How do I add a link to a flash movie in an Outlook 2003 email?

[Robbie Snr]

I have the HTML code to a flash movie on the web. If I embed it into an HTML
page it works fine. Can I add this code to an HTML email so that the movie
plays when the message is received (the movie is of a cycling event!)

 

[Brian Tillman]

I have the HTML code to a flash movie on the web. If I embed it into
an HTML page it works fine. Can I add this code to an HTML email so
that the movie plays when the message is received (the movie is of a
cycling event!)

Not with Outlook 2007. Perhaps with earlier versions.

 

[Robbie Snr]

Not with Outlook 2007. Perhaps with earlier versions.

I'm using Outlook 2003 - if I might be able to do this with this version
where do I look?

Eric.

 

[VanguardLH]

in message

I'm using Outlook 2003 - if I might be able to do this with this
version
where do I look?

Maybe for you if you reduce the security zone under which you render
HTML-formatted e-mails. The vast majority of users will be using the
Restricted Sites security zone (at its default High setting) because
that is the install-time default configuration for Outlook. The
Restricted Sites security zone does not permit the use of scripting
which also obviates ActiveX controls. Since there isn't much worth in
sending yourself those e-mails with scripts embedded in them (or
calling AX controls to run scripts) then presumably you want to force
this fluff on the recipients of your e-mails.

If you want a recipient to see some Flash movie, give them the URL to
it on some web page. Don't expect them to let you run scripts on
their host.

 

[Robbie Snr]

in message


Maybe for you if you reduce the security zone under which you render
HTML-formatted e-mails. The vast majority of users will be using the
Restricted Sites security zone (at its default High setting) because
that is the install-time default configuration for Outlook. The
Restricted Sites security zone does not permit the use of scripting
which also obviates ActiveX controls. Since there isn't much worth in
sending yourself those e-mails with scripts embedded in them (or
calling AX controls to run scripts) then presumably you want to force
this fluff on the recipients of your e-mails.

If you want a recipient to see some Flash movie, give them the URL to
it on some web page. Don't expect them to let you run scripts on
their host.

I have the URL to the web site that is hosting this movie but the problem is
that it shows a lot of other information as well and I can't find out how to
adjust the URL so that it only shows the movie. This site does provide HTML
code to embed in a web page and this has a link that does what I want - just
brings up the movie on its own. I've tried to use part of this embedded code
to do the same without success. In view of what you say I'm going to have to
produce a web page that has this embedded code and arrange for it to be
hosted somewhere, and then send out a link to this page.

I receive many fancy HTML emails and I've never produced one myself other
than one that includes an email address or a URL. I'd like to know how to do
this, even although I can't use this to solve my movie problem. Can you
please point me to where I can find out how to do this.

 

[VanguardLH]

in message

I have the URL to the web site that is hosting this movie but the
problem is
that it shows a lot of other information as well and I can't find
out how to
adjust the URL so that it only shows the movie. This site does
provide HTML
code to embed in a web page and this has a link that does what I
want - just
brings up the movie on its own. I've tried to use part of this
embedded code
to do the same without success. In view of what you say I'm going to
have to
produce a web page that has this embedded code and arrange for it to
be
hosted somewhere, and then send out a link to this page.

I receive many fancy HTML emails and I've never produced one myself
other
than one that includes an email address or a URL. I'd like to know
how to do
this, even although I can't use this to solve my movie problem. Can
you
please point me to where I can find out how to do this.

The embedded code might call a server-side script to go find the
content. That means you won't get it until you run their script by
visiting their page (with scripting enabled). There is no direct link
to the content and why you only see it when you visit their page to
run their script which then goes hunting to find the content. Since
the server-side script probably uses relative references to find the
content or tables/pointers to it, it won't help for you to put a
similar script (if you could even get its code since it is on the
server where you can't get it) on your webhost page because those
relative links won't work there to find the content on a different
site.

Outlook, and even Word if you use that for the new-mail editor, are
not full-fledged HTML editors. You can use Notepad for writing HTML
code since it is all just text but that requires you understand HTML
well enough to write it on-the-fly. There are some HTML editors, like
HTML-Edit, that provide an IDE (integrated development environment)
that can provide templates and colorizing to guide you through writing
HTML documents - but you really need to know how to write HTML
regardless of what tool you use to write it. You'll probably want to
hit the HTLM coding newsgroups but after you've read a couple
entry-level textbooks first. You could use Word if you are intimate
with that product but it produces bloated code (part of it only
applies if someone uses Word to read it and its coding isn't always
the best choice for how to format the doc).

 

[Brian Tillman]

This site does provide HTML code to embed in a web page and this has
a link that does what I want - just brings up the movie on its own.

Here's the mistake: you think Outlook is a web engine. It's not.

 

[Robbie Snr]

in message



The embedded code might call a server-side script to go find the
content. That means you won't get it until you run their script by
visiting their page (with scripting enabled). There is no direct link
to the content and why you only see it when you visit their page to
run their script which then goes hunting to find the content. Since
the server-side script probably uses relative references to find the
content or tables/pointers to it, it won't help for you to put a
similar script (if you could even get its code since it is on the
server where you can't get it) on your webhost page because those
relative links won't work there to find the content on a different
site.

But it does work on my webhost. I've uploaded my simple page (temporarily)
to www.tandem-club.org.uk/royvideo.htm. You see that this brings up a single
flash video, the one I want. If however I use the basic URL in an email,
www.vimeo.com/466318/ I get this video and other information I don't want.

Outlook, and even Word if you use that for the new-mail editor, are
not full-fledged HTML editors. You can use Notepad for writing HTML
code since it is all just text but that requires you understand HTML
well enough to write it on-the-fly. There are some HTML editors, like
HTML-Edit, that provide an IDE (integrated development environment)
that can provide templates and colorizing to guide you through writing
HTML documents - but you really need to know how to write HTML
regardless of what tool you use to write it. You'll probably want to
hit the HTLM coding newsgroups but after you've read a couple
entry-level textbooks first. You could use Word if you are intimate
with that product but it produces bloated code (part of it only
applies if someone uses Word to read it and its coding isn't always
the best choice for how to format the doc).

Although I'm not a web designer I'm familiar with HTML and use Dreamweaver
to edit pages prepared by a colleague when I'm producing templates for Perl
scripts. What I'd like to know is, having produced a page in Dreamweaver,
how do I use Outlook to send this by email. Is this possible? I know that if
I just copy the HTML code into a new blank message it doesn't work.

 

[Robbie Snr]

Here's the mistake: you think Outlook is a web engine. It's not.

I think I see what you mean. I had thought that when I opened up some of the
HTML emails I receive in Outlook I could see for example pictures from a
remote site but is that wrong and these were in fact embedded in the message?

 

[Brian Tillman]

I think I see what you mean. I had thought that when I opened up some
of the HTML emails I receive in Outlook I could see for example
pictures from a remote site but is that wrong and these were in fact
embedded in the message?

By default, Outlook 2003 would block showing images in HTML messages where
the images were specified by links to web sites. It don't block them if
they are embedded. I'd hate to receive a mesage with an embedded video,
though.

 

[VanguardLH]

in message

But it does work on my webhost. I've uploaded my simple page
(temporarily)
to www.tandem-club.org.uk/royvideo.htm. You see that this brings up
a single
flash video, the one I want. If however I use the basic URL in an
email,
www.vimeo.com/466318/ I get this video and other information I don't
want.

Then they didn't use a server-side script and instead exposed the
content directly for you to steal, er, grab a copy. It is highly
likely that you just violated copyright by proffering a copy at a site
other than theirs. I haven't bothered to look at the sites to check
if the source site permits copying of their content.

Although I'm not a web designer I'm familiar with HTML and use
Dreamweaver
to edit pages prepared by a colleague when I'm producing templates
for Perl
scripts. What I'd like to know is, having produced a page in
Dreamweaver,
how do I use Outlook to send this by email. Is this possible? I know
that if
I just copy the HTML code into a new blank message it doesn't work.

Copying the code won't work because Outlook is not an HTML editor or
web browser. It handles only SOME of the HTML that could possibly be
written. Doesn't Dreamweaver have a File -> Send to E-mail recipient
or similar function? That would send the content as is without trying
to make Outlook's embedded editor or Word try to reparse your HTML
code. Seems strange that it wouldn't have a send-to-e-mail function.
If it doesn't then save the HTML doc to an .html file, open in a web
browser to make sure it still looks okay, and then use the web
browser's File -> Send to E-mail function to transfer all of the
content as the body of your e-mail (i.e., do NOT paste into and try
using the limited HTML editors in Outlook or Word).

 

[VanguardLH]

By default, Outlook 2003 would block showing images in HTML messages
where the images were specified by links to web sites. It don't
block them if they are embedded. I'd hate to receive a mesage with
an embedded video, though.

Especially due to the SIZE of that e-mail. A large percentage of
users are still using dial-up. The OP might have cable to quickly
send the e-mail but he will piss off the recipients that have to wait
eons to download it rather than get a URL to the web page with the
video. Also, and due to the size of video, it is also likely that the
OP will end up getting NDRs (non-delivery reports, aka bounces) when
he tries to send e-mails that are too large for the recipient to
receive, like a 50MB video trying to get into a 10MB mailbox (plus the
user might already have some of that 10MB quota used for storage of
past e-mails). Even if his big video-ized e-mail makes it into the
recipient's mailbox, he could piss them off by consuming so much of
the recipient's disk quota that no further e-mails can get into the
recipient's mailbox. The OP is not doing the recipient any favors by
sending such huge e-mails.

 

[VanguardLH]

Oh, it is also obvious that the OP is stealing someone else's content
whether copying it to his web site to provide a URL to it in his
e-mails or by including the content directly in his e-mails. The site
he wants to steal from is:

http://www.vimeo.com

They have a published Terms policy at their site that says:

"All materials contained in this Website are the copyrighted property
of Connected Ventures, LLC."
"Any and all forms of duplication, reproduction, distribution,
publication, modification, uploading, posting, copying or transmission
of material from this Website is STRICTLY PROHIBITED unless you have
obtained the prior written consent of Connected Ventures, LLC. The
material covered by this prohibition includes, but is not limited to,
any written text, graphics, logos, photographs, audio, or video
material on the Website."

Nothing has so far indicated that the OP has any permission from this
site to duplicate their content. That is why I suggested he put a URL
to the site or page there with the content which he wants his
recipients to see. He complains that it contains material other than
what he wants to show the recipients - as though it were his content
to make that decision. He is violating copyright.

 

[Robbie Snr]

in message


Then they didn't use a server-side script and instead exposed the
content directly for you to steal, er, grab a copy. It is highly
likely that you just violated copyright by proffering a copy at a site
other than theirs. I haven't bothered to look at the sites to check
if the source site permits copying of their content.

But I haven't proferred a copy at my site - it's not stolen or grabbed! My
site has a link to the video site, a link which they provided just for this
purpose of embedding into a page on another site. When one of the links on
the page on my site is clicked it takes the user to the video site, to see
just the one video. If I try and take this link and put it into an email it
shows the same video on the video site but there's other information
displayed there which I wanted to avoid. In case it helps you understand the
situation here is the code I've embedded into my page:

"<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="300"
data="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?..._title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color="> <param
name="quality" value="best" /> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"
/> <param name="scale" value="showAll" /> <param name="movie"
value="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?..._title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color="
/></object><br /><a href="

">Tandem
Club Rally</a> from <a
href="http://www.vimeo.com/user324526/l:embed_466318">Roy </a> on <a

Copying the code won't work because Outlook is not an HTML editor or
web browser. It handles only SOME of the HTML that could possibly be
written. Doesn't Dreamweaver have a File -> Send to E-mail recipient
or similar function? That would send the content as is without trying
to make Outlook's embedded editor or Word try to reparse your HTML
code. Seems strange that it wouldn't have a send-to-e-mail function.
If it doesn't then save the HTML doc to an .html file, open in a web
browser to make sure it still looks okay, and then use the web
browser's File -> Send to E-mail function to transfer all of the
content as the body of your e-mail (i.e., do NOT paste into and try
using the limited HTML editors in Outlook or Word).

I'm not sure what you're expecting that the e-mail function would send.
There's no problem about sending a link to my page in an email but I was
trying to avoid having to set up and host a page for this purpose. Did you
intend something else?

 

[Robbie Snr]

Oh, it is also obvious that the OP is stealing someone else's content
whether copying it to his web site to provide a URL to it in his
e-mails or by including the content directly in his e-mails. The site
he wants to steal from is:

http://www.vimeo.com

They have a published Terms policy at their site that says:

"All materials contained in this Website are the copyrighted property
of Connected Ventures, LLC."
"Any and all forms of duplication, reproduction, distribution,
publication, modification, uploading, posting, copying or transmission
of material from this Website is STRICTLY PROHIBITED unless you have
obtained the prior written consent of Connected Ventures, LLC. The
material covered by this prohibition includes, but is not limited to,
any written text, graphics, logos, photographs, audio, or video
material on the Website."

Nothing has so far indicated that the OP has any permission from this
site to duplicate their content. That is why I suggested he put a URL
to the site or page there with the content which he wants his
recipients to see. He complains that it contains material other than
what he wants to show the recipients - as though it were his content
to make that decision. He is violating copyright.

Reading through my earlier postings perhaps I misled you when I said that I
have it working on my webhost - I meant that the links on my web page would
bring up the required video and just that. If you have a look at the
temporary page I sent - www.tandem-club.org.uk/royvideo.htm - you'll see that
this page brings up just the one video, although there are three links that
bring up additional information. What I was trying to do was to send a link
in an email that would do the same thing, bring up just the one video with
the extra links if possible. I don't think this would be violating copyright?

 

[VanguardLH]

in message

But I haven't proferred a copy at my site - it's not stolen or
grabbed! My
site has a link to the video site, a link which they provided just
for this
purpose of embedding into a page on another site.

Okay, I thought you had saved the Flash content itself to your site
rather than provide a link to the site with that Flash content. You
said that you wanted to show just the Flash content and nothing else
of their web page. From their terms, it doesn't look like you are
allowed to isolate their content just because they didn't take
measures to embed the rest of their web page in whatever link you
could use to point there. Pointing to content and deliberately taking
it out of the context in which it was presented, especially for
copyrighted material, is like quoting a paragraph from someone's book
and not crediting the author for that quote. That is exactly what
your link below accomplishes: their content but not in their context
and without giving them any credit for their copyrighted material
(well, they say it is copyrighted).

You don't point to their site. You point to some content within it.
You do not tell the reader of your e-mail that the content is someone
else's copyrighted material. That's called plagarizing. Even if you
don't want to show everything that is on their web page with the
content that you want to show, and provided you have their permission
to isolate their content out of their context (which their TOS does
not permit but you could ask them), you still need to provide
information with the clip that identifies that it is NOT your content
but someone else's; i.e., it is copyright material (according to the
web site owner), you need their permission to recreate it elsewhere,
they might give you that permission, but you still have to credit them
with the copyrighted content.

"<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400"
height="300"
data="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?..._title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=">

I'm not sure what you're expecting that the e-mail function would
send.
There's no problem about sending a link to my page in an email but I
was
trying to avoid having to set up and host a page for this purpose.
Did you
intend something else?

It sounded like you wanted to know how to compose pretty and
complicated HTML-formatted e-mails (as a side or related issue).
That's why I said that you can only go as far as the limited editors
provide whether you use the embedded on in Outlook or use Word. If
you want more HTML potency to your e-mails then you probably will have
to go with a real HTML editor. To that you said that you use
Dreamweaver to edit

 pages.  I don't use Dreamweaver but
supposedly it produces HTML documents.  So I figured it might have a
File->Send by E-mail menu to send whatever you composed in
Dreamweaver.  When you send content that way whether from Dreamweaver,
IE, Adobe Photoshop, or whatever, the e-mail editor (Outlook's or
Word) doesn't touch the content that you sent as the body of your
message so they won't screw up its coding with their limited HTML
editing capability.  So you could probably design your web page (that
you want recipients to see as the body of your e-mail) along with the
Flash content - but either use a URL to the site or give them credit
for their copyrighted material - and then you would then that body as
your e-mail.  Because the Flash content itself is not in your e-mail,
its size shouldn't be too huge; however, it is linked content and most
recipients will have their e-mail clients to block that content so
they won't see it anyway in your e-mails.

 

[VanguardLH]

in message

Reading through my earlier postings perhaps I misled you when I said
that I
have it working on my webhost - I meant that the links on my web
page would
bring up the required video and just that. If you have a look at the
temporary page I sent - www.tandem-club.org.uk/royvideo.htm - you'll
see that
this page brings up just the one video, although there are three
links that
bring up additional information. What I was trying to do was to send
a link
in an email that would do the same thing, bring up just the one
video with
the extra links if possible. I don't think this would be violating
copyright?

Just ask the site owner for permission to link to their content.
Since the links in your example web page do go to their site, they do
get credited for their copyrighted material. It was when you were
showing links to just the content and showing it completely out of
context that it qualified as plagiarism. However, there can still be
some legal problems if you link to a site's copyrighted material
without their permission. Considering the site, I would think that
they might welcome additional traffic by someone providing an
additional path to their site - but then I notice their Terms which
many personal or hobby sites don't have so maybe they've been burned
and want to make sure only those they permit will "copy" their content
(by presenting it in a different context than theirs although the
links do eventually go to their site).

Their Terms do not explicitly say that you cannot provide links to
their web pages but they do seem oriented that way and I doubt you
want to find out in court what a judge might decide and then charge
you for copyright infringement penalties. You could just ask them.

 

[Robbie Snr]

Oh, it is also obvious that the OP is stealing someone else's content
whether copying it to his web site to provide a URL to it in his
e-mails or by including the content directly in his e-mails. The site
he wants to steal from is:

http://www.vimeo.com

They have a published Terms policy at their site that says:

"All materials contained in this Website are the copyrighted property
of Connected Ventures, LLC."
"Any and all forms of duplication, reproduction, distribution,
publication, modification, uploading, posting, copying or transmission
of material from this Website is STRICTLY PROHIBITED unless you have
obtained the prior written consent of Connected Ventures, LLC. The
material covered by this prohibition includes, but is not limited to,
any written text, graphics, logos, photographs, audio, or video
material on the Website."

Nothing has so far indicated that the OP has any permission from this
site to duplicate their content. That is why I suggested he put a URL
to the site or page there with the content which he wants his
recipients to see. He complains that it contains material other than
what he wants to show the recipients - as though it were his content
to make that decision. He is violating copyright.

Perhaps I should have made it clear that the person who produced the video
I'm interested in wants me to show his video to other members of our Club.
The Vimeo site produced the link for him, or anyone else he authorises
presumably, to add to a page on their own site so that the video could be
viewed. It said that the code shown could "be pasted anywhere that accepts
embeds". This doesn't say anything there about obtaining written consent
before using the embedded code. When it is viewed it does show the Vimeo logo
and the title of the video makes it clear it is being hosted by Vimeo.
Beneath the video there are three links, one of which was to the Vimeo site
itself. From what you quote is does seems as if Vimeo has obtained the
copyright of the video. I'll contact them to clarify the situation - thanks
for pointing this out.

On the question of HTML emails I couldn't find a way of sending the content
of an HTML page in an email message, just a link to the page itself.

 

[Robbie Snr]

in message



Just ask the site owner for permission to link to their content.
Since the links in your example web page do go to their site, they do
get credited for their copyrighted material. It was when you were
showing links to just the content and showing it completely out of
context that it qualified as plagiarism. However, there can still be
some legal problems if you link to a site's copyrighted material
without their permission. Considering the site, I would think that
they might welcome additional traffic by someone providing an
additional path to their site - but then I notice their Terms which
many personal or hobby sites don't have so maybe they've been burned
and want to make sure only those they permit will "copy" their content
(by presenting it in a different context than theirs although the
links do eventually go to their site).

Their Terms do not explicitly say that you cannot provide links to
their web pages but they do seem oriented that way and I doubt you
want to find out in court what a judge might decide and then charge
you for copyright infringement penalties. You could just ask them.

Sorry, when I replied yesterday I hadn't noticed this later contribution
from you.

Yes, the last thing I want to find is that my Club is being charged for
using copyrighted material on their website. I did write to Vimeo explaining
the position, that one of our Club members wanted to share with other members
his video that was hosted on their website and that I wanted to embed the
code they provided in a page on our website, and asked them if in view of
their Terms and Conditions I needed their permission to do this. I've just
received the reply "Embedding for noncommercial purposes is totally fine."
Thanks again for mentioning this.