Understanding Flash Player Global Security Settings in just 20 steps
February 21st 2009
This is something I keep facing every time I develop a flash app on Windows. You'll get to the point that you want to access online data and the flash player will tell you that you are not allowed:
Then, at some point you'll Google the problem, and start trying things. Eventually you'll do this:
1 - Right click on the flash movie
2 - Click on settings
3 - Click on the second icon, the screen with an eye (!)
4 - Click on advanced
And if getting here wasn't confusing enough already, now you're presented with a internet page full of text text text.
5 - Click on Global Security Settings Panel on the left column.
Here it's The Almighty Global Security Settings Panel! I remember the first time I did this, it was like "WTF? I need to access a website to configure the Flash player ssetings?!". Ok, lets leave this aside.
You may have forgotten what we were trying to do at this point. I'll remind you, we want to access the internet from our flash app.
So we are on this window were we can add "trusted" locations. So:
6 - Click on Edit Locations... (?)
7 - Click on Add Location...
8 - Click on Browse for folder
9 - Select the folder were your flash app is
In this case mine is:
And then you'll see the new item on the list. Great you say, and then you go back and try your flash app again.
- Blimey! it doesn't work!
- Why could this be?
You double check everything you have done from the start. It's all fine. Then you realise that on the error message you got, the folder path has another format. In this case it looks like this:
Now you're ready to continue the process:
10 - Click on the location you just added
11 - Click on delete location
12 - Click on confirm
13 - Execute your flash app again
14 - Copy the path as it appears on the error
15 - Go back to The Almighty Global Security Settings Panel.
16 - Click on Edit locations...
17 - Click on Add location...
18 - Paste the path you just copied
19 - Click confirm
20 - Test your app, cry in happiness, and go to sleep cos it's 6am already
You gotta love the attention to detail on User/Developer Experience that Adobe has some times.
SecurityError: Error #2028: Local-with-filesystem SWF file file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/mrdoob/Desktop/hi%2Dres/jaegermeister/modules/deploy/TestSuite.swf cannot access Internet URL http://...
Then, at some point you'll Google the problem, and start trying things. Eventually you'll do this:
1 - Right click on the flash movie
2 - Click on settings
3 - Click on the second icon, the screen with an eye (!)
4 - Click on advanced
And if getting here wasn't confusing enough already, now you're presented with a internet page full of text text text.
5 - Click on Global Security Settings Panel on the left column.
Here it's The Almighty Global Security Settings Panel! I remember the first time I did this, it was like "WTF? I need to access a website to configure the Flash player ssetings?!". Ok, lets leave this aside.
You may have forgotten what we were trying to do at this point. I'll remind you, we want to access the internet from our flash app.
So we are on this window were we can add "trusted" locations. So:
6 - Click on Edit Locations... (?)
7 - Click on Add Location...
8 - Click on Browse for folder
9 - Select the folder were your flash app is
In this case mine is:
C:\Documents and Settings\mrdoob\Desktop\hi-res\jaegermeister\modules\deploy
And then you'll see the new item on the list. Great you say, and then you go back and try your flash app again.
- Blimey! it doesn't work!
- Why could this be?
You double check everything you have done from the start. It's all fine. Then you realise that on the error message you got, the folder path has another format. In this case it looks like this:
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/mrdoob/Desktop/hi%2Dres/jaegermeister/modules/deploy/TestSuite.swf
Now you're ready to continue the process:
10 - Click on the location you just added
11 - Click on delete location
12 - Click on confirm
13 - Execute your flash app again
14 - Copy the path as it appears on the error
15 - Go back to The Almighty Global Security Settings Panel.
16 - Click on Edit locations...
17 - Click on Add location...
18 - Paste the path you just copied
19 - Click confirm
20 - Test your app, cry in happiness, and go to sleep cos it's 6am already
You gotta love the attention to detail on User/Developer Experience that Adobe has some times.
Yeah, the Security Panel is annoying. I set the path to C:/ and it works for all my projects. Of course this way I expose my computer to some very very terrible security threats, but... whatever, I don't care :)
February 21st 2009
bartekd
I just run everything through local apache and the browser. It felt like a pain for every project (symbolic links help tho) but I am always reminded of its value when I can hear other developers screams from the other cubes.
February 21st 2009
jacob
Yep, totally agree! The way this is solved is very bad. It's especially annoying when clients try to run a SWF locally and you have to explain the whole procedure to them. In the release player they don't even see any exception thrown, it just goes silent. I've only added my Eclipse Workspace to the allowed pathes.
February 22nd 2009
I see it as an necessary evil. Since its necessary, it should at least be simple and user friendly. It would be nice to have something that just asks the user if they would like to allow this file... similar to popup blockers or flash express install. People have gotten used to those types of security checks and it would be just 1 click instead of 20. Sure, leave the option to check out the "Almighty Global Security Settings" if they want to customize things more... but 99 percent of the time I go there I just want to add the site I came from, and for that it should just take 1 click.
Thanks for the post.
Thanks for the post.
February 22nd 2009
Simply setting up a workspace and adding this folder to the security panel gets rid of it foreverrr! ;)
February 22nd 2009
But it doesn't get rid of it for clients... or if you have a project on your network that anyone in the company can try to open. Shouldn't have to setup everyone's computer for something this simple.
February 23rd 2009
Indeed! But you know... flash 11 will fix this and the rest of the annoying bits.
Haha :D
Haha :D
February 23rd 2009
you can change the config file in the FlashPlayerTrust folder directly.
March 2nd 2009
tamt
Is there any way to change the global security setting fron an offline conmputer that cant access the adobe site???
June 21st 2009
Ema
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