Hi I am really baffled by this issue. I have worked with flash content many times in the past and no problems.
I have installed drupal on 2 different sites inspirednotion.com and hgriffiths.co.uk. Initially with hgriffiths.co.uk as you will be able to see the flash is working on the front page. I have tried to get the same flash to work on inpirednotion.com but to no avail. i just get a blank space where the flash should be displayed. Thinking that i might be at fault as a novice developed (tinkerer) i have install Flash Node and SWFTools. but i still get the same result... blank space where the flash should be. I have converted the original flash FLV file on 2 different machines to rule out encoding issue. The flash plays in the original generated html file. I have even changed the directory location to pull from the server instead of locally and it works. but when the code is inserted to drupal and all links updated it won't work. I have tried '/files/01.swf' 'files/01.swf' 'http://www.hgriffiths.co.uk/files/01.swf' and still it does not work. I have as i think covered most bases with this and can't get it to work.

Please any info or help on this would highly and most gratefully received and appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Daniel Griffiths

Comments

marekgol’s picture

marekgol commented
Issue summary: View changes

The fact that it works on one site but not the other suggests one of the following issues:
- file permission
- path configuration
- module configuration difference between the two installations
Following the steps below will allow you to check the cause of the issue:

1. Clear All Caches First

Go to Administer > Site configuration > Performance and click 'Clear cached data'. Also clear your browser cache as some browsers aggressively cache SWF and associated XML files.

2. Check File Permissions

This is often the most common cause of blank Flash content:

Files Directory Permissions:

- Ensure the files directory exists at sites/default/files and has read, write and execute permissions for the web server
- Set directory permissions to 755 or 775
- Set file permissions to 644 or 664
- Make sure your SWF file has proper read permissions

Commands to fix permissions:
chmod 755 sites/default/files
chmod 644 sites/default/files/01.swf

3. Verify File Path Issues

Check if extra characters like "%" and "/" are being added to the URL path. Try these path variations:
- sites/default/files/01.swf (relative to Drupal root)
- ./files/01.swf (current directory relative)
- Full URL: http://inspirednotion.com/sites/default/files/01.swf

4. SWFTools Configuration Check

Verify SWFTools Status:

- Go to Admin > Reports > Status report
- Ensure all SWFTools components show green/OK status
- Check that SWFObject library is properly installed

SWFTools Settings:

- Admin > Site configuration > SWFTools
- Verify the embedding method (SWFObject recommended)
- Check file handling settings
- Ensure proper MIME type handling for .swf files

5. Flash Node Module Configuration

If using Flash Node:
- Check for "Unable to load flash node data" errors which indicate configuration issues
- Verify the Flash Node content type is properly configured
- Check field settings and display options

6. Browser and JavaScript Issues

Test JavaScript Dependencies:
- Ensure SWFObject JavaScript library is loading
- Check browser console for JavaScript errors
- Test in multiple browsers to isolate browser-specific issues

7. File Upload and Storage

Re-upload the SWF file:
- Delete and re-upload the SWF file through Drupal's file system
- Ensure the file is being stored in the correct directory
- Verify file isn't corrupted during upload

8. Module Compatibility

Check module versions:
- Ensure SWFTools and Flash Node versions are compatible
- Update to latest stable versions if needed
- Check for conflicts with other modules