A Flash HTML template is a file that contains static HTML code and flexible template code consisting of a special type of variables (which differ from ActionScript variables). When you publish a SWF file, Flash replaces these variables with the values you select in the HTML tab of the Publish Settings dialog box and produces an HTML page with your SWF file embedded.

Flash includes templates, suitable for most users’ needs, that eliminate the need to manually create an HTML page that displays the SWF file. For example, the Flash Only template is useful for testing your files in a browser. It places the SWF file on the HTML page so that you can view it through a web browser with the Flash Player installed.

To publish a new HTML page, use the same template and change the settings. You can create custom templates using any HTML editor. Creating a template is the same as creating a standard HTML page, except that you replace specific values pertaining to a SWF file with variables that begin with a dollar sign ($).

Flash HTML templates have the following special characteristics:

• A one-line title that appears on the Template pop‑up menu on the HTML tab of the Publish Settings dialog box.

• A longer description that appears when you click Info on the HTML tab of the Publish Settings dialog box.

• Template variables beginning with a dollar sign ($) that specify where parameter values should be substituted when Flash generates the output file.

  Note: Use a backslash and dollar sign (\ $) combination to use a dollar sign for another purpose in the document.

• HTML object and embed tags that follow the tag requirements of Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator or Navigator, respectively. To display a SWF file properly on an HTML page, follow these tag requirements. Internet Explorer uses the object HTML tag to open a SWF file; Netscape uses the embed tag.