controlling Flash behavior using links in a PDF

[Shlomo Perets]

Jon,

You wrote:

>I have an idea for a tutorial but I'm not sure that it is technical
>possible. My goal is to create a tutorial in which explicit instructions
>are on the LHS of a page and a flash file is on the RHS that plays
>through the instructions. The user would click step 1 (or perhaps a
>'Begin' link) to begin the tutorial and the tutorial would play all the
>way through to the end if the user doesn't interrupt it. If the user
>decides to interrupt it, for example, to replay step 4, the user would
>click Step 4 in the LHS, the flash file would navigate to some bookmark,
>begin playing step 4, and continue playing to the end unless the user
>again chooses to interrupt it. Icing on the cake would be that each step
>in the LHS would be highlighted or marked in some way when it is being
>shown in the Flash file.
>
>I know some of this is typical Flash behavior-click a link to launch a
>flash file. However, my question is, can hyperlinks be set up so that
>they start a flash file at a location besides the beginning? Can a flash
>file even be bookmarked? Right now, I'm using FrameMaker 9.0 (windows XP
>Pro) and plan to embed a flash file into an FM document to see whether
>this can be done.. Is FM even the right tool to be using for this?


Technically this is possible, with the specific controls implemented 
through Acrobat JavaScript.

See a generic example at 
http://microtype.com/showcase/MultimediaAsst/CandleReport.pdf (where 
segments are displayed in a floating window, each its own title). This 
example was authored with FrameMaker and converted to PDF with 
TimeSavers+Multimedia Assistant, with no extra steps in the PDF.

New options for Flash integration/control are available in Acrobat/Reader 9 
(where the Flash player is embedded in Reader), but this would make using 
Acrobat/Reader version 9 a requirement for your end users.

Native FrameMaker (versions 8 and 9) provide minimal support for the 
inclusion of SWF, so you will have to deal with Acrobat JavaScript in the 
PDF as a post-creation step. Using FrameMaker for the particular job 
depends on other considerations.



Shlomo Perets

MicroType, http://www.microtype.com
FrameMaker/TCS training & consulting * FM-to-Acrobat TimeSavers/Assistants

[ Free 1-hour TimeSavers/Assistants webinars: 
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