Flash Scripts
All computer users are very well aware of animation that can be seen in websites, games, movies and banners. This animation is mainly possible through the use of different types of animation software, of which one of popular among them is the Flash software. Flash is a type of software that is used to create animation to use in display on web pages. Since this is a vector animation software, the vector graphics it produces is great for the web as this animation is lightweight.
The past few years have seen the release of new types of Flash. This is how macromedia has made Flash more controllable using programming. Flash is now considered to be competition to HTML where it is used to create interactive web sites and is applied in sites like e-commerce store. There are many reasons for people to choose Flash over HTML; the main being that Flash animation and movies load faster and this leads to a saving in download time. This is because Flash is vector based while HTML isn’t.
Flash has the capacity of ‘caching’ its movies, where there is no need of it being reloaded when used again. In addition to this, with Flash, the animation it produces is very rich looking. However, there are some disadvantages to Flash. The main disadvantage is it’s handling of text is very poor. The main reason people use the internet is to read text; and if Flash cannot handle it well, programmers think twice before using it.
The display of text in Flash is not only much slower than HTML, it is also less clear. This is why macromedia incorporates basic HTML in Flash. It takes quite a long time to create something in Flash than in HTML. This is the reason for the release of Flash MX where you find HTML formed components.
However with Flash, it is possible to do some work like complex animation and video that is difficult, and sometimes impossible with HTML. Moreover, there are no browser issues related to Flash. All Flash animations work the same in all browsers.
It is best to use Flash when creating a presentation that resembles a television commercial. Such presentations provide the user with an opportunity of sitting back and enjoying the show full with animation, sound and perhaps video. Then of course, Flash is also used in straight animation, similar to the cartoons kids like. Flash is also used in ‘rich-ui’ components like calendars and fancy navigational systems. However if such is the case, you have to be sure that the user has the right Flash plug-in; else they will not be able to use the website.