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What technical communicators need to know about Flash
Sarah O'KeefeDocTrain West, May 2008
Vancouver
About the presenter
Principal, Scriptorium PublishingExpert in XML, XSL, and similar technologiesNot an expert in Flash!
Agenda
What is Flash?Adding Flash to your workflowFlash demo
What is Flash?
Vector-based format for moving imagesAdobe technology via MacromediaProprietary.FLA for Flash development files.SWF for compressed files
Putting Flash in context
FlexCaptivateAdobe Integrated Runtime (AIR)CamtasiaSilverlight
Where can I see Flash content?
98% of desktops and laptops have Flash Player (says Adobe)Web videoWeb gamesGratuitous splash pagesSome mobile phones
Games
nickjr.comluminosity.comkongregate.comand many, many more
Video
YouTubeMany major media sites
How might you use Flash in a tech pubs workflow?
QuizzesVideoAnimation/simulatione-LearningCustomized interface for content delivery
Quizzes
PollsReader feedbacke-Learning assessments
Branching support
Video
Talking head videoInstructional video
Animation/simulation
Explaining difficult concepts visually
Basic Flash concepts
StageTimelineKeyframeSymbolsTweeningPublishingActionScript
Stage
The area on which your objects move around.
Timeline
The sequence in which events occur.
Keyframe
A frame where an object changes.
Symbols
Reusable objects.
Tweening
The process of generating the frames between two object states to show a change.
Publishing
Generating output from the Flash development environment, often as SWF.
ActionScript
The Flash scripting language, a variant of JavaScript
Important notes
Flash is a time sink.Animation can be surprisingly effective.Consider localization costs.Remember accessibility.Captivate and similar tools offer limited functionality but much faster development.
Are documentation and training converging?
Classroom versus bookInteractive online training versus interactive online documents
Visual communication
Difficult and time consumingEffectiveWill it displace text?
Challenges for Flash
Content silosIntegration with XML?ProprietaryMobile devices
Challenges for technical communicators
Are you a visual thinker? (I'm not.)Is Flash relevant to your content? Should it be?How do you fit Flash development into the project schedule?What about localization?What about accessibility?
Q & A
