How to Add Flash SWF Files to a Page in Dreamweaver CS4

The way Dreamweaver handles embedding Flash SWF movies (in .swf format) to a page has changed in Adobe Dreamweaver CS4. It’s still very easy to do, but now it complies with web standards. Here are the steps.

  1. Either prepare a Flash animation movie yourself or download a free .swf movie from the web to use on your page.
  2. Step 2

    Open a page in Dreamweaver and place the cursor in the position where you want to insert the movie.

  3. Step 3

    Choose Insert > Media > SWF. A Select File dialog will open. Navigate to the .swf file and choose it. I suggest that you store the .swf file in the same folder as the .html file in which you are embedding it.

  4. Step 4

    Fill in Object Tag Accessibility Attributes to give your movie a title for accessibility purposes.

  5. Step 5

    Dreamweaver inserts the Flash code. You can preview it using the Play button in the Properties panel. Use the Properties panel to set the width and height for the movie and to set Loop and Autoplay the way you want it. Save your work.

  6. Step 6

    In this process you see a message from Dreamweaver telling you that you need to save the dependent files swffix_modified.js and expressinstall.swf into the Scripts folder. Click OK to do this. When you upload the page to the server, upload the HTML page, The SWF file and the Scripts folder.

Tips & Warnings
  • There was an “active content” script in older versions of Dreamweaver that required Internet Explorer users to accept the active content in order to view the movie. That is gone in the CS4 version of Dreamweaver.
  • The OBJECT tag is now used to embed the movie, rather than the deprecated EMBED tag.
  • The Express Installer script gives you an in-place Flash Player installation right on your web page.

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