Can't debug local SWF in Firefox

Question

I have an HTML file which displays an SWF. I am trying to debug this SWF in Firefox 56.0.2 using the Flash Player content debugger for Firefox - NPAPI (Flash Player version 27.0.0.183).

When I open the HTML file from a local directory, the "Get Adobe Flash Player" icon appears and I cannot start or debug the SWF.

When I place the same HTML file and SWF on a website and open the HTML file on the website, the SWF opens and debugs correctly.

jeromiec83223024 · Answer

While you can get around this, you're much better off developing against a local webserver.

Flash operates with different security characteristics when running on the local filesystem vs. a network URL (e.g file:/// vs. http://), which means that it's easy to end up in a situation where you're surprised by security problems when you push to staging, instead of discovering and dealing with them while developing.

We've disabled Flash Player's ability to load from the local filesystem by default, so you would need to set the enableInsecureLocalWithFilesystem flag in mms.cfg (see pp.26 in the system administrator's guide [1]), and you will still run into additional restrictions on loading from the local filesystem by individual browsers, depending on the operating system and browser version.

So, long story short, it's all very messy, and it's better and easier to install something like WAMP/XAMP/MAMP/etc. and develop in an environment that more closely mirrors your hosted environment.

[1] - Adobe Flash Player Administration Guide for Flash Player | Adobe Developer Connection

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.