TechNote (Archived)

Some Flash features do not work in exported QuickTime movies

Issue

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Some Flash actions do not behave as expected when hosted by the QuickTime player.

• Attempts to use a keyframe action to trigger a Get URL action have no effect in the exported QuickTime movie.
• The Load Movie action, used to place external SWF files into the current Flash movie, does not work.
• Stop actions placed in the first frame will fail in the QuickTime movie.
• The cursor does not always turn into a hand when passing over buttons.
• Mask layers used to mask QuickTime content do not work.

Reason

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QuickTime is one of many technologies that implements Flash playback. Designing Flash content for QuickTime is not necessarily the same as designing for the Flash Player. Some Flash features assume that the movie will be played back in a browser with the Flash Player and may not work otherwise.

Additionally, with different vendors supporting Flash playback, it is not guaranteed that Flash content will perform the same in every environment.

Solution

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It is best to design with the host in mind. If designing for QuickTime, avoid the features that are not supported and consider design alternatives.

To use the Get URL action in exported QuickTime movies, attach the action to a button and not a frame. This particular issue is being addressed by Macromedia and Apple.

Additional Information

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For more details about using QuickTime in Flash please refer toTips for troubleshooting QuickTime in Flash (TechNote 14041).

Another TechNote that discusses hosting Flash content in another application is Using Flash movies in Director projects (TechNote 14329).

For documentation about QuickTime in general please refer to Apple's Web site.

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