368 Chapter 21 – InteractivityShockwave for Director
Web Design in a Nutshell, eMatter Editionexcellent support material and resources on the Macromedia web site. Pay special
attention to tips for optimizing file size and preparing files for streaming.
Once you’ve created a movie in Director, you must save it in Shockwave format to
make it play over the Web. The directions for doing this are slightly different for
Director versions 5 and 6.
Director 5
In Director 5, you need to use the Afterburner Xtra (available for download
on Macromedia’s site) to compress the movie and save it in the Shockwave
format. Open your movie in Director and choose XtrasÝAfterburner. Name
the file (remember to use the suffix.dcr) and save it. It is ready to be
uploaded to the server.
Director 6
You can save a movie in Shockwave format directly in version 6. Just choose
FileÝ Save As Shockwave. Be sure to name the file with the suffix.dcr.Configuring the Server
Although you don’t need special server software to handle Shockwave files, the
server must be configured to recognize the new MIME type. The specific syntax
for configuration varies for different servers, so coordinate with your system
administrator. The following provides the standard necessary elements:
Type/subtype
application/x-director
File extensions for Director Shockwave
.dcr(also.dir and.dxr)Adding Shockwave Files to an HTML Document
Like Flash, Director Shockwave files are added to an HTML document with the
<embed>or<object>tags.<embed>was developed by Netscape and works with
Netscape 2.0 and later, Internet Explorer 3.0+ for the Mac, and other plug-in
compatible browsers.
Internet Explorer versions 3 and higher use the<object>tag, which enables them
to automatically download the ActiveX controls for playing Shockwave media.
To code your page so it is accessible to the maximum number of users, use a
combination of the<embed>and<object>tags. Explanations of each of these
options follows. Note that technologies change quickly and Macromedia revises
their tagging instructions from time to time. Consult the Macromedia support pages
online for updates.The <embed> tagThe standard tag is as follows:
<EMBED SRC="path/file.dcr" WIDTH=x HEIGHT=x
PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/">
</EMBED>