SWFObject is a lightweight library for simplifying embedding flash in web pages. It was quite confusing to me at first that such a library was of any use since Flash is one of the most standardized program on the web, yet the web is so heterogeneous that even such proprietary programs are suffering from inconsistencies from browser to browser.

It took me sometime to figure out that the library in fact offers only one main feature (maybe there are others that I don’t know). Proving something is is probably harder than proving something is not. I was expecting some more fancy stuff such as calling ActionScript from web pages but there was not a clue of such functionality. Anyhow, now I finally understood its use, and this trivial lab is born.

The old story

I believe before everything messed up, we only needed a simple embed or object tag to add flash. Apparently this has changed and we need experienced people to set it up for us so we don’t need to re-invent the wheel.

How do they do it now?

Add two lines of JavaScript

<script type="text/javascript" src="jslib/swfobject/swfobject.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">swfobject.registerObject("myId", "9.0.0", "expressInstall.swf");</script>

Example

Example: lab006.html

After 8 months of torture, both physically and mentally, I’ve finally finished school. I knocked off 5 credits, 4 out which are 300 and 400 level computer science courses. I had, on average, 1.5 assignments in every single week, and each assignment takes between 20 - 40 hours. I have, for many times, felt depressed and even desperate because of the “endless” todo list that kept getting longer as each day passed. Phew…….my hair turned slightly grey too.

“my final year GPA will be around 3.4 - 3.5/4.0″

Now it’s over, and looking back, I found it very rewarding. I’ve learnt a handful of new concepts, technologies, design patterns, algorithms, and tools etc. I expect to get another “combination” of AABB this term, and my final year GPA will be around 3.4 - 3.5/4.0, if, however, I exclude my English grade. Ha, what a shame.

I will do a summary of my courses for this term a bit later, when the mark of my last exam is out.

Meanwhile, I need to start a new journey and make up a plan for the next couple of years, like what I did two years ago.