"Click to activate and use this control" message

Why do I see a message prompting me to “click to activate and use this control” when I roll my mouse over a Flash animation?

This is a result of a recent Microsoft Internet Explorer browser update.

Microsoft lost a legal battle with a patent holder about the way Internet Explorer displays OBJECTs and EMBEDs in webpages. Microsoft then decided to update its Internet Explorer browser with changes requiring user input to display and activate ActiveX based media.

This affects all Flash animations but also other files such as QuickTime, RealPlayer, Java and Adobe Acrobat among others. It means users have to click the object first in order to activate its functions.

Luckily, there are ways for website developers to modify their website so that the user experience is not impacted by Microsoft’s changes. I have selected the easiest and most user-friendly option available at this time and have implemented this solution throughout this website.

Samples with the fix

Flash Album

To fix the problem, please follow these steps:

1) Just below the last <object> in your HTML page, insert the following Javascript:

<script type="text/javascript" src="ieupdate.js"></script>

2) Add a small .js file to your website directory. You can download the zipped .js file here

If you are curious what the content of the .js file is click here

3) Save this file as ieupdate.js to the root of your website (or where you save your html pages)

4) Upload both files to your webserver, and the problem should be solved.

To read more about this issue and see other solutions available, please visit:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/ieupdate
http://blog.deconcept.com/2005/12/15/internet-explorer-eolas-changes-and-the-flash-plugin/

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Amara Software develops easy-to-use Flash web design software. We currently have 5 software applications: Amara news ticker, Amara menu builder, Amara intro and banner builder, Amara Slideshow builder, and Amara Photo Animation Software.