# Flash Button in Dreamweaver ... needs double click ... why



## CLL (Sep 4, 2006)

I am relatively new to using Dreamweaver MX 2004. I've created a flash button but when I load the page the button requires a double click to activate it. Is this usual? Most buttons I have encountered only require a single click to be activated. Is there something that can be done to resolve this so that my flash button will go to the link on a single click? Thanks for your help.


----------



## knight_47 (Mar 15, 2006)

It's because of the kinda-new update microsoft has enforced. There are workarounds though. What version of dreamweaver are you using? Because I have 8, and it's fully updated. The thing is if you have it updated, then if you close out of the document, and re-open it, it will give you a message about the flash in your page, click on yes. It will then create a folder called "scripts" and have 2 files inside of it. Upload the saved page, and the folder, and it should work.

Again, you need dreamweaver fully updated to do this, there are other ways, but that's the one I use.


----------



## Eriksrocks (Aug 7, 2005)

The simple workaround:
Don't use a flash button. Use an tag.

The hard (but better) workaround:
http://www.amarasoftware.com/macromedia-ie-solution.htm

This drove me crazy when I was testing a website I designed. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. A simple Google search uncovered it all.


----------



## covert215 (Apr 22, 2006)

ActiveX sued Microsoft for pushing the product on consumers. Now, the user must activate anything embedded with ActiveX. Firefox was not pursued by the company, however, so it works as always in that browser. ActiveX DOES have a case against Firefox, but they are just being biased....not that its a problem


----------



## CLL (Sep 4, 2006)

"The simple workaround:
Don't use a flash button. Use an tag."

Thanks for the help ... but I am not sure how to do that. I am just beginning my venture into dreamweaver MX 2004 so the only things I've been able to do are with the insert predesigned type stuff. I am not able to write or include any extra html stuff. I am basically trying to make a navigation bar/buttons across the top of each page to take you from page to page on the site. I first tried using a table with links in each cell but then the table cells were coming out different sizes on each page and depending on what browser was being used. So I though if I could figure out buttons they would be uniform in size and I could just make links to them. But, with the double click feature it's not going to work the way I want it to. I'll keep plugging away at it. I do appreciate the help here at this forum ... I am sure it can get quite frustrating when we newbies come along! ;o)


----------



## Eriksrocks (Aug 7, 2005)

I don't know how to say this and don't want to sound mean but yes, if you can't do the simple workaround then the hard workaround is *definitely* not for you! 

To do the simple workaround:

In Dreamweaver 8 (MX 04 should be similar) go to _Insert > Form > Button_. Don't change anything - just click OK. If a message says "Add form tag?" click *yes*. Click on the button you just inserted and enter the text you want it to have in the Value field. Then click once on the dashed red outline so that you get the form properties dialog. Put the location where you want the button to point to in the action field. When you preview the page, the button should go to the location. 

I would also recommend visiting W3schools.com and taking some basic classes in HTML so that you can learn the code behind all of what you're doing. For example, the button you just put in = this:

Ultimately you can learn some CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and then you can really build a nice navigation bar like you want to.


----------



## CLL (Sep 4, 2006)

Eriksrocks ... you are a web development wizard. That worked. I am grateful for your help and patience. Thank you!


----------



## Eriksrocks (Aug 7, 2005)

No problem.


----------



## face1 (Sep 17, 2005)

the "cool" thing about flash buttons in dreamweaver is the ability to easily use any font/color/size available for a text link and really "personalize the look of the page.
EriksRocks "better" fix, located here- http://www.amarasoftware.com/macromedia-ie-solution.htm
is what i have been using 
it is actually a very easy fix- just upload one text file with a .js extension and place one line of code in your page after the last tag (you can even load this into a dreamweaver template if you want)

i copied & posted the info from the same link a while back in another thread located here
http://forums.techguy.org/web-email/487281-click-here-activate-use-control.html


----------



## Eriksrocks (Aug 7, 2005)

face1 said:


> the "cool" thing about flash buttons in dreamweaver is the ability to easily use any font/color/size available for a text link and really "personalize the look of the page.


If you had any experience in CSS, you would know that the same thing is possible to do to a regular button. 



face1 said:


> it is actually a very easy fix- just upload one text file with a .js extension and place one line of code in your page after the last tag (you can even load this into a dreamweaver template if you want)


It is not easy at all for someone who as zero experience in HTML.


----------



## face1 (Sep 17, 2005)

cool. would love to learn that one. care to post the method? i would love the ability to use all of my whacked out fonts and know that everyone else could see them as well.

*css is definitely more complicated, at least to me, than html & dreamweaver makes the flash buttons very easy to implement with wysiwyg interface

i am more of a designer than a coder, but i was able to "seach" the code in dreamweaver and find the object tags very easily. (i like dreamweaver, because it makes many normally difficult-for-casual-programmer tasks easier) pasting the code after the tags can also be completely automated in dreamweaver as well.


----------



## Eriksrocks (Aug 7, 2005)

Use the style attribute in the input tag, like this:



Insert all the CSS you want and you're good to go! :up: 
Let me explain the stuff above.
*
font-family: Arial* = The font.
*color: #FF0000; font-weight: bold* = The color of the text. And the style.
*border: 6px solid #0000FF* = The border style and color.

Support for fonts is flaky, but you can (sort of) embed your fonts so that anyone could theoretically view them. Look at this. 

But ultimately if you're looking for a super-fancy button, just create one using Photoshop (or GIMP) and put it in as an image!
That way you can have your fonts and all sorts of fancy effects, and you don't need to worry about ActiveX issues or browser compatibility (even though over 90% of users have Flash). Want a rollover effect? Create it using CSS or JS.


----------



## face1 (Sep 17, 2005)

thanks
have already been using WEFT, but as duly noted, results are less than perfect
also, a real pain having to "register" web pages (any work around for this?)

do the css/form buttons have to appear in the "button shaped box"?
can you do a text only button (no box) with this method?


----------



## brendandonhu (Jul 8, 2002)

covert215 said:


> ActiveX sued Microsoft for pushing the product on consumers.


ActiveX is a Microsoft product. Microsoft makes ActiveX.


> Firefox was not pursued by the company, however, so it works as always in that browser.


Nope, ActiveX doesn't work in Firefox.


----------



## Eriksrocks (Aug 7, 2005)

face1 said:


> do the css/form buttons have to appear in the "button shaped box"?
> can you do a text only button (no box) with this method?


What exactly do you mean? You can apply the same styling technique to a simple link if that's what you are looking for.


----------



## face1 (Sep 17, 2005)

my bad...
I thought originally that simple links were what we were talking about!?!?
I kinda got wrapped up in that whole...



face1 said:


> the "cool" thing about flash buttons in dreamweaver is the ability to easily use any font/color/size available for a text link and really "personalize the look of the page.





Eriksrocks said:


> If you had any experience in CSS, you would know that the same thing is possible to do to a regular button.


...bunny trail.

anyway, thanks for the help...sometimes i'm just up to my eyeballs in gators..


----------



## Eriksrocks (Aug 7, 2005)

That's OK. Good luck. :up:


----------

