Still in need of some serious hand-holding, Walter. I used the following free online video conversion service to convert my existing MOV file to FLV:
The conversion worked, and double-clicking the FLV files in the Finder launches Adobe Media Player on my Mac, and I was able to verify that the FLV videos do indeed play fine.
However, when I imported the FLV into an HTML box in Freeway and then uploaded, I cannot open it at all in-browser on the Mac or in Windows. It says no Plugin. Windows wants me to download the file.
So I don’t know what’s going on or what to do when it comes to Flash video.
I’m getting ready to scream! I found Adobe Media Encoder on my iMac and so I proceeded to encode my existing MOV file to F4V format this time. The encode worked fine and the resulting video blows away the encode from that free online service I mentioned in my previous post. Even so, when I import that F4V file into an HTML box in Freeway and then upload, neither my Mac or Windows will recognize the video files in-browser. Windows tries to download it.
So if what you suggested to me is true, that I do in fact need an “FLV” or an “F4V” file, then clearly I need something else in Freeway other than a mere HTML box. You mentioned an Action, but I don’t know what that Action is. And a search on ActionsForge only yields FLV Player, which appears to be a part of Freeway’s core actions, but I don’t see how to use those actions. So I downloaded that Action and installed it, and it said it was already installed.
So I am pulling my hair out not knowing what to do. I look forward to hearing your advice.
I got my Flash video to work in all browsers. AutoPlay in that Freeway action doesn’t work consistently across all browsers and performance stinks until high heaven, but I did check it in all Mac and Windows browsers and found that the “video close problem” in ScriptyLightBox2 is gone in this case.
So, Walter, this gives you the answer you wanted, which was that when Flash video is used, closing the video works. But when WMV is used (and Windows Media Player is loaded in the browser), then closing the video only closes the frame around the video rather than closing the video itself.
Sorry I wasn’t around to help, I was out picking up my middle girl from her sports practice. Glad you got it to work, and I’m sure Microsoft will get around to fixing this some day before the heat death of the universe.
I got my Flash video to work in all browsers. AutoPlay in that Freeway action doesn’t work consistently across all browsers and performance stinks until high heaven, but I did check it in all Mac and Windows browsers and found that the “video close problem” in ScriptyLightBox2 is gone in this case.
So, Walter, this gives you the answer you wanted, which was that when Flash video is used, closing the video works. But when WMV is used (and Windows Media Player is loaded in the browser), then closing the video only closes the frame around the video rather than closing the video itself.
I recently bought a new iPad3 and have been testing our websites with the iOS version of Safari. I found a strange thing on all pages where I displayed MP3 audio files via ScriptyLightBox2. For example, the following page:
Click on the sirens and you will see ScriptyLightBox2 open the audio content in a popover. Works fine on all Mac and Windows browsers. And although the popover and spinning spike wheel appear in Safari for iPad, only a speak icon appears. You then have to click on that speak icon, and the audio will start to play, but there is no slider or pause/stop buttons. Interestingly though, if I double-tap on the iPad (which zooms in on the screen) then the slider and stop/pause buttons will appear.
Is this a bug in the iOS version of Safari, or would it have something to do with the code ScriptyLightBox2 code?
appears correctly at any size in the iPad3 browser, then the issue is only with viewing that page through the iframe.
Walter
On Mar 20, 2012, at 9:42 AM, JDW wrote:
I recently bought a new iPad3 and have been testing our websites with the iOS version of Safari. I found a strange thing on all pages where I displayed MP3 audio files via ScriptyLightBox2. For example, the following page:
Click on the sirens and you will see ScriptyLightBox2 open the audio content in a popover. Works fine on all Mac and Windows browsers. And although the popover and spinning spike wheel appear in Safari for iPad, only a speak icon appears. You then have to click on that speak icon, and the audio will start to play, but there is no slider or pause/stop buttons. Interestingly though, if I double-tap on the iPad (which zooms in on the screen) then the slider and stop/pause buttons will appear.
Is this a bug in the iOS version of Safari, or would it have something to do with the code ScriptyLightBox2 code?
Yes, the popover “frame” that ScriptyLightBox2 creates in the browser appears immediately and without problem in Safari for iPad. It’s only the “audio content within that frame” that is glitchy. And that’s also why I’ve been searching for a better, alternative audio player, which you can read about in my talk with Tim Plumb here: http://freewaytalk.net/thread/view/75730#m_102537
Walter, I’m going through my sites slowly obliterating all instances where I once “spawned new windows” and replacing them with ScriptyLightBox2. But the problem I discovered today pertains to locations where I’ve used the “Text Link to New Window” action. I don’t see how to use the ScriptyLightBox2 action to accomplish this.
Simply put, I want to create a text link that, when clicked, will open pop-over content. How can I accomplish this? (Or would it require a modified version of the ScriptyLightBox2 action itself?)
Yes, the easiest thing would be to add a text version to the Action. Unlike the ScriptyLightbox, there’s no hidden classname trick you can use to make it work with a text link. I mean, yes, you could make an instance of SL off the screen above the top of the page, publish it, copy the link from that instance and manually apply it to a second link on the same page that you create out of text – but even you are not that patient.
Walter
On Mar 21, 2012, at 9:02 PM, JDW wrote:
Walter, I’m going through my sites slowly obliterating all instances where I once “spawned new windows” and replacing them with ScriptyLightBox2. But the problem I discovered today pertains to locations where I’ve used the “Text Link to New Window” action. I don’t see how to use the ScriptyLightBox2 action to accomplish this.
Simply put, I want to create a text link that, when clicked, will open pop-over content. How can I accomplish this? (Or would it require a modified version of the ScriptyLightBox2 action itself?)
I’ve just installed the Action. And to avoid the mistakes of the past, I did not double-click to install it. I manually threw out the previous version and placed the new version in myself. I then restarted Freeway for good measure. I see version 0.7 in the bottom right of the Actions palette.
However, the interface looks the same as before. Did you add something new? I’m not seeing what I need to do with this new version.
I even sketched an HTML box, typed text inside, selected the text, then applied the ScriptyLightbox2 action to it, but of course there is no link on the text when I Preview.
In an earlier post you mentioned a “trick” about putting an instance of it outside the page. The reason that is not so nice is because I have several text links on the same page that I want to apply Scriptylightbox too. It would be much easier to apply the Scriptylightbox2 action to the individual text instances “on the page itself.”
There’s an insert version in the same Action file. Place your text cursor where you want the link to appear, then choose Insert / Action Item / ScriptyLightbox2 from the main menu. There’s a new field for the link text, and it will basically work like the text form of Spawn New Window.
Walter
On Mar 21, 2012, at 10:04 PM, JDW wrote:
Wow! That was fast! Thank you.
I’ve just installed the Action. And to avoid the mistakes of the past, I did not double-click to install it. I manually threw out the previous version and placed the new version in myself. I then restarted Freeway for good measure. I see version 0.7 in the bottom right of the Actions palette.
However, the interface looks the same as before. Did you add something new? I’m not seeing what I need to do with this new version.
I even sketched an HTML box, typed text inside, selected the text, then applied the ScriptyLightbox2 action to it, but of course there is no link on the text when I Preview.
In an earlier post you mentioned a “trick” about putting an instance of it outside the page. The reason that is not so nice is because I have several text links on the same page that I want to apply Scriptylightbox too. It would be much easier to apply the Scriptylightbox2 action to the individual text instances “on the page itself.”
Walter, I’ve downloaded that “22 Mar, 2012” version 0.7 action several times. I’ve restarted Freeway. And I’ve confirmed the version number in the Action’s palette. I also sketched an HTML box, inserted my cursor, then choose Insert > Actions > ScriptyLightbox2. But there is no “new field” in the Actions palette. And any text I type in that same HTML box does not magically become a link. Nothing is “inserted” inside that HTML box at all. Instead, the ScriptyLightbox2 Action is merely applied to the HTML box itself.
That’s how I made my test document as I was adding this feature.
• You CANNOT use the Actions palette.
I never try this, I’ve got muscle memory for the Insert menu.
• You MUST click on the “Action” icon in the window toolbar to insert it.
That would let you draw an instance of it on the page – are you doing that? I never imagined anyone would do that with a text Action, since you then have no control over the font etc. except by hacking the global page style. The only way I have ever used these sorts of text Actions is with a flashing text cursor and the Insert menu.
Walter
I confirmed it works well.
Thanks for the Copy/Paste Software Development, Walter!
Walter, I wanted to insert it in a Table cell. It didn’t work on that. So I sketched an instance of it on the page, copied, then pasted inside the table cell. I then put a space before and after the text to format it.
It would be best if I could insert it directly in the table cell, as you say is possible, and then pick up text styling without having to put a space before and after, but I wasn’t able to do that.
I’ll give it another go tomorrow when I get into the office. But for now, you can see my “copy/paste” version here (in the Relays section):
Was this a drawn table, or the Freeway layout table?
Walter
On Mar 22, 2012, at 8:49 AM, JDW wrote:
Walter, I wanted to insert it in a Table cell. It didn’t work on that. So I sketched an instance of it on the page, copied, then pasted inside the table cell. I then put a space before and after the text to format it.
It would be best if I could insert it directly in the table cell, as you say is possible, and then pick up text styling without having to put a space before and after, but I wasn’t able to do that.
I’ll give it another go tomorrow when I get into the office. But for now, you can see my “copy/paste” version here (in the Relays section):
