Browser links in Flash projector open but stay behind flash app

Question

I have a flash projector file that is going on a CD-ROM. One section is just a simple list of links to useful websites. These links were created by adding URLs in the properties box to static text. The projector is running in full screen mode and was made using Flash CS3.

This is the behaviour when running the flash projector app in Windows:

The links open fine, if the browser isn't running in the background. The browser window opens and gains focus. I'd be better if the flash app remained in full screen mode, but that is not the main problem.

If a browser has been opened, the links will open in the browser, but the window will remain behing the flash app and the user will be oblivious and think the link hasn't worked.

Is there a way to make the browser window gain focus when you click on a link in flash, and does anyone know if this is something that has been fixed in CS4?

Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

Did you manage to resolve this issue? We are up against the same thing right now.

Answer 2

Have you tried to manually put in a hook which gets the projector out of fullscreen mode before sending the link to the browser? Maybe in that case it would get focus?

I don't think there's a massive difference if you use Flash Player 10 (which I guess you referred to when writing Flash CS4), but changing your application to AIR might make a difference and it's well possible to do in CS3 too.

Answer 3

I think the key issue here could be what browser are we speaking of, and how it is configured. I.e., if it is Firefox, and you have configured it to open external links (from other applications) in the background, then it has nothing to do with flash, and the described behavior is completely in accordance with these settings. In my flash apps, opening an external link always brings the new browser tab/window to the front, albeit I have never tried this with standalone apps.

BTW, that the flash app exits from fullscreen when you click on a link is a security feature. I beleive what the architects at Adobe had in mind was a hacker creating a browser mockup in flash, and thus acquiring sensitive data.

Answer 4

I posted a solution for this type of problem at FlashKit... http://board.flashkit.com/board/showthread.php?t=674688&highlight=topmost

The solution uses some free tools I've developed over the years and shows how to solve the problem for PDF files but EXE files and other document types will follow the same pattern.