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Click to Activate
« »It's been 1 week since the Microsoft IE ActiveX Update, KB912945, that forces users to have to "click to activate and use" ActiveX objects (including Flash) in Internet Explorer, and it seems that some developers are still just realizing this for the first time. Here are a few quick resources on why this "feature" was added and how to deal with it:
- - Wikipedia entry on Eolas, the company that sued Microsoft for violating their patent on using plugins in a web browser, which resulted in Microsoft releasing this update so they would no longer be in violation.
- - If you're using FlashObject to embed your Flash movies, then you already have the "fix" working on your sites and you'll never see the "Click to activate and use this control" message. Geoff also wrote a blog post covering all the details about the IE update that affect you as a web developer.
- - Microsoft's webpage detailing the update, including Known Issues that still need to be fixed. The most notable issue is that if a user has the "Disable Script Debugging (Internet Explorer)" check box unchecked in their Advanced Internet Options, the JavaScript "fix" supposedly does not work as it should. However, the FlashObject fix still works on my computer with that option unchecked, and the only people that would have that option unchecked are web developers, so it should not be a major issue.
David's Comments on Click to Activate
David
05/03/06, 12:18 PM
05/03/06, 12:18 PM
I found a nice solution to this problem at this web site http://www.codelifter.com/accc_index.shtml
The software program is called "Active Content Code Converter" and it sells for $19.95.
You can very quickly change out your object and embed code with javascript which loads the control externally thus activating the control with a single click.
The investment for this product is nothing compared to the frustration and confusion potential customers may be having with your web site.
John's Comments on Click to Activate
John
05/04/06, 12:44 AM
05/04/06, 12:44 AM
Interesting program, David. Have you used it on a lot of pages? I'm curious how well it works (what if your original OBJECT + EMBED tags are invalid), and how the JavaScript it exports compares to SWFObject. Can you show us a page where you've used it?
Andrew Charles's Comments on Click to Activate
Andrew Charles
05/10/06, 05:49 PM
05/10/06, 05:49 PM
There's a decent hack here that worked for me to get around these crazy flash issues. It lets you use your original embed/object tags, and doesn't require much modification.
Már's Comments on Click to Activate
Már
12/15/06, 04:06 AM
12/15/06, 04:06 AM
...and then there's always the elegant, unobtrusive Javascript workaround for those who don't want to rely on Javascript being enabled in the browser for their Flash objects to appear.. :-)
Már's Comments on Click to Activate
Már
12/15/06, 04:09 AM
12/15/06, 04:09 AM
Here's the link that got stripped out earlier: http://mar.anomy.net/entry/2006/11/24/02.12.18/
Mark Jennings's Comments on Click to Activate
Mark Jennings
08/07/07, 11:21 AM
08/07/07, 11:21 AM
I am using Object Activator to re-activate my objects. It's fast and easy:
http://www.orontesprojects.com/objectactivator.htm
Mark
Jenny's Comments on Click to Activate
Jenny
12/15/08, 12:57 AM
12/15/08, 12:57 AM
hi guys!
I invite you in my e-mail yahoo...