For Flash Users: crossdomain.xml maker, finally!
It’s so simple, so brilliant, why didn’t anyone think of this before?
A while back and few version ago, new preacutions were added to Flash player 7: a flash movie playing inside a browser would not be allowed to access data outside the exact domain in which .swf resides. By default, .swf files can’t even read from subdomains, or even parent domains if the swf is located in a subdomain.
With this new security measure, Macromedia (now Adobe) added the use of the cross domain policy file, a simple xml file that gives permission to a listed domain to grab data without launching a dialog box. This files is normally placed in the root folder of any server that contains files the Flash Player may need to access. Three versions later- I still have to think it out like a Sesame Street kid; 1.) where to install the xml file, and 2.) making sure that all appropriate domains and subdomains are represented.
Slideshowpro.net, developers of my favorite image management server software and flash slideshow component, has built a “dead-simple” online app: the crossdomain.xml maker. The directions are clearer than anything you’ll find at Adobe’s knowledge base.
Check out Adobe’s definition:
A policy file is a simple XML file that gives the Flash Player permission to access data from a given domain without displaying a security dialog. When placed on a server, it tells the Flash Player to allow direct access to data on that server, without prompting the user grant access.
The server can be in any location available to the Flash movie and does not have to be in the same domain. Cross-domain policy files, named crossdomain.xml, are placed at the root level of a server. When using a policy file you can use a wildcard character (*) in a domain name.
vs.
Crossdomain.xml maker’s definition:
If a SWF is embedded at A.com, and tries to load data (XML, RSS, etc) from B.com, the Flash Player (for security) will block the request. B.com can grant A.com access to its data through a cross domain policy file. This utility generates that file.
The instructions on crossdomainmaker.com are even easier to follow.
Trust me.
