Opening PDF files using Flash MX

[robtheflasher]

I have created a flash projector movie and I have five buttons in this movie, One to open a web browser, One to execute an exe file and three that open PDF files.

I can not get flash mx to open those pdf files at all and still dont know how to get the exe to launch.
The action script im putting on the buttons is as follows.

/ Flash

on(release) {
fscommand("exec","Host.bat")
}

and for the bat file

@echo off
start HostingServices.pdf
exit

And I do not know how to launch the exe. Can someone help me please?

[quackAttack]

I ran into the same problem and I found a free program that will launch the pdfs.

It is located at|| http://freemx.arsware.org/

It comes with a readme file that will explain everthing on how to add it to your projector files. I used it and it works great.

[robtheflasher]

I must be daft because I can not get it to work for me. Here is what I have done

on the same level as my Myflashprojector.exe projector file is my autorun.inf
freeMX.as
fscommand FOLDER

In the fscommand folder there are these files
three pdf files
freeMX.exe
and acrobat reader exe installer

in my flash movie I have the following code on each of my buttons

on(release) {
#include "freeMX.as"
fmxExec("myFile.pdf");
}

what am I doing wrong? Did I put the code in the wrong place? Did I put the files in the wrong place?

Thanks in advance

[quackAttack]

///FIRST PUT THIS ACTIONSCRIPT IN THE FIRST FRAME OF YOUR FLASH MOVIE

#include "freeMX.as"



///THEN ON YOUR BUTTON PUT:
on(release) {
fmxExec("myFile.pdf");
}

That should do it...
If that does not work let me know there may be one more thing.

[robtheflasher]

That did not work. Are my files in the right place? I thought about giving a more direct path to the fscommand folder. At first I did not even know I needed that folder.

Thanks for your help

[quackAttack]

-Are you loading any swfs from outside the projector that call the pdfs to open?

What I mean is the buttons that call the freeMX to open the pdfs are they inside your .fla that is the projector or are the buttons in a loaded .swf from outside the projector?

-Are you on a Mac? It won't work on a Mac.

-The Flash6 activeX must be installed. This will already be present on PCs that already can play Flash MX swfs thru their webrowser.

[robtheflasher]

I am on a pc and the loader only calls itself. It is the windows projector .exe file that I published. It is a stand alone. Is that bad? I'd send you the files to look at if I could. As far as I can tell they are as they should be. When I click the button it acts like it wants to load but it does not. With the last posting I made does it look as though my files are in the right place or not?

What I am trying to do is create a cd that will autostart the flashloader.exe and the links within that to open three pdf files and one exe installer. flash 5 could do it with no problem.

[xrobbyx]

I don't know how well it works, but I found this a little while ago

http://www.extendingflash.com/utilities/index.html

There's a utility called invoke that you can use to run programs and open files in their native applications...

Might not be any better than what you're already using, though.

[Northcode]

Proxy is a tool I wrote that will let you run BAT files from Flash and avoid the ugly DOS box. The best part? It's absolutely FREE. You can download the utility from www.northcode.com/misc/proxy.zip. There's documentation in the ZIP file, but there was also a big disussion about it (and some other utilities I wrote) in this thread... http://www.flashkit.com/board/showth...hreadid=519274

[quackAttack]

That sounds like the same thing I did.

I think your files are in the right place. Here is how I set mine up:
///ON THE ROOT LEVEL
projector.exe
freeMX.as
fscommand(FOLDER)

///INSIDE THE FOLDER fscommand
--------my.pdf
--------my1.pdf
--------freeMX.exe
--------Shockwave_Installer_Full.exe

///WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY
"open three pdf files and one exe installer"
///WHAT INSTALLER?

///Could you post tour files or send them to me and I could take a look at them for you.

[robtheflasher]

I can not get the files to compress small enough to post here so I am not including the projector.exe file nor the freemx.exe file. this is in two parts. I did however change the actionscript to try and open using bat files.

[robtheflasher]

I can not get the files to compress small enough to post here so I am not including the projector.exe file nor the freemx.exe file. this is in two parts. I did however change the actionscript to try and open using bat files.

[quackAttack]

///Here is the Flash file, I changed some code in it and I was able to get the PDF files to open.

///You were missing fscommands in the first frame of the movie.

///Just publish a projector and create your fscommand folder with your PDFS and freeMX.exe file inside that folder.

///And put your freemx.as on the same level as your projector.

Let me know if it works fro you.

[robtheflasher]

I dont know how to thank enough.

[robtheflasher]

for some reason it is not working on my system. Maybe its the version of adobe i have i dont know but i will test it on one of my other computers at home.

[quackAttack]

///When you test it are you using the .exe projector file or just the swf. It will not work with the .swf

///What acrobat do you have installed?

[robtheflasher]

I have acrobat 5.05 installed. I used this due to most of the possability of my customers still using Win 98. I created the pdf files in 5.0. The auto file which works opens the projector.exe file. I got it to work on another computer. Thanks again for your help.

I tried associating the pdf file types with 5.05 and it still will not work on my laptop.