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Swf

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''For other uses, see SWF (disambiguation).
SWF is a proprietary vector graphics file format produced by the Macromedia Flash software. Intended to be small enough for publication on the web, SWF files can contain animations or applets of varying degrees of interactivity and function. The Flash program produces SWF as the compressed and uneditable final product, whereas its uses the .fla format for its editable working files.

The name is not officially an acronym, although it has been attributed as standing for Small Web Format and Shockwave Flash [link]. According to Macromedia, SWF is pronounced "Ess Doubleyou Eff," but some people prefer to pronounce it as "swiff."

Flash is currently the most ubiquitous and dominant format for displaying animated vector graphics on the web, far exceeding the open standard SVG format, which has met with problems over competing implementations of the W3C standard. SWF is also sometimes used for creating animated display graphics and menus for DVD movies, and television commercials.

Contents

Description

Originally limited to presenting vector based objects and images in a simple sequential manner, the newer versions of the format allow audio, video and many different possible forms of interaction with the end user. Once created, SWF files can be played by the Macromedia Flash Player, working either as a browser plugin or as a standalone player. SWF files can also be encapsulated with the player, creating a self-running SWF movie called a "projector".

The file format was first created by Macromedia and had one main goal: create small files for displaying entertaining animations. The idea was to have a format which could be reused by a player running on any system and which would work with slower network (such as a browser used with a modem). Plugins to play SWF files in web browsers are available from Macromedia for most desktop operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac and Linux on Intel. Macromedia claims that over 97% of web users now have an SWF plugin installed [link], but give little or no information on the survey methodology (such as how participants were selected).

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Licensing

Although a full specification of SWF is available, it is not an open format, as implementing software that plays the format is disallowed by the specification's license. Reverse engineering is therefore the only legal way to compete with the official SWF player, and no adequate competition yet exists but Microsoft plans to make Metro, an equivalent format, a new standard.

Implementing software which creates SWF files is permitted, on the condition that the resulting files "[render] error free in the latest publicly available version of Macromedia Flash Player." [link]

External links

Documentation

Third-party software

Players

Libraries

Tools

 

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All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

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