Accordion FX

Published on Oct. 26th 2009
39.467 downloads
You need to have Adobe Flash Player installed in order to view the component. You can download it from here: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

Features

Version 1.0.6.8045 - 21.07.2011 (view changelog)

- customizable width & height
- unlimited number of images
- advanced text effects, zoom image effects
- auto play options
- resizable to the extent of 1680 x 1050 pixels
- HTML/CSS formatted text
- supports images (JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP) and SWFs
- external PNGs (changeable) for play/pause and next/previous buttons

Installation instructions for:

Download the accordion.zip package and put all the files from this package into the same folder with the HTML file in which you want the product to be added. If you put all the files in a different folder, read this article to learn how to specify the paths correctly.

You should know that the SWF file is the one that actually represents the product, while the other files from the downloaded package are the assets that the SWF file uses. A short explanation on how SWFs and XMLs interacts can be found here.

Open your HTML file with a text editor and insert in the HEAD section of your page (between the <head> and </head> tags) the following lines:

<script type="text/javascript" src="swfobject.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
var flashvars = {};
var params = {};
params.scale = "noscale";
params.salign = "tl";
params.wmode = "transparent";
params.allowScriptAccess = "always";
params.allowFullScreen = "true";
var attributes = {};
swfobject.embedSWF("AccordionFX.swf", "DivAccordionFX", "600", "300", "9.0.0", false, flashvars, params, attributes);
</script>

The above code isn't enough to publish the product on your page. You also need to add in the BODY section of your page (between the <body> and </body> tags), where you want the product to be displayed, the following line:

<div id="DivAccordionFX"></div>

You can customize the Accordion FX using the Live Demo above and then downloading the accordion.zip package with the changes you made or you can edit the settings.xml file included in the package.

To use your own images, edit the images.xml file with a text editor and define in each row the image path, the url to go to when clicking the image, the target(_self for the same browser window or _blank for a new browser window), the text between CDATA tags and time for the duration of slides. Here's an example:

<photo image="images/01.jpg" url="http://www.flashxml.net" target="_blank" time="4" shortText="This is a picture">
<![CDATA[<head>Download the new Accordion FX</head><body>it's FREE</body>]]></photo>

You can also add videos. Here's an example:

<photo image="images/01.jpg" url="http://www.flashxml.net" target="_blank" time="3" shortText="This is a video" media="videos/fantasy.flv" mediaImage="videos/fantasy.jpg" skin="assets/skins/videoSkin1.xml" width="350" height="300" position="CC" paddingH="0" paddingV="0" autoplay="false">
<![CDATA[<head>Hello</head>]]></photo>

You can have as many images as you like. To add a new image, add a new row in the XML file according to the instructions above.

If you want to use Colorbox (the possibility to pop up a bigger image on click) follow the steps from this article.

For the most common questions you have please go to our FAQ page.

If you want to use the Accordion FX in Flash projects (FLA files), then it is available as a Flash component (MXP file) in the paid package.

Instructions on how to use the Accordion FX component in Flash can be found here.

To be able to remove the FlashXML.net label from the top-left corner you will need to purchase the paid package.

You can see an example on how to add a product in your Wordpress article/page here and how to add it in your theme or as a widget here.

Make sure your Wordpress version is greater than 2.8 and your hosting provider is using PHP5.

 

1. There are two files to download:

    a. WordPress Plugin that you have to install and activate

    b. Free package

2. Create a new folder inside your wp-content folder called flashxml, inside this folder create a new one called accordion-fx and copy the content of the free package there

3. If you copied the free package to a location different than the one above, go to Accordion FX from the Settings tab in your WordPress Dashboard and update the path accordingly

4. Add [accordion-fx][/accordion-fx] where you want the Flash to show up in your post/page

5. If you want to make the Accordion FX part of your theme, edit the template files and add <?php fxaccordion_echo_embed_code(); ?> where you want it to show up

6. Customize your Accordion FX using the Live Demo from the top of this page. Download the ZIP file and use the included settings.xml file to overwrite wp-content/flashxml/accordion-fx/settings.xml

7. To use your own images, upload them to wp-content/flashxml/accordion-fx/images and update the wp-content/flashxml/accordion-fx/images.xml file accordingly

 

Additional settings file

To embed the Accordion FX more than once, you will need another settings file and (probably) another set of images. Let's assume your new file is called settings2.xml. Add [accordion-fx settings="settings2.xml"][/accordion-fx] where you want the Flash to show up in your post/page. If you made the Flash part of your theme, add the file name as the first argument of the fxaccordion_echo_embed_code() function call (for example <?php fxaccordion_echo_embed_code("settings2.xml"); ?>).

 

Add as widget

To add the Accordion FX as a widget, go to Widgets from the Appearance tab in your WordPress Dashboard, then drag and drop the Accordion FX from Available Widgets to the widget area you want. You can specify a different settings.xml file and an alternative content for users without Adobe Flash Player from the widget's settings.

 

No Flash support text

To support visitors without Adobe Flash Player, you can provide alternative content by adding the text between [accordion-fx] and [/accordion-fx]. If you made the Flash part of your theme, add the text as the second argument of the fxaccordion_echo_embed_code() function call (for example <?php fxaccordion_echo_embed_code("", "Alternative content"); ?>).

 

Change WMODE

By default, the WMODE value is transparent but you can change it to window from the Accordion FX in the Settings tab in your WordPress Dashboard. For widgets, this can be done from the widget's settings. If you want to have a different WMODE value in a specific place, it can be done like this: [accordion-fx wmode="window"][/accordion-fx]. If you're using the PHP function, here's an example on: <?php fxaccordion_echo_embed_code("", "", 0, 0, "window"); ?>.

 

If you have PHP4

To make it work with PHP4, add [accordion-fx width="400" height="300"][/accordion-fx] where you want the Flash to show up in your post/page. If you made the Flash part of your theme, add the width and height as the third and fourth argument of the fxaccordion_echo_embed_code() function call. Don't forget to provide your own width and height values, since 400 and 300 are just examples.

 

Getting rid of the FlashXML.net label

To remove the FlashXML.net label from the top-left corner you'll need to buy the paid package. Once you'll do that, simply use the SWF file from the paid package to overwrite the SWF file from the wp-content/flashxml/accordion-fx/ folder.

1. Download the free package. You need to host all the included files from the package on your own domain because Facebook doesn't allow file hosting.

2. Log in to your Facebook account.

3. Search for the Static HTML: iframe tabs application and select it.

4. Click on Add Static HTML to a page button and you'll be prompted for the page where you want the app to be added.

5. Once added you'll see on the left side menu of your page a new tab with a star icon called Welcome. Click on it to edit it.

6. Add the following HTML embedding code in the text field:

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/swfobject/2.2/swfobject.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
var flashvars = {};
flashvars.folderPath = "http://www.yourdomain.com/product_folder/";
var params = {};
params.scale = "noscale";
params.salign = "tl";
params.wmode = "transparent";
params.allowScriptAccess = "always";
params.allowFullScreen = "true";
var attributes = {};
swfobject.embedSWF("http://www.yourdomain.com/product_folder/ProductName.swf", "DivFlashComponent", "600", "400", "9.0.0", false, flashvars, params, attributes);
</script>
<div id="DivFlashComponent"></div>

Don't forget to use your own URL for the product's location, name, width and height.

7. Click preview to see how it looks or save changes. The product is now added to the Welcome tab of your page.

8. Optional: To change the tab's name, called by default Welcome, edit your page, go to the Apps tab and click Edit Settings option next to the Static HTML: iframe tabs application to enter the name you want.

9. Optional: To make the tab your default landing tab (first thing your visitors see on your page) edit your page and go to the Manage Permissions tab and change the Default Landing Tab.

Getting rid of the FlashXML.net label

To remove the FlashXML.net label from the top-left corner you'll need to buy the paid package. Once you do that, simply use the SWF file from the paid package to overwrite the SWF file from the location where you hosted all the files from the free package.

The module is used for adding the product in one or more pages in a given position (e.g. top, bottom, sidebar) while the plugin is used for adding the product inside a specific article.

You can see an example on how to install a module in your Joomla 1.5 website here, how to install a plugin in your Joomla 1.5 website here, how to install a module in your Joomla 1.6 website here and how to install a plugin in your Joomla 1.6 website here.

Make sure your Joomla version is at least 1.5 and your hosting provider is using PHP5.

 

Joomla Module Instructions:

1. There are two files to download (both under GPL License):

    a. Joomla Module (version 1.5 or version 1.6 & 1.7) that you have to install and enable

    b. Free package

2. Create a new folder inside your Joomla folder called flashxml, inside this folder create a new one called accordionfx and copy the content of the free package there

3. If you copied the free package to a location different than the one above, update the Path from module's parameters accordingly

4. Customize your Accordion FX using the Live Demo from the top of this page. Download the ZIP file and use the included settings.xml file to overwrite flashxml/accordionfx/settings.xml

Note that the Joomla Module can only be used once in your website.

 

Joomla Plugin Instructions:

1. There are two files to download (both under GPL License):

    a. Joomla Plugin (version 1.5 or version 1.6 & 1.7) that you have to install and enable

    b. Free package

2. Create a new folder inside your Joomla folder called flashxml, inside this folder create a new one called accordionfx and copy the content of the free package there

3. If you copied the free package to a location different from the one above, update the Path from plugin's parameters accordingly

4. Add {accordionfx}{/accordionfx} where you want the Flash to show up in your article

5. Customize your Accordion FX using the Live Demo from the top of this page. Download the ZIP file and use the included settings.xml file to overwrite flashxml/accordionfx/settings.xml

6. The default name for the settings file is settings.xml, but if you want to use another file (for example settings2.xml), specify the name like this: {accordionfx settings=settings2.xml}{/accordionfx} where you want the component to show up in your article

7. In some cases the width and height will not be read from the settings.xml file but you can specify them like this: {accordionfx width=400 height=300}{/accordionfx}. Don't forget to provide your own width and height values, since 400 and 300 are just examples.

 

Changing WMODE

By default, the WMODE value is transparent but you can change it to window from the module/plugin's parameters. If you want to have a different WMODE value in a specific article, it can be done like this: {accordionfx wmode=window}{/accordionfx}.

 

Getting rid of the FlashXML.net label
To remove the FlashXML.net label from the top-left corner you'll need to buy the paid package.
Once you will do that, simply use the SWF file from the paid package to overwrite the SWF file from the flashxml/accordionfx/ folder.

Below you will find instructions on how to install and use the Accordion FX Component in Flash (available for Flash CS3, CS4, CS5 and Flash Player 9, 10 or later).

You can see an example on how to install a product in Flash here.

In this video you will see:
- how to create an instance of the component on the stage: from the Components panel (Ctrl+F7) drag & drop the component on the stage
- how to give a name to an instance for further use in ActionScript: click on the component instance on the stage and from the Properties panel (Ctrl+F3) enter a name in the text input
- how to access the properties of the component (read or modify) during different moments of your Flash application

Any property of the Component could be accessed that way. The names of the properties are identical with the ones from the settings.xml file. The properties of the component can be of any of the three types: Number, String, Boolean. We assume it’s intuitive of which type each property is.

Warning! Setting the parameters of the component in the Component Inspector window (Shift+F7) and in the same time having a settings.xml file populated with different values for each property, the properties from the settings.xml file will have priority (meaning that a parameter set in the Component Inspector will be ignored if that parameter is also defined in the XML file).

For now, this component does not dispatch events, but stay tuned for an update.

free package

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Comments

Thomas Grandegger

Posted 6 months ago

Hello there, I am wondering, what the url-parameter stands for…? When I specify an url and click on the picture, I get the image opened in a lightbox-effect (very nice made, but not what I intend… ;D )

The URL is www.i-nterface.at/uebersicht.html – thank you for your help!

greetings Thomas Grandegger
FlashXML Support

Hi,

While in your settings.xml this attribute is true, <useColorbox value=“true”/>, the links are disabled, and the Colorbox will open the images in a pop-up. To enable the links, you must first make it false, then your images will link to whatever page/script you want.

sam

Posted 6 months ago

Hi
Thanks for the reply, the site is www.omasupportsolutions.co.uk, hosted by justhost.com, i followed all the instructions but still not working, i would appreciate your help.
Thank you.
Note : the pages there are for test only.

FlashXML Support

Hi,

We checked your site and noticed that you have followed all the instructions correctly but you have missed one thing, to add the div in the body of your HTML page, where you want the Accordion to show up. So, you need to add <div id=“AccordionFXDiv”></div> in the body section of your HTML page.

sam

Posted 6 months ago

I really like all this product and want to try before i pay the membership fee but trying first with AccordionFX menu is not doing what it says in demo, how can i make use of the demo version to work on my website ? , thank you.

FlashXML Support

Hi,

The only difference between the free version and the commercial version is the small logo in the top-left corner of the component. All other functionalities are identical.
When you say “you can’t use the demo version on your site“ what exactly do you mean. Please provide a link to the webpage where you are trying to add this component to support [at] flashxml.net and we will investigate further.

Jesus

Posted 6 months ago

Hi, two questions:

1. I can place an image in the shortext appears near vertical?
2. I can embed typography to the .fla file and display?

FlashXML Support

Hi,

1. Unfortunately this is not possible.
2. Pleas tell us which type of characters you want to embed and we will make this modification for you.

David Schroeder

Posted 6 months ago

Sirs,

1. How do I control the position of the video play bar? If I set the mediaImage size to the size of the video, the play bar goes over the bottom of the video and it cuts it off. If I increase the height so that the play bar doesn’t overlap the bottom of the video I have black space above the video.

2. What are the values for position=“CL”

3. What are the values for <borderColor value=“16711782”/> you have made it so you can’t use regular hex values

4. I have several videos in my accordion, when you click to watch the video, after “X” amount of seconds the next slide runs and the video doesn’t complete playing. I want the slides to continue unless the video is being watched. What is the setting to make the slide pause until the video finishes?

5. Is there a way to control the text in the black slider bar? I am using &nbsp; to push the text down so they all line up and are even.

FlashXML Support

Hi,

The videoplayer used in the accordion is a very basic player and isn’t really customizable. Its properties are not customizable.
Concerning your second question, about the alignment, the Video player can only have center-center alignment values.
The component’s XML files can use hex values for color codes – for example red would be like #ff0000.
The accordion was primarily designed to use images, not videos – the video feature was added as a bonus. Right now, the accordion has no property that controls the slideshow when videos play or not.
The shorttext on the left of the accordion was made to be aligned to the vertical center of the slide. You will have to use the &nbsp if you want to align the text anywhere else.

Sorry that I am giving you such a negative answer, but this is how the Accordion was designed.

Do you have a question?

you will get an answer in 24 hours, tops.

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