Topics Covered:

• Dynamic Flash - Flash with dynamic content
• Using Flash on printable forms
• Server-Side Includes (SSI)
• Keeping solutions simple

Business Objectives:

Here at Slicksurface we wanted our invoices to be more than "just" invoices. We wanted the invoices to:

• Be web-based, yet print cleanly.
• Showcase our capabilities with Dynamic Flash.
• Be e-mailable.

How Objectives Were Met:

The solution was to use Flash to create motionless graphics with dynamic content. The result is the equivalent of dynamically generated .gif files, except that no special server software is required and no jagged edges appear when the invoice is printed.

These Flash "graphics" are called by a simple HTML page that contains the information unique to that invoice. These pages can be generated manually or by using the bookkeeping software we have developed.

The HTML file is easily e-mailed, and when viewed the page loads the stock Flash files from www.slicksurface.com. These graphics display the information unique to that invoice because the data they need were passed to them when they were called on the page.

The solution is remarkably simple. But that is just the point! There are complicated ways to accomplish what we have done, but by keeping the solution simple we've retained flexibility and kept project costs low.

The Demo:

Using the form below, you can change the details of a sample invoice that we have put together.

Steps:

• Change the details shown below.
• View the invoice and see how the invoice reflects your changes.
• Print the invoice (using File->Print) and see how the invoice prints cleanly, without "jaggies."

Notes on the Demo:

The form you see above is a simple, no-frills HTML-based form. It submits data to the next page, the invoice. The invoice page uses PHP to pass the form data onto the Flash files. The PHP "echo" function is the only server-side technology being used in this demo.