FlashPlayerControl .NET

FlashPlayerControl is a .NET component that enhances the features of Macromedia Flash Player ActiveX. Unlike other software, FlashPlayerControl does not use its own engine to display movies, instead, it provides a wrapper around official swflash.ocx/flash.ocx code, allowing you to avoid certain limitations of Macromedia Flash Player ActiveX.

Here are some of the features of FlashPlayerControl at a glance:

1. Loads Flash movies directly from memory
2. Creates Flash-enabled applications which work even if Flash Player ActiveX is not installed
3. Transparency is fully supported
4. Ability to play Flash Video (FLV) from stream
5. Enables/disables flash sounds
6. Gets a snap image of the current flash movie frame
7. Creates code compatible with any version of Flash (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
8. Flash 8 External API

With FlashPlayerControl, you can load any Flash movie directly from memory, without the need for temporary files. You can load any movie on-the-fly from any supported source, such as putting one or more Flash movies in the resource section of your application, and then load it from the .EXE. FlashPlayerControl is highly portable and powerful, giving you control and flexibility over your Flash movies.

By default, the control will use the swflash.ocx/flash.ocx file already installed on the system, but you can alternatively use any swflash.ocx/flash.ocx file you provide from any supported source. This means that your application will work even if Flash Player ActiveX does not exist on the target system, and you won't have to hassle with installation issues.

FlashPlayerControl also solves one of the problems with Flash programming: controlling the version of Flash you are using. For example, the property "Stacking" exists only in Flash 5, but not in later revisions. FlashPlayerControl automatically detects which Flash version is in use and prevents a failure if access to non-existent properties or methods is attempted.

Overall, FlashPlayerControl is a powerful tool that enhances the capabilities of Macromedia Flash Player ActiveX and gives you more control over your Flash movies. Demos and complete source code are available for download.