Topic: [Feature/Unlikely] Flash File Previews

Posted under Site Bug Reports & Feature Requests

Requested feature overview description.

After the recent update to the site that allows previews of .GIF and .WEBM files, I think having previews for flash .SWF files would be awesome.

I know that to get the thumbnail, Flash would need to run before you've even selected the image, which can pose a security risk, so another way of doing it could be to allow the upload of a preview .PNG to be used as a thumbnail alongside the .SWF file. Surely this would work?

I know it could be misused and abused, but that is no different to pretty much anything on the site, where people can add/remove tags, change the descrption, add an irrelevant image, etc. It's a risk, but I think the positives outweigh the risks, as with all new site features.

I think making this optional would be nice, so you can add a screenshot if possible, but don't have to if you don't have the facility to upload one, or just don't feel like it. I also think it would be nice to be able to edit it after upload just like the tags and description.

Why would it be useful?

The same reason it's been introduced to the .GIF and .WEBM files, to allow users an idea of what to expect before clicking and going to the post, and potentially wasting bandwidth on something they won't enjoy.

What part(s) of the site page(s) are affected?

Anything displaying in-line search results for .SWF images.
- Everything under "https://e621.net/post/index/1/type:swf"

Just an idea, let me know what you think, and why you think it's a stupid idea (there's bound to be something I've overlooked here...) Cheers!

Updated by Violet Rose

forum #247473

Also pretty sure we should focus on how to handle flash files in future in general at this point as nobody will be able to view them inside browser anymore withing couple years and this isn't file hosting site.

Updated by anonymous

Mario69 said:
forum #247473

Also pretty sure we should focus on how to handle flash files in future in general at this point as nobody will be able to view them inside browser anymore withing couple years and this isn't file hosting site.

That's a fair point. We all know Flash is hitting end of life (I think I remember them mentioning that it will be by the end of 2020, if I remember rightly?), so although this would be nice in the meanwhile, I agree we need a long-term gameplan.

Updated by anonymous

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