ClickTAG testing problem within Flash

Question

Hello! I am by no means a Flash pro, more on the noob end of
the spectrum but I know the basics... I did a search and couldn't
find what I was looking for on this, and I'm new to the forum, so
apologies if I miss some etiquette step (I originally posted this
in the Flash ad section, but its dead over there and thought I
could get more love here).
So, I've got a simple linear animation banner ad with a
topmost layer as a clear button and the clickTAG info from the
hosting site/agency.
The code they have provided should be attached below...
I've tried tracing the button and even that simple step is
not working.
Should I be able to test this within Flash? If I swap out the
code for regular ol' Flash links it works and tests fine. Anyone
with similar issues, or a solution to shis? TIA!

Answer 1

rcbmoose,
> Should I be able to test this within Flash?
Well, yes and no. How do you like that for an answer? ;)
> If I swap out the code for regular ol' Flash links it
works and
> tests fine. Anyone with similar issues, or a solution to
shis? TIA!
>
> on (release) {
> if (clickTAG.substr(0,5) == "
http://www.rebit.com") {
> getURL(clickTAG, "_blank");
> }
> }
Here's the scoop on clickTAG (and its various spellings,
including
ClickTAG, ClickTag, clickTag, clicktag, etc.). As shown, the
value of
clickTAG is undefined in Flash because the variable,
clickTAG, hasn't been
declared anywhere. If it hasn't been declared, then where
does the data
come from, right? Good question.
What you're seeing here is an example of passing data into a
SWF from
the outside. Any string variable can be passed in, and any
legal variable
name will do. String variables can be passed in via something
called
FlashVars, which is a parameter of either the EMBED tag or of
a PARAM tag
inside an OBJECT tag in the HTML. They can also be passed in
via a query
string appended to the SWF's file reference in the HTML (e.g.
nameOfMovie.swf?variable1=value1).
It just happens that many ad agencies use clickTAG as an
agreed-upon
variable for storing URLs for tracking user clicks. Because
you're testing
your SWF in Flash, you're not making use of the HTML document
in which this
SWF will be embedded. The HTML document will supply a value
for clickTAG,
so this needs to be tested in an HTML document. Ah, there's
the rub. Is
there a way to debug SWFs inside a browser? There is. :)
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/debugging_actionscript.html
The trouble is, you may or may not ultimately have control
over the HTML
into which this SWF is embedded. If that HTML embeds the
variable as
ClickTAG (or some other variant), Flash Player won't see it,
because your
code specifies clickTAG, and variables are case sensitive in
Flash since
Flash Player 7. So bear that in mind, and try one of the
techniques in the
article (either a temporary dynamic text field or the
Debugger panel).
Good luck with that!
David Stiller
Co-author, Foundation Flash CS3 for Designers
http://tinyurl.com/2k29mj
"Luck is the residue of good design."