Member Avatar for Thanuj_1

We have a flex project which called from browser by using a swf file. After flash update the swf file is disabled. Here are the list of flash versions and browsers that we used in windows 7 OS.

  • Installed Firefox 56.0 - NPAPI 25.0.0.170 version in Firefox . - Issue exist
  • Installed Firefox 56.0 - NPAPI 25.0.0.127 version in Firefox . - Working Fine
  • Installed Firefox 56.0 - NPAPI 24.0.0.221 version in Firefox . - Working Fine
  • Installed Firefox 56.0 - NPAPI 24.0.0.194 version in Firefox . - Issue exist.
  • Installed Chrome 61.0.3163.100 - PPAPI 25.0.0.170 version . - Issue exist

Installed Chrome 61.0.3163.100 - PPAPI 25.0.0.127 version . - Issue exist
When we try to run the swf file via web application it checks the air run time has installed or not and gives the status as "Available".

We have installed adobe air and current version is 27.0.0.124.

Since the application is a web distribution is that enough to go only with air installation?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by rproffitt

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Short summary and practical next steps.

The browser runs SWF files via the Flash Player plugin; Adobe AIR is a separate runtime for packaged (out‑of‑browser) applications and does not make a browser play SWF content. If your web app’s status check only reports the AIR runtime as “Available,” that does not guarantee in‑browser playback. (sec.gov)

Browsers and plugin APIs changed a lot in the years around your tests: Chrome moved away from NPAPI and pushed the Pepper/PPAPI Flash implementation, and Firefox removed most NPAPI support (Flash was kept as an exception for a short time). Later, Adobe announced Flash Player end‑of‑life (December 31, 2020) and browser vendors moved to block or disable Flash by default. These platform changes make some Flash/Flash‑plugin combinations work while others fail. (chromium.org)

Quick troubleshooting checklist (ordered by cost/effort):

  • Confirm which runtime the browser is actually loading (check browser plugin/add‑ons page or chrome://components, and the browser console for plugin errors).
  • Verify plugin type: Chrome expects PPAPI (Pepper); legacy Firefox builds used NPAPI — mixing the wrong plugin type will fail.
  • Try opening the SWF directly (not via the app wrapper) and inspect the Network tab: confirm the .swf is served with a correct MIME type and no 4xx/5xx.
  • Check site-specific Flash permission (click‑to‑run / site settings) and any enterprise blocklists.
  • If your page uses an old detection script (SWFObject or bespoke code), update it — detection can miss PPAPI vs NPAPI differences. ()

If this is a production/enterprise app, avoid relying on old Flash builds (security risk) and plan migration: either package the app as a desktop AIR captive runtime or rewrite the UI in modern web tech (HTML5/WebAssembly). Adobe and browser vendors recommend migration because Flash is no longer supported. ()

Member Avatar for rproffitt

The news I'm reading is "Mozilla intends to remove support for most NPAPI plugins in Firefox by the end of 2016." Except for Flash. This means when you find a broke version you have to bug report it and then use versions that work.

Nothing extraordinary is going on here. It's the last days for this for reasons you've read about for years.

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