Updating Flash Content
Hi,
I have recently been approached by a potential client wanting a site change & update.
The site they currently have appears to have been built entirely in Flash and no, they dont have the source code.
My question is, what is standard practice when building a Flash site, should the designer hand over the .fla files ?
Thanks.
Dudester.
Suzanne posted this at 04:52 — 4th October 2004.
She has: 5,507 posts
Joined: Feb 2000
Not usually -- just the finished product. It depends on the contract, but in general the designer has no obligation to hand over the source for flash nor raster development (nor other vector development).
That said, you can get applications that will reverse engineer a .fla from the file, I just don't know where they are or how well they work, check with Flashkit.com for help on that one.
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Dudester posted this at 05:08 — 4th October 2004.
He has: 43 posts
Joined: Apr 2004
Thanks for that Suzanne,
I didnt think it would be possible to convert back to source....?
Its a real trap for customers having a site built in Flash then.
They only wanted a few text changes and the previous designer has gone out of business.
Suzanne posted this at 13:16 — 4th October 2004.
She has: 5,507 posts
Joined: Feb 2000
It is a trap -- any proprietary format that gets compiled or rendered is going to cause problems for a client who isn't aware of that. I've seen clients trapped in content management systems as well, and who don't have the files for their own logos, et cetera.
If you do development with Flash now it's recommended (I believe -- but check the flash forums at Macromedia) to have the textual content in a database instead of in the flash files themselves whenever possible. This is part of the accessibility push as well.
love me, love my brain :: iStockphoto portfolio
Dudester posted this at 06:06 — 5th October 2004.
He has: 43 posts
Joined: Apr 2004
Just to let you know.
I have just used Sothinks's Flash Decompiler MX2004 and exported the whole .FLA file.
Sensational !!
That was with the trial version too, only thing it doesnt give you is the action-script, you have to register it to get that.
There wasnt any in my app anyway.
I hate to think of the miss-uses of this.
Dudester
Anonymous posted this at 16:17 — 6th October 2004.
They have: 4,725 posts
Joined: Jan 1970
Hi,
I always deliver an FLA - anything else I think would be disreputable. (Exception being some kind of seriously revolutionary functionality in which case it would just cost more) It is most certainly a trap and something that needs to be discussed beforehand.
But what I really wanted to add is that with later versions of Flash is is possible to have most of the text and some graphics (product images) out side of the FLA file in XML and jpg files. That way there is no need to edit the FLA for simple things like inventory adjustments.
Jon
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modulargaming posted this at 16:33 — 6th October 2004.
He has: 154 posts
Joined: Jun 2004
can u give me a link to
Sothinks's Flash Decompiler MX2004 plz
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