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Installation/Uninstallation jTFlashManager requires that your machine have Java 1.3 or higher. Most computers come with a Java JVM that will run the program. If yours doesn't, you can download it for free from java.sun.com. If you're not sure, don't worry -- jTFlashManager won't hurt anything if you install it and run it. If you've downloaded the installer for Windows (something like "jtfmInstall_4.exe"), all you have to do is click on that file to start the installation process. It will ask you where you want to install the program. Then it will copy the program files, a readme file like this one, an icon, and an uninstaller to that directory. It will also create a shortcut on your desktop as well as one in the program's directory. Using the ininstaller will delete all of these files and shortcuts. If you downloaded a zip file, open jTFlashManager.zip and put the folder jTFlashManager where you would like it to be (for Windows, probably "C:\\Program Files\", for Mac, "HD:Applications"). This will not create a desktop shortcut. Starting If you've downloaded and installed with the installer for Windows (something like "jtfmInstall_4.exe"), then there should be a shortcut on your desktop. Click that. If you downloaded the zip file, many operating systems allow you to start the program by clicking on the file. If yours doesn't, from the command line in the "jTFlashManager" directory, enter the command "java -jar jTFlashManager.jar". The first time you start up jTFlashManager, it will ask you to find the location of the Flash plugins you wish to manage. Choosing "File > Autodetect" will automatically find the plugins for most common browser settings. If the plugin for the browser you want to control is not found by Autodetect, Choose the "Find Plugin" option instead to search for it. The plugin is in different places for different operating systems/browsers. see also FAQ -- What should I name the plugins? Using jTFlashManager Use the "Manage" menu to switch between browsers/plugins if more than one browser is being controlled. jTFlashManager gives two options; a green triangle (turn Flash "on") and a red square (turn Flash "off"). If you are using jTFlashManager to control Flash for Internet Explorer, you are unable turn Flash from "on" to "off" while the browser is running (but you can turn it "on"). To turn Flash "off", Internet Explorer must be shut down. For Navigator, Mozilla,etc., jTFlashManager can be used "on the fly", but you are unable turn Flash "off" if you are currently viewing a Flash movie. jTFlashManager will create a data file called "pluginData.properties". Don ot edit or delete this file. FAQ/Troubleshooting I can't turn off Flash for IE. -- If you are using jTFlashManager to control Flash for Internet Explorer, you are unable turn Flash from "on" to "off" while the browser is running (but you can turn it "on"). To turnFlash "off", Internet Explorer must be shut down. Most people like to browse with Flash "off" by default anyway, only turning it on when there's an animation they like to see. The animation I'm viewing won't turn off. -- You can't turn off Flash while you are watching a Flash animation. see also How it works What should I name the plugins? -- This might be the hardest thing about using jTFlashManager. Most people prefer to name the plugin the same as the browser that uses it. Things can get tricky, though, because a lot of browsers will use the plugin for Netscape. Below is a list of the most common plugin paths and which browser uses that plugin. WINDOWS -----Internet Explorer (Windows 98,ME up to Flash 5) C:\Windows\System\Macromed\Flash\swflash.ocx -----Internet Explorer (Windows NT,2000,XP up to Flash 5) C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash\swflash.ocx -----Internet Explorer (Windows 98,ME up to Flash 6) C:\Windows\System\Macromed\Flash\flash.ocx -----Internet Explorer (Windows NT,2000,XP up to Flash 6) C:\Windows\System32\Macromed\Flash\flash.ocx -----Netscape Navigator C:\Program Files\Netscape\Communicator\Program\Plugins\npswf32.dll -----Mozilla C:\Program Files\mozilla.org\Mozilla\Plugins\npswf32.dll (note: when Mozilla is installed on a machine that already has Netscape Navigator, Mozilla may be using the plugin found at the Netscape location listed above) MAC OS -----All Browsers Browser plugins folder (for example, HD:Applications:Netscape:Plugins) LINUX -----Netscape Navigator /usr/lib/netscape/plugins/libflashplayer.so -----Mozilla /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/libflashplayer.so (note: when Mozilla is installed on a machine that already has Netscape Navigator, Mozilla may be using the plugin found at the Netscape location listed above) Is jTFlashManager only for Windows? What about Mac? What about Linux?. --jTFlashManager is OS-independent. It has been tested on Windows 98/ME/XP/2000/NT and Mac OSX. It has not been tested on any Linux distro (feedback would be great!). The reason I've focused on Windows is that browsers for Windows don't usually give you control over plugins (some Mac browsers already do what jTFlashManager does!). Does jTFlashManager stop popup windows? --No. There are already hundreds of "popup killers" out there. Most of them are free. Furthermore, the Mozilla browser (from mozilla.org) has this built in, and it's all I use any more. How it works jTFlashManager started as a testing tool for websites. I needed an easy way to test Flash-based sites with Flash turned at various times on or off. The first advice I got was to uninstall Flash/remove the plugins, but uninstalling/reinstalling got to be painful. I found the plugin files on my machine and copied it elsewhere. That worked, but was still, too time-consuming. Then I got the bright idea of renaming the plugins, so the browsers couldn't find them. I did that for a while, but still too slow.Then I wrote 10 lines of command-line java code that would rename them. That's how jTFlashManager works -- it just renames the file back and forth when you turn Flash on or off. Source Code The complete source code is available at www.jtedley.com. Contact jTedley jTedley@hotmail.com |