Create your own sIFR Flash File(s)
I did not invent anything.
Mike Davidson and his gang did. I even borrowed this logo from his blog.
I just found -on the web, where else?- a fairly easy method to create sIFR Flash Files without the need for Adobe Flash Studio itself. Thus, here it is: a free, dead-simple tool to help you convert as many font files as you need painlessly.
Simple? Very. Select a TrueType Font File, select which glyphs you wish to convert or [x] All if you want a big fat .swf file, click on ‘Convert’, pick a destination directory and you’re set.
If you need more information on sIFR and why it’s the greatest thing in web design since sliced images, take a look at Mike’s blurb.
Then come back and download OpensIFRr, because you will want to play with this nice concept.
Let me show you an example of a short sIFR-enabled page:
<html> <head> <link rel="stylesheet" href="all.css" type="text/css" media="all" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="sIFR-screen.css" type="text/css" media="screen" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="sIFR-print.css" type="text/css" media="print" /> <script src="sifr.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="sifr-addons.js" type="text/javascript"></script> </head> <body> <h1>No need to sUFFR to play with sIFR..!</h1> <script type="text/javascript"> if(typeof sIFR == "function"){ sIFR.replaceElement(named({sSelector:"body h1", sFlashSrc:"Chalkboard.swf", sColor:"#000000", sLinkColor:"#000000", sBgColor:"#FFFFFF", sHoverColor:"#CCCCCC", nPaddingTop:20, nPaddingBottom:20, sFlashVars:"textalign=center&offsetTop=6"})); } </script> </body> </html> |
See? The Javascript two-liner is all you need to add to start using your own forms rather than the few ones your browser thinks you deserve.
Currently OpensIFRr only exists for OS X, but I could very easily offer a Windows and a Ubuntu versions as well. Let me know if you are interested.
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Comments
I work on Linux and Windows… A version for one of those would be very useful until I get round to buying a Mac!
[...] Create your own sIFR Flash File(s) OpensIFRr is a free desktop application for MacOS X (for now) that will create SWF files from TrueType font files. These can can be used to produce acessible, stylish headers using Mike Davidson’s popular sIFR JavaScript library. (tags: flash javascript design software) [...]
I am studying the Nullsoft Scriptable Engine; I should be able to release a Windows version as soon as I have it figured out. Of course, it all hinges on my virtualized XP not crashing :/
Yes i have the same problem, some ttf are converted, others get this error. i’ve set different codings while exporting a truetype from fontographer and transtype but it just won’t work.. what exact ttf format is the sifr suppost to convert?
I was having trouble with unable to run swfmill but my error was step 2 not step 1. I figured out that apparently it didn’t want to encode certain characters… when I select only a-z, I’m good. That’s just for the fonts I’m working on now, anyway.
Yikes, I figured out which character is causing the issue… the space bar! I can’t encode a space, so really I can’t use the fonts… what a bummer.
Ah yes I mentioned that bug with swfmill in my other post; sorry, I forgot to update this one.
David, how does it fail for you? I have never tried it on Panther but it should certainly run nicely on Tiger. I have tested it on 10.4.8.
I tried several TTF files, all got the same Step 1 code=255 error. I even tried only selecting A-Z in caps and that still gave me the error on all fonts.
I used the converter at http://ianpurton.com/sifr/ and it worked fine for two of the three fonts.
I am also receiving the error ‘unable to run swfmill step #1: code = 255′. I am using the Mac version with 10.5.1 on a 15″ MacBook Pro. I have tried several different fonts and tried limiting my selections and I continue to get the error. I checked for the source to see if I could find the error or at least look around, but was unable to find the source for download. Anyway, if you have any specific questions regarding setup and such I will do my best to answer them.
Well, that is something I had not thought of: I do not have Leopard setup – yet.
Therefore all my testing is limited to Tiger.
Can you, using the terminal, dig inside OpensIFRr.app?
I wonder what can of display you are getting if you run ./Contents/Resources/Java/swfmill
I’ve installed OpensIFR on WinXP and I’m trying to convert the font BankGothik LT BT, but I get the error message “Unable to run swfmill step #2: code = -1″ if I select all the characters, while the encoding succeds if I deselect the space character. But obviously I need this character for my sIFR-ed titles. Why this happens?
Andrea
Andrea, I believe that if you generate the whole set without the space character itself, you’re still OK as any missing character is rendered as a blank (’space’).
This is a well-known issue with the SWF compiler, which I hope will be resolved soon.
@admin: if you generate without the space, the words are all run together–no space character means no space in the output.
I downloaded the older version of swfmill for os X (2.11), moved it into the package, and I got OpenSifr to work with some font files when I included the space character. Success seems to vary according to the ttf file being used.
Hey Guys I don’t think it will be news to you that sIFR v3.0 has been declared stable — we are advised to update the .js file and re-output the .swf files — does this have any effect with Open-sIFR? I am planning a new set-up so will report any issues I find using sIFR3 and Open-sIFR2 here. Thanks for the Kool Tools.
Dan: Very interesting that an older version works(!)
3Easy: Yes, effort to work with sIFR v3 is underway. Well, to the extent that I am researching what the best implementation would be, that is.
It’s giving Step 1 code=255 error
only if you select the destination folder which name contains a white space character.
I am quite happy to hear you’re looking into sIFR v3 intergration. I’ve been toying around with OpensIFRr and sIFR v2 (nice job, btw!), but am really looking forward to being able to make use of the new font sizing algorithm used by sIFR v3.
Looking forward to hearing about your progress!
Thanx for the good work! I hope you’re making progress with the implementation for sIFR v3. If possible send me an e-mail when you’re ready.
Kind regards from The Netherlands!
[...] Create your own sIFR Flash File(s). This little app lets you create a sIFR font from any TrueType font without Flash. [...]
This one drove me nuts…
error message:
“Unable to run swfmill step #1: code = 255″
SOLUTION:
Do not select a folder name with blanks (spaces) in its name!!!
BTW:
The java save dialog is somewhat confusing, why is it asking for a destination folder… you select one, and your are asked again to create a new one? The filename is chosen automaticly.
CU
I had the same problem with the space character, solved downloading Windows binary 0.2.11, now it works as a charm..
cheers and thanks for this software..
I did not receive the source code with my download. Can you please tell me where I can obtain the source code?
For those that are struggling with the space encoding issue,
Extending on Fabio’s comment above, if you follow the link below
and drop the 0.2.11 version of swfmill (NOT 0.2.12) into the OpensIFR directory in Program Files (WinXP obviously), you should then be able to include a space in your file.
I test Open sIFR with success – but the accentuated chars are shown only if the webpage in encoded in Latin and not in UTF-8 as currently used in wordpress… what do you think of that ?
Is a way to add utf-8 code ?
Best regards
Mac OSX 10.5 – wasn’t showing the sIFR’ed text, but does now.
I upgraded my Flash player to version 9 (latest as of today) and then sIFR worked fine again. The Flash player that comes with Mac OSX 10.5 doesn’t seem to load sIFR properly. It’ll hide the text, but it won’t put in the Flash file 
So now it’s a matter of how many 10.5 users will upgrade their Flash player? :\
I ran into the error code “Unable to run swfmill step #3: code = 255″
Work around to solution is to make sure that the font you are using, has no spaces in the file name. This is an unfortunate bug in the openSifr app. Haven’t seen any talk of fixes, so I post this in hopes you don’t waste an hour like i just did.
Thanks and enjoy!
- dev_head
sifr_is_odd!!!
Thanks! I’ve been trying at this app for a long time. I just came back to it today after months of not enjoying it.
Your little note there worked perfectly! Thankyou thankyou thankyou.
Thanks for saving me an hour! that was my error code and that was the problem, .ttf can’t have a space in the name.
good post, now I can get back to work.
peace
UMMM this is probably a dumb question but once u download the zip file for WINDOWS and unzip it, how do you install it, or what do you do next??
just wanted to add that you receive an error 255, if there’s a space in any of of the folders in the absolute path of the file.
@Kratos –
You need Java installed. If Java is installed properly you can run the program by double-clicking its icon.
If it’s not quite there, you will need to run the program from the command line but this would only happen on a machine where the Java installed got confused.
Clicking on the Mac / Universal icons takes me to a SourceForge page for some Message Board software. Apparently the link is broken? Where can I download OpensIFR? Thanks.
May 16, 2007 @ 5:26 am
Would love a Windows version!