MadCap Software Forums

I'm running a trial version of Mimic 4.0 on XP (SP3). I'm evaluating the product to see if I can use it to provide some user interaction with an image of a PowerPoint slide in an e-learning application. The .swf file generated seems to require an html file as an entry point, which is not compatable with the e-learning development tool in use. Without the html file, the .swf file runs, but in a popup window, which defeats the purpose. The .swf file also dosen't load in the FlashPlayer that comes with Adobe Flash CSS 4.

I've looked at Help and couldn't find anything and I've gone over the Movie Properties and haven't found anything.

Can I generate a standalone .swf file that doesn't try to run as a popup?

Wrapping a SWF into HTML is common practice. I am a bit surprised that the eLearning tool cannot handle an HTML file, but maybe you can create one in the eLearning system and then insert the embed code that is in the file that Mimic provides. The only other option I know of is turning a SWF into an exe that includes the player, but I doubt that will solve your problems. It may exchange them for others at best.

Further investigation indicates that the elearning product is optimized for Flash 7 compatibility (or so I'm told). So this may very well be a compatibility issue, since the Mimic documentation states a requirement for up to date Java and Flash (i.e. Flash 10).

I've looked by don't see any option to select or complie the .swf file for backward compatibility.

I don't control the resources involved in the elearning system, and hate the idea of buying Flash 10 Pro to do this relatively simple task. Anyone have any ideas?

Can you use <embed> code to drop the SWF where you want?

An update to the "problem." First, I bought Mimic after being told by our elearning vendor that they'd "make it work." Since I first raised this issue they've moved to a differnt platform (.net) and in this incarnation of thier development environment the .swf file will run, within thier player, but it throws an error that its looking for an overlay file. I've edited the movie preference file to eliminate the use of any player "skin." and when I run it within a browser it works, and from within a Flash Play 10.0.

I guess my basic question is this; how do I create an .swf file that is not dependent on the ancillary display files that the Mimic product insists on including. It seems to me that it assumes a "runtime" application that will never not (not quite a double negative) be browser based.