Templates: Flash vs. HTML?

While it may be argued that Flash is the future of the Internet the way in which websites will ultimately be served. From a development standpoint, Flash is still in its infancy stages, which presents a variety of issues you will want to consider before making a decision.

The first thing you should ask yourself when thinking about buying a Flash template is, Why not HTML templates? HTML is cross browser compatible, doesn't require a plug-in and loads faster. With DHTML and style sheets you can take it even further. And from a usability standpoint remember sites are about giving users what they want in as minimal amount a time as possible, not about amusing yourself with the latest tech-tease just because you thought it look neat.

So why bother with Flash Templates? User experience: When used properly Flash templates are a faster method of giving users an idea about your site and activities. For instance on a site with multiple pages you can use ActionScript to quickly show or hide information faster than HTML can reach the server and return again to show a new page.

Cross browser compatible: if the user does have the Flash plug-in your site will look exactly the same on all browsers. In addition the TexFiled.StyleSheet class gives you the ability to use style sheets in Flash similar to style sheets in HTML.

Flexibility: ActtionScript has come a long way sense the early days of Flash 5. You can do a lot more with ActionScript in Flash than with JavaScript in HTML.

The plug-in issue: not much of an issue here, from 1999 on the Flash plug-in has been pre-installed by the manufactures on all new machines, so chances are your target audience does have the plug-in.

The next thing you need to ask yourself is, will my Flash site be stand-alone operation or will it need to send data to and from the outside world? Meaning, will you need to pass data back and forth from Flash to some server side script. Personally I would prefer to stick with HTML here, unless of course the entire site is Flash in which case I would have to choose Flash for all continuity purposes ... Be warned however, users recognize and are much more accustomed to using HTML form elements than they are of Flash form components hence less likely to understand how to use them.

That being said, you should ask yourself the following questions.... How comfortable am I around ActionScript and the Flash-editing environment and will I have the time to spend required to edit my template, or would it be more convenient and economical to outsource the work?

Unlike HTML files that don't require any particular editing software, an FLA file is the source Flash file that contains all animation, graphics and ActionScript associated with the template. To edit this file you would need to have some familiarity with terminology and concepts pertinent to ActionScript and the Flash-editing environment, in addition to Macromedia Flash MX 6 or higher installed on your computer.

For those who may be less willing to take on the challenge, I'm offering one other alternative and that is to outsource the work. If you think you haven't the time or if sitting at the computer all day just isn't your thing then why not let an expert handle it. At www.foamers.net we will customize any template to fit your individual business needs. Our budget Flash customization package is only $489 (includes the cost of the template a $62 value), customizing the site name, adding your logo, making sure all links are operable, a contact form page, and integrating customers content throughout 5 pages. The best way to demonstrate exactly how we turn these ready built website templates into your own unique online presence is to show you our work. The portfolio will give you an inside look on the ideas and creativity we bring to the templates we customize. Click here to visit us now.

So we learn that with the right combination of gear and technical knowledge you certainly can make your site more stunning and professional looking by going with Flash template's far more advanced interactivity above HTML. In sum you have some decisions to make depending on what skills you posses, overall project budget and the amount of time you may be able to devote to completing your task if you so decide to do it yourself.

To learn more about passing data to Flash from a server-side script please visit our template customization blog which contains articles covering advanced aspects of editing the Flash portion of your website template.

About the Author

Dave Collado is the Senior Design Consultant at www.foamers.net who provides quality website templates customization, Flash templates customization, CSS templates, web design tutorials, and many other web design and web hosting services. This article may be republished providing it remains fully intact.