360201 - Flash video object inside <a> isn't a clickable link

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(Core Graveyard :: Plug-ins, defect)

Description

[sotwizz]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.2; en-US; rv:1.8.1) Gecko/20061010 Firefox/2.0
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.2; en-US; rv:1.8.1) Gecko/20061010 Firefox/2.0

Using Macromedia Dreamweaver 8, I added a flash video object to my website.  I unknowingly put it within the <a><a/> tag for the link that is right below it on the page.  I first tested the page in Firefox 1.5.? (don't remember) and the page seemed fine.  Later I tried to show the page to my friend.  I used a different browser.  When I clicked play on the video, the browser followed the link to the next page.  I was annoyed.  I viewed the page again using Firefox 2.0.  When I clicked play on the video, it played the video.  Once I realized my mistake I thought, "if that video is a link, how come Firefox does not treat it as a link?"  Ideally, Firefox would know the difference between the video and flash button objects so that when someone clicks the play button, the video plays; when someone clicks on the video, it follows the link.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Place a Flash Video Object within a <a><a/> tag.
The code produced by Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 looks like this.

<a href="http://yoururlhere">
<script type="text/javascript">
AC_FL_RunContent( 'codebase','http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0','width','500','height','500','id','FLVPlayer','src','FLVPlayer_Progressive','flashvars','&MM_ComponentVersion=1&skinName=Clear_Skin_2&streamName=yourvideohere&autoPlay=false&autoRewind=true','quality','high','scale','noscale','name','FLVPlayer','salign','lt','pluginspage','http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer','movie','FLVPlayer_Progressive' ); //end AC code
</script><noscript><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" width="500" height="500" id="FLVPlayer">
  <param name="movie" value="FLVPlayer_Progressive.swf" />
  <param name="salign" value="lt" />
  <param name="quality" value="high" />
  <param name="scale" value="noscale" />
  <param name="FlashVars" value="&MM_ComponentVersion=1&skinName=Clear_Skin_2&streamName=yourvideohere&autoPlay=false&autoRewind=true" />
  <embed src="FLVPlayer_Progressive.swf" flashvars="&MM_ComponentVersion=1&skinName=Clear_Skin_2&streamName=yourvideohere&autoPlay=false&autoRewind=true" quality="high" scale="noscale" width="500" height="500" name="FLVPlayer" salign="LT" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" />
</object></noscript>
<br />
</a>

2. Navigate to that html page
3. Click on the video object

Actual Results:  
The browser will not follow the link.  The cursor does not turn into a hand.

Expected Results:  
When the video object is clicked, the browser should follow the link.  Ideally, the browser should not follow the link when a button within the video object (like the play button) is clicked.

Comment 1

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

> I used a different browser.

Out of curiousity, which one?   Was it IE, by any chance?

Comment 2

[petr.pisar]

In general, there is a problem with linking objects. E.g. the only way, how to insert SVG graphics from separate file is to use object element. And if I want to have clicable this SVG image and encapsulate it with <a> tags, it will not work. You are able to see the destination URL in status bar, but that's all.

Comment 3

[hanskrentel]

Firefox should take the <a> around <object> more serious then the inner <object> that meaning not passing any mouseclicks into <object> if <a> has been clicked.

Comment 4

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

If it's a windowed plug-in, it's getting the event anyway, not us.  So the only way we could react to the event is if the plug-in is good enough to pass it our way.  Which most are not.

For windowless plug-ins, we pass the event to the plug-in.  If the plug-in says it has consumed the event (e.g. a click on something in a Flash animation that changes stuff), the <a> doesn't get it.  This is the same thing as what happens if you have a button inside an <a>, for example.

SVG (comment 2) is a totally separate situation -- that's not a plug-in, but a subdocument (just like <iframe>).  There are other bugs that cover that.

Comment 5

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Do you still see this problem using latest version of Firefox and Flash (10)?

If you do, please comment.
If you do not see the problem, please close the bug - don't use resolution=FIXED, change resolution to:
- INVALID if you believe the problem was flash player
- WORKSFORME if you believe the problem was in Firefox
- INCOMPLETE if it is impossible to test (url or testcase is gone)

Comment 6

[Tyler Downer [He/Him]]

Please reopen this bug if it appears with a recent version of firefox 3 in a new profile. http://support.mozilla.com/kb/Profiles