither: http://forums.webdeveloper.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24657#post128640

[clairec666]

So can it be solved using the <noscript> tag? I've never quite understood how to use it............

[pyro]

Yes, if you look at the code I linked to, that is, indeed, how I solved the problem. I simply served the .jpg alternative to the .swf file (as that is all I needed to do, when I used it) for users who did not have the current Flash version/no Flash version at all/no JavaScript.

[clairec666]

Thanks............... So:

If you have JavaScript enabled, it will determine whether you have flash or not. If so, the flash version will be displayed. If not, a DHTML alternative will be shown. If JavaScript is disabled, images will be shown instead.

[pyro]

You could. That is not how I used it, though. I displayed the .jpg for everyone who could not view the .swf file.

[spufi]

Intro pages suck! :) Hey, I added it as one of my common beginning web design mistakes (http://www.matts-website.net/geek/wdmistakes.html) for a reason. "But why?" you ask. Because it only slows the user down from getting to the actual content of your site even if you do redirect to your main page after your intro is done. If you have them click on an image/text/etc. then you are making them do more work than needed. You could add a "View intro" link on your main page incase somedoby did want to go and view it, but beyond that, I don't see much use for intro pages.

[youlilsheshe]

what in the world are you guys talkin about? I dont want to use flash cause i dont understand that code. couldn't I make like a mini movie that works sort of like an avatar? and just have a sound input at the bottom to play some music? I have animation shop.

[Paul Jr]

Yeah, I found Flash to be a bit complex, so I'm sort of stepping up (I hope), startin' with SwishMax. ;)

[youlilsheshe]

what's swishmax?

[Paul Jr]

http://www.swishzone.com/index.php?area=products&product=max