Cross Browser Flash Detection in Javascript

Question

Does anyone have an example of script that can work reliably well across IE/Firefox to detect if the browser is capable of displaying embedded flash content. I say reliably because I know its not possible 100% of the time.

Answer 1

Detecting and embedding Flash within a web document is a surprisingly difficult task.

I was very disappointed with the quality and non-standards compliant markup generated from both SWFObject and Adobe's solutions. Additionally, my testing found Adobe's auto updater to be inconsistent and unreliable.

The JavaScript Flash Detection Library (Flash Detect) and JavaScript Flash HTML Generator Library (Flash TML) are a legible, maintainable and standards compliant markup solution.

-"Luke read the source!"

Answer 2

If you just wanted to check whether flash is enabled, this should be enough.

function testFlash() {

    var support = false;

    //IE only
    if("ActiveXObject" in window) {

        try{
            support = !!(new ActiveXObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash"));
        }catch(e){
            support = false;
        }

    //W3C, better support in legacy browser
    } else {

        support = !!navigator.mimeTypes['application/x-shockwave-flash'];

    }

    return support;

}

Note: avoid checking enabledPlugin, some mobile browser has tap-to-enable flash plugin, and will trigger false negative.

Answer 3

To create a Flash object standart-compliant (with JavaScript however), I recommend you take a look at

Unobtrusive Flash Objects (UFO)

http://www.bobbyvandersluis.com/ufo/index.html