Showing Flash movie in MS Outlook Express 6

Hi take a look at this :
http://www.macromedia.com/support/flash/ts/documents/flash_email.htm

There are a similar question open here at EE.. take a look at
https://www.experts-exchange.com/flash/Q.20275873.html

and look here :
http://www.macromedia.com/support/flash/ts/documents/flash_email_faq.htm

All the above mentioned articles tell me how to change MY security settings to view the flash. The thing is that I am sending the flash commercials and have no control over all users receiving the flash to make them change their security settings.

The question remains there. How can I send a flash in an Email so that it can be viewed with DEFAULT security settings of Outlook Express.

sorry..

Try sending all your content as a .swf attachment.
Also ifit is a commercial, this would be the polite way
to send it.
Z

I agree with zeffer.. But it would be interesting to know if it is possible.

Perhaps the answer is here?
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/Q.20137990.html

This is exactly what we are doing now. We just put the href to the .swf file and the mail is only 2K and the flash is pulled at run time but the flash is played ONLY when the user changes his default settings for Outlook Express to less secure ones (which hardly anyone does).

Let me go in more depth here. We are using either the EMBED or the OBJECT tag and they are both used to run ActiveX controls.

Since we are using an over kill i.e. using an ActiveX player to run flash (which is a harmless thing just like a gif image) we are running into problems with security settings.

I am sure that there must be some way of showing .swf files with default Outlook Express security settings. My gut feeling is that it will be through the use of some other tag like the img tag or something else.

My Gut feeling is that you can't do what you ask.

I'm assuming that you're using simply the normal OBJECT/EMBED method that flash itself exports in an HTML formated e-mail.

If outlook is blocking object/embed, then there ain't no way to put flash into that page. IMG won't cut it I'm afraid.

Flash is in no way harmless I can assure you..

Matt

horseballon is correct about Flash not being veiwed as
harmless..evidenced by the fact that I have come across
a couple of servers lately that refuse to accept even
an attached .swf file..The Web masters here are very aware that ActionScript is very similar to JavaScript and just as powerful.
Z

You can't overide the settings I'm afraid, I've been experimenting with this for a while now and we've found only about 50-60% of users will be able to see your flash in an email. (tested on various clients and OS)

The Account Managers here (where I work) have decided that this is an acceptable percentage.

>>Try sending all your content as a .swf attachment.
>>Also ifit is a commercial, this would be the polite way
No. Many large corporate clients have firewalls that strip all attachments of certain filetypes (IBM do this for example)
Have it hosted, this is better for the user - if you email it then you force them into receiving 200k or whatever.
If you host the swf then if they decide they don't want to view the flash then they dont have to sponge the bandwidth off other users.

Saw an interesting take the other day, just a large animated gif - the file size wasnt much smaller and obviously it was less impressive, but pretty good alternative.

For the 40-60% who cannot view the flash we add a link at the bottom to a hosted HTML page containing the flash. Not perfect, but the best we can do at the moment

Mal

In Outlook, you simply create stationary by putting a HTML page in the stationary folder. This html page can contain flash. Then you simply send the message with that stationary and the flash movie will be sent also.

Hope this helps

Ace.
Z

Game set and Match

?

As in..'Brilliant'.. you Da Man
Z

oh right, cheers

big_al_bruce..

only a shortcut is embeded it would seem..
recipient still needs the source file..Back to square..
this appears to work because it is on the local machine..Damn!



Z

you do not send the flash movie with the document. the flash movie is hosted on your web server. the html stationary simply calls it when viewed. I can send you an example if you like, put your email address below and I will mail you an example of what I mean.

Ummm I think you guys are missing the point of the question...
He knows how to send, but once received the security settings cause issues in playing activex items...

Can anyone send me a message on nauman@advcomm.net with a .swf (either on your server or embedded through stationery or any other method) that would show in my Outlook Express 6 on Restricted Zone security settings.

I promise I will give you 1000 points if you did this. As I know finally its a EMBED or OBJECT tag that shows the .swf

The difference between sending and hosting flash really isn't an issue.
The very fact that the HTML code has an object tag in it causes problems in Outlook and outlook express with many users security settings, resulting in the error stated in the question

>>people who won't be able to view it are those without html email facilities and those without the plugin

I have Outlook express 6 and Flash player 6/MX yet my computer wont display flash in emails however they're sent.

>>Can anyone send ...
>>Restricted Zone security...

I'll donate 500 pts for that info as well.

sent,

Although not tested on all platforms, we have found this to work on most platforms / mail programs behind firewalls even.

Thanks



Big AL Bruce

The Email you send me has mostly GIFs and only one flash in top right hand corner and that flash does not play on Restricted Zone security in Outlook Express 6

are you on a mac / pc.

what firewall are you sitting behind?

we found there were very few people who could not view the flash in that.

Oh well, use an animated gif then and bung the points to whoever suggested that above.

cheers

Bruce

point the email to a webpage with the flash on it.

make a static image in the email the link to the preview.

Track the users percentages of people who clicked onto the swf event by the webpage statistics common to most sites.

this will allow u to cover the swf across forums /emails and web search engines with one method and allow u to track the event with more options. :)

the size of the email campaign will be really small also and dont u just hate waiting for mail to download if your on 56k :)

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