Macromedia Flash Player 7 Release Notes This document addresses issues, primarily for Macromedia Flash MX 2004 developers, which are not discussed in the Macromedia Flash MX 2004 documentation or release notes. This document may be updated periodically as more information becomes available. Macromedia Flash Player compatibility Backward compatibility of newer versions of Flash Player with older Macromedia Flash file formats is a top priority for each new Flash Player version. One of the methods that Macromedia has used to ensure backward compatibility of Flash Player with Flash files created in older versions of Flash is through beta releases of Flash Player. Macromedia Flash Player version Ensure that you have the latest version of Flash Player installed by clicking to check the version.
The current version of Flash Player 7 for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux operating systems is 7.0.69.0. The current version of Flash Player 7 for Solaris operating systems is 7.0.67.0. Features in Macromedia Flash Player 7, Version 7.0.14.0 Windows, Mac OS X, and Macintosh Classic This release of Macromedia Flash Player includes features for delivering rich content and high-performance media such as video, support for industry standards such as Web Services/SOAP, XML and ECMA standards-compliant programming model as well as improvements to usability and workflow. Flash Player 7.0.14.0 also introduces an enhanced security policy. The features in Macromedia Flash Player 7 are covered in detail in Flash Help in the Flash MX 2004 and Flash MX Professional 2004 authoring environment. Features that developers should be aware of include. High Performance Media: ID3 Version 2 Support ID3 is meta information that is added to MP3 sound files and contains textual information such as the song name, album name and artist name.
Most media players such as Winamp and others can display this information. Windows XP Explorer also has native support for ID3 and allows you to display the ID3 information in separate columns. In ActionScript Flash Player 7 will expose text tags. ID3 V1 support is not touched. It will still be reachable through the old tags. If no IDV1 tag is present in the file Flash Player copies the IDV2 tags into the known IDV1 tag strings to provide backward compatibility. MovieClip Depth Management There are two methods added to the Movie Clip Object:.
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MovieClip.getNextHighestDepth. MovieClip.getInstanceAtDepth MovieClipLoader API This feature provides listener callbacks that provide notification about the status of files being downloaded into movie clips.
Downloading is initiated by the MovieClipLoader.loadClip command. PrintJob Object The ActionScript PrintJob class expands upon previously available Flash Player printing features. It allows you to create content at runtime and print this content to multiple pages. The OS print dialog box appears only once and only one print job shows in the operating systems's list of print jobs.
Small Text Support This feature improves the legibility and attractiveness of small Flash text. There are no new ActionScript APIs to activate this feature.
Streaming FLV over HTTP Flash Player 7 supports FLV progressive download (to a user's local drive) and playback without the need for a Flash Communication Server. Both HTTP and local file playback are supported. Control of the FLV is done through the NetStream object which allows you to play, pause, and seek the FLV. Text Flow Around Images This feature allows Flash to flow html text around images in a seamless fashion similar to what is available in HTML. This is a runtime-only feature; there is no Authoring component. You should include HTML image tags in your HTML text. Text Metrics This feature allows access to additional metrics that allow you to create complex text layouts in ActionScript without using off-screen text fields.
To properly align multiple controls so that all the text lines up, this feature allows access to font metrics that allow you to locate the text baseline. Text Style Sheets (CSS) The Text Style Sheets feature is an implementation of a small subset of CSS, much like Flash's HTML text fields support a small subset of HTML. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a simple mechanism for adding style information such as fonts, colors, and spacing to Web documents. This feature consists of two major pieces of functionality:.
Enhancements to Flash Player's HTML text field feature, enabling it to associate with a new Style Sheet object that contains named TextFormat objects. A CSS style sheet loader and parser, which can load style sheets and apply them to text fields through the TextField.StyleSheet class and the TextField.styleSheet property. Pervasive: Automatic Notification & Update Macromedia Flash Player 7 offers a capability to both notify users about the availability of new versions and install the latest version of Flash Player. The update mechanism is designed to provide Flash Player users with an easy and convenient mechanism to update their software in a timely and convenient manner.
With the 7.0.14.0 release, the notification and update mechanism is available for users running on the Microsoft Windows platforms (98/ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP) with Internet Explorer and AOL. With the 7.0.19.0 release, the notification and update mechanism is available for users running on the Microsoft Windows platforms (98/ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP) with Mozilla, Netscape, or Opera. The update capability is available for the web players (when hosted by a browser).
The debugging and standalone players do not offer this capability in version 7.0.14.0 or 7.0.19.0. Standard: ECMA-262 Strict Mode Compliance Flash MX 2004 and Flash MX Professional 2004 content is now case sensitive. This compliance is maintained on a per movie basis.
If a strict Flash MX 2004 or Flash MX Professional 2004 movie calls a non-strict Flash 6 movie, the Flash 6 movie will remain non-strict. Virtual Root This feature allows you to force root to evaluate to the movie clip in which the problem content is loaded, rather than to the real root by creating a new property for the movie clip object, called lockroot. If lockroot is set to true on a movie clip, that movie clip acts as root for anything loaded into it. Any movie clip, and any number of movie clips, may set lockroot to true. While the primary use is for an aggregator to set this property on a movie clip into which it is loading content, the lockroot property can be set either by the loading movie or the loaded movie. Web Services/SOAP Library This feature includes a library that allows Flash Player to interact with a web service.
Secure: Exact Domain Matching This feature allows cross-movie scripting only between movies that originated from the exact same domain. Any other cross-movie scripting will only work after calling Policy Files (System.security.allowDomain) to permit access. The changes in the Flash Player 7 security model can occasionally cause undesirable behavior in pre-existing content.
Additional information can be located at the Flash Player site or at this. Cross-Domain Policy Files Policy files are a feature that allows Flash Player to load data directly from any specified trusted domains and URLs. The changes in the Flash Player 7 security model can occasionally cause undesirable behavior in pre-existing content. Additional information can be located at the Flash Player site or at this.
HTTP access to HTTPS movies This feature prevents cross-movie scripting when the calling movie is hosted on a non-HTTPS server and the movie being called is hosted on an HTTPS server. If you can't host all movies on an HTTPS server, which is the recommended solution, you can permit this kind of cross-movie scripting by calling System.security.allowInsecureDomain to permit access. Usability & Workflow Improvements: Array Sorting API Enhancement We have expanded the array sorting API to support an expanded variety of options for sorting using Array.sort and Array.sortOn.
Custom Context Menu The ContextMenu and ContextMenuItem classes allos you to customize the context menu. You can add new menu items that trigger ActionScript methods and remove default items as desired.
Exception Handling This feature adds the ability to catch and handle errors that occur in ActionScript and adds four keywords to the ActionScript language: try, catch, finally and throw. Hyperlink Context Menu Support In all players, if the user right-clicks on a link, users will see the Link menu. This menu has two or three items and is not customizable. Menu Item: Behavior: Open exactly as if the user had clicked the link Open in new window (Browsers only) will always open a new window Copy link copies the URL of the link to the clipboard In the ActiveX Control and all Netscape plug-ins, the following browser-specific keys will open a link ina new window: Windows ActiveX - Shift-click Windows Netscape - Control-click Mac Netscape - Command-click Mouse Wheel Support Mouse Wheel support has been added, for Windows only.
Mouse wheel support brings two benefits to Flash Player: Flash Player now, by default, scrolls text boxes vertically for all Flash movies (not only version 7 movies); and you can listen for mouse wheel events and respond appropriately. Runtime Shared Library Improvements This feature adds support for multi-tier dependent shared libraries. As of Flash Player 6.0.65.0, you can have a shared library that has its own shared library. Fixes and Improvements in Flash Player 7.0.19.0 Automatic Notification & Update With the 7.0.19.0 release, users on Netscape and supported Mozilla-based browsers will now be notified when a new version of Flash Player for users running on the Microsoft Windows platforms (98/ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP) is available. The update capability is available for the web players (when hosted by a browser). The debugging and standalone players do not offer this capability in either version 7.0.14.0 or 7.0.19.0. Shared Object Security Enhancements Flash Player now stores persistent shared objects in unpredictable locations.
This improves client-side web security. Flexible Policy File Locations Flash Player supports a new ActionScript API called System.security.loadPolicyFile. This enables cross-domain policy files to be placed in more flexible locations than was previously possible. Flash Player uses policy files as a permission mechanism to permit Flash movies to load data from servers other than their own.
For more details on policy files, see: Flash Player 7.0.14.0 looked for policy files in only one location: /crossdomain.xml on the server to which a data-loading request was being made. For an XMLSocket connection attempt, Flash Player 7.0.14.0 looked for /crossdomain.xml on an HTTP server on port 80 in the subdomain to which the XMLSocket connection attempt was being made. Flash Player 7.0.14.0 (and all earlier players) also restricted XMLSocket connections to ports 1024 and above. With this release of Flash Player, ActionScript can inform Flash Player of a non-default location for a policy file, using System.security.loadPolicyFile.
For example: System.security.loadPolicyFile('This causes Flash Player to retrieve a policy file from the specified URL. Any permissions granted by the policy file at that location will apply to all content at the same level or below in the virtual directory hierarchy of the server. Thus, continuing the above example: loadVariables('allowed loadVariables('allowed loadVariables('not allowed You can load any number of policy files using loadPolicyFile. When considering a request that requires a policy file, Flash Player always waits for the completion of any policy file downloads before denying a request. As a final fallback, if no policy file specified with loadPolicyFile authorizes a request, Flash Player consults the original default location, /crossdomain.xml. A new syntax allows policy files to be retrieved directly from an XMLSocket server: System.security.loadPolicyFile('xmlsocket://foo.com:414'); This causes Flash Player to attempt to retrieve a policy file from the specified host and port. Any port may be used, not only ports 1024 and above.
Upon establishing a connection with the specified port, Flash Player transmits, terminated by a null byte. An XMLSocket server may be configured to serve both policy files and normal XMLSocket connections over the same port, in which case the server should wait for before transmitting a policy file.
A server may also be set up to serve policy files over a separate port from normal connections, in which case it may send a policy file as soon as a connection is established on the dedicated policy file port. The server must send a null byte to terminate a policy file, and may thereafter close the connection; if the server does not close the connection, Flash Player will do so upon receiving the terminating null byte.
A policy file served by an XMLSocket server has the same syntax as any other policy file, except that it must also specify the ports to which access is granted. When a policy file comes from a port lower than 1024, it may grant access to any ports; when a policy file comes from port 1024 or higher, it may only grant access to other ports 1024 and higher. The allowed ports are specified in a 'to-ports' attribute in the tag. Single port numbers, port ranges, and wildcards are all allowed.
Here is an example XMLSocket policy file: A policy file obtained from the old default location - /crossdomain.xml on an HTTP server on port 80 - implicitly authorizes access to all ports 1024 and above. There is no way to retrieve a policy file to authorize XMLSocket operations from any other location on an HTTP server; any custom locations for XMLSocket policy files must be on an XMLSocket server. Because the ability to connect to ports lower than 1024 is new, a policy file loaded with loadPolicyFile is always required to authorize this, even when a movie is connecting to its own subdomain.
Disabling seamless tabbing This release of ActiveX Flash Player supports a new HTML parameter called SeamlessTabbing. The default value is true; set this parameter to false to disable 'seamless tabbing', which allows users to use the Tab key to move keyboard focus out of a Flash movie and into the surrounding HTML (or the browser, if there is nothing focusable in the HTML following the Flash movie).
ActiveX Flash Player has supported seamless tabbing since version 7.0.14.0. Disabling seamless tabbing restores the tabbing behavior of Flash Player 6, in which tabbing from the end of the tab order inside a Flash movie wraps the focus back to the first focusable object in the Flash movie.
Here is an example of disabling seamless tabbing:. Inline Text Input on Korean Systems Text entry using the Korean IME on Korean systems can now be performed inline without requiring a separate text entry box. Mouse Wheel Events (Windows) Mouse Wheel events can now broadcast to Mouse listeners when movies are published for Flash Player 6 SWFs. ActionScript Issues Fixed Performing the Array.sortOn operation using both 'UNIQUE' and 'NUMERIC' options results in unsuccessful completion.
Memory Management Issues Fixed Four changes have been made to optimize memory usage. Stability Issues Fixed Six known stability issues have been fixed.
Data Loss or Corruption Issues Fixed String.split will delete the last element if it begins with the same characters as the delimiter. Carriage returns don't translate inside Flash (Mac only). Shared object deletion fails for subdirectories (Mac only).
AMF responses are dropped by the player when making multiple simultaneous requests. International Issues Fixed XML incorrectly parses escaped strings. The debug player can't display Kanji using standard fonts. In the Korean IME, the first word typed is duplicated in the lower right portion of the screen. When Character options include Non-Latin glyphs you can't enter non-Latin text.
Double-byte data received through web service is corrupted. Debugging Issues Fixed 'Locals' tab often shows no content even though there are local variables present. Cosmetic Issues Fixed Flash Player in various browsers shows incorrect version information. Flash Player 7 lists duplicate variables from Flash Player 6 movies that differ only by case.
Fixes and Improvements in Flash Player 7.0.24.0: Macintosh OS X Only Macintosh OS X Plug-in Bundle With this release, Flash Player takes advantage of Apple's bundling technology and provides the OS X Flash Player plug-in in a bundle, a single directory that contains executable code and resources related to the code. The Flash Player plug-in on OS X has been renamed from 'Shockwave Flash NP-PPC' to 'Flash Player.plugin.'
Fixes and Improvements in Flash Player 7.0.25.0: Linux Macromedia Flash Player 7.0.25.0 for Linux includes all of the features from Flash Player 7.0.19.0 except for windowless mode. Macromedia does not officially support specific cameras or sound drivers on the Linux platform.
However, we tested Flash Player 7.0.25.0 with Logitech Quickcam Express web camera, Standard Microphone, and Creative Sound Blaster was used. Issues for Flash Player 7.0.25.0: Linux. In the Mozilla browser, the Ctrl+N command doesn't work when Flash content is playing. User can't type or delete when cursor is outside of the area of the running SWF.
User can't type in text field when mouse is over another SWF. The onKeyDown and onKeyUp event handlers don't work in the Konqueror browser ( ). Flash content does not print symbols at less that 100% alpha. Motion Status remains the same even when motion is demonstrated for the Camera. The Konqueror browser sometimes asks the user to specify the directory path where the plug-in is located.
Fixes and Improvements in Flash Player 7.0.53.0: Solaris Macromedia Flash Player 7.0.53.0 for Solaris includes all of the features from Flash Player 7.0.19.0 except for windowless mode. Macromedia does not officially support specific cameras or sound drivers on the Solaris platform. Issues for Flash Player 7.0.53.0: Solaris. In the Mozilla browser, the Ctrl+N command doesn't work when Flash content is playing. Text field still show focus when the focus is actually on another object.
Flash does not print vectors ignoring the alpha. Flash Plugin on Solaris loses audio/video sync. Fixes and Improvements in Flash Player 7.0.60.0 and 7.0.61.0 Macromedia Flash Player 7.0.60.0 and Macromedia Flash Player 7.0.61.0 include security enhancements described in for operating systems that are not supported by the Flash Player 8 release. Fixes and Improvements in Flash Player 7.0.63.0 Macromedia Flash Player 7.0.63.0 includes security enhancements described in for operating systems that are not supported by the Flash Player 8 release. This update introduces additional version checking to the installation process.
Because older installers and controls do not contain the new version checking logic, the Flash Player control is locked upon installation. Starting with this update, installers and uninstallers from Adobe are designed to work with this change, and there is no impact to the end-user installation experience.
Flash and Flex developers may need to make slight modifications to their normal methods of switching between player versions during testing to account for this change. This is described in. Fixes and Improvements in Flash Player 7.0.66.0 and 7.0.68.0 Adobe Flash Player 7.0.66.0 and 7.0.68.0 include security enhancements described in for operating systems that are not supported by the Flash Player 9 release.
Fixes and Improvements in Flash Player 7.0.67.0 and 7.0.69.0 Adobe Flash Player 7.0.67.0 and 7.0.69.0 include security enhancements described in for operating systems that are not supported by the Flash Player 9 release. Fixes and Improvements in Flash Player 7.0.70.0 Adobe Flash Player 7.0.70.0 includes security enhancements described in for operating systems that are not supported by the Flash Player 9 release. Fixes and Improvements in Flash Player 7.0.73.0 Adobe Flash Player 7.0.73.0 includes security enhancements described in for operating systems that are not supported by the Flash Player 9 release. Reporting a bug to the Macromedia Flash Player Team Found a bug?
Please send the detailed bug information via the online form. Note: Due to the high volume of email we receive, we are unable to respond to every request. Thank you for using Macromedia Flash Player, and for taking the time to send us your feedback!
About Adobe Flash Player Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash) is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to Web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements and games. More recently, it has been positioned as a tool for 'Rich Internet Applications' ('RIAs').
Flash manipulates vector and raster graphics to provide animation of text, drawings, and still images. It supports bidirectional streaming of audio and video, and it can capture user input via mouse, keyboard, microphone, and camera. Flash contains an Object-oriented language called ActionScript. Flash content may be displayed on various computer systems and devices, using Adobe Flash Player, which is available free of charge for common Web browsers, some mobile phones and a few other electronic devices (using Flash Lite). Flash as a format has become widespread on the desktop market; one estimate is that 95% of PCs have it, while Adobe claims that 98 percent of U.S. Web users and 99.3 percent of all Internet desktop users have installed the Flash Player, with 92 to 95% (depending on region) having the latest version.
Numbers vary depending on the detection scheme and research demographics.