Adding a Flash file (.swf) to your site

You can embed a flash (swf) file into your OM4 site by following the instructions below.

Note: If you want to add a YouTube video to your site, follow these instructions instead.

And Another Note: Flash objects (.swf) can be embedded in your website, but they won’t display at all on iPhones or iPads. And this isn’t likely to change in the foreseeable future – read Apple’s Thoughts on Flash if you want to see why.

To add a flash file to your OM4 site:

  1. Upload the flash (.swf) file to your OM4 site.
    This step is necessary because you can only embed flash files located on your OM4 site. Flash files located on another web site will not work.
  2. Open up your post or page and type [flash file= , paste the URL for the flash file and then close the tag with a right square bracket ].
    For example,
    [flash file=http://yourdomain.com/files/flashfile.swf]
    or
    [flash file=/files/flashfile.swf]
  3. You can optionally define a width and height for the file (whole numbers).
    For example,
    [flash file=http://yourdomain.com/files/flashfile.swf width=500 height=300]
    or
    [flash file=/files/flashfile.swf width=250 height=250]
  4. You can optionally define how the flash file is aligned on the page (left, center or right).
    If not specified, the file will be left aligned.
    For example,
    [flash file=http://yourdomain.com/files/flashfile.swf width=500 height=300 align=center]
    or
    [flash file=/files/flashfile.swf width=500 height=300 align=right]
  5. Save your post / page and view it

If you don’t see the flash file displayed, check that the OM4 Flash (SWF) Integration plugin is activated:

  1. Log in to your Dashboard.
  2. Click the Plugins tab.
  3. Scroll down to the OM4 Flash (SWF) Integration plugin. If it isn’t activated, click Activate.

Flash files sometimes call other resources

Some .swf files may require other files to be uploaded for them to run correctly, for example, if the .swf file makes calls to display a separate .flv file. In this situation, you need to upload the .swf file AND any referenced .flv files to the Media Library. You might need to request support for this as .flv files are usually blocked from upload by default – just raise a ticket with the OM4 Support Desk if you need to get this restriction lifted.