TechNote (Archived)

FSCommand problems in Netscape 6 and Mozilla

Macromedia Flash Player's FSCommand and JavaScript methods allow for communication between a Macromedia Flash movie and a Web browser. In Netscape browsers, this communication has been facilitated by Netscape's LiveConnect technology.

Netscape 6, the latest version of Netscape's browser (as of April 2001), did not implement LiveConnect, and did not support Macromedia Flash's FSCommand or JavaScript methods (see Netscape 6 Developer Release Notes for information on Netscape 6's architecture.)

Update: Netscape 6.2 adds LiveConnect support. FSCommand or JavaScript methods can now be used with Netscape 6.2 if Macromedia Flash Player 6 r40 (or later) is installed.

Note: This change in Netscape 6 also affects Shockwave'sexternalEvent and evalScript commands, as well as the ability to control other plug-ins such as Beatnik, RealPlayer or QuickTime using browser scripting methods. All plug-ins and controls depend upon the host's ability to let scripts communicate with it.

The following browsers support FSCommand and JavaScript methods:

Java-enabled Netscape 3.x and 4.x browsers on Macintosh or Windows
Java-enabled Netscape 6.2 or higher on Macintosh or Windows with Macromedia Flash Player 6 r40 or higher.
ActiveX-enabled Microsoft browsers on Win32 (Internet Explorer 3 and above for Windows).

These browsers do not:

All Macintosh versions of Internet Explorer.
Netscape 6 and 6.01, or any Java-disabled Netscape, including Netscape 2 and earlier.

For all projects involving communication between applications, it's good to test each step of the communication individually, across a range of browsers. This type of work requires much attention to detail to handle browser differences. Making sure each small part of the communication path works on its own is the fastest way to troubleshoot a larger project. For more information on using FSCommand and Flash JavaScript methods see Scripting with Flash.

This page will be updated when additional information becomes available.