Jim's JavaScript Flash Sniffer Library

This page demonstrates and documents the JavaScript Flash Sniffer Libary, flashsniffer.js, written by Jim Auldridge.
This page and all code within, either directly or by reference, is copyright © Jim Auldridge 2007. All rights reserved.

This component, known as "Jim's JavaScript Flash Sniffer Library", has been released as open source under a BSD license and is free for all uses personal, commercial, for-profit, not-for-profit, or any other purpose you can think of.

Version 1.0

Change Log:

09 JAN 2007 - Version 1.0 written

Demo:

The purpose of this page is to demonstrate the uses and functionality of the Flash Sniffer library. Below this paragraph you will see a box with text in it. This text has been outputted by JavaScript based on information gathered by the Flash Sniffer library.

Code

Below is the code that builds the object and its methods. The code sample is heavily commented for your learning purposes.

To use this code, place it in the HEAD element of your web page. Or download flashsniffer.js and place it on your server, then reference it from the HEAD element of your page as so:
<script type="text/javascript" src="flashsniffer.js"></script>

Contents of flashsniffer.js

Version 1.0

Change Log:
	* 09 JAN 07 - Version 1.0 written

*/
//Preparing namespace
var jimAuld = window.jimAuld || {};
jimAuld.utils = jimAuld.utils || {};
/*
 * This library is a member of the jimAuld.utils namespace
 * The libary is useful for detecting Flash presence and major version with JavaScript
 * There are 4 methods in the flashsniffer library, each of which is documented separately below
 *
 */
jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer = {
	//Properties
	//Configurable: what was the last major release number of Flash?
	lastMajorRelease: 9,
	//End Configurables

// installed : BOOL : TRUE if detect() finds Flash installed, false if not
	installed: false,
	// version : MIXED : INT representing major version number of installed Flash if detect() can find it, NULL if not
	version: null,

//Methods
	/* METHOD: detect();
	 * PURPOSE: Determine if, and at what major version, Flash is installed
	 * ARGUMENTS: VOID
	 * RETURN: VOID (sets 'installed' and 'version' properties as documented above)
	 */
	detect: function()
	{
		var fp,fpd,fAX;
		if (navigator.plugins && navigator.plugins.length)
		{
			fp = navigator.plugins["Shockwave Flash"];
			if (fp)
			{
				jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.installed = true;
				if (fp.description)
				{
					fpd = fp.description;
					jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.version = fpd.charAt(fpd.indexOf('.')-1);
				}
			}
			else
			{
				jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.installed = false;
			}
			if (navigator.plugins["Shockwave Flash 2.0"]){
				jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.installed = true;
				jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.version = 2;
			}
		}
		else if (navigator.mimeTypes && navigator.mimeTypes.length)
		{
			fp = navigator.mimeTypes['application/x-shockwave-flash'];
			if (fp && fp.enabledPlugin)
			{
				jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.installed = true;
			}
			else
			{
				jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.installed = false;
			}
		}
		else
		{
			for(var i=jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.lastMajorRelease;i>=2;i--)
			{
				try
				{
					fAX = new ActiveXObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash."+i);
					jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.installed = true;
					jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.version = i;
					break;
				}
				catch(e)
				{
				}
			}
			if(jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.installed == null){
				try
				{
					fAX = new ActiveXObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash");
					jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.installed = true;
					jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.version = 2;
				}
				catch(e)
				{
				}
			}
			if(jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.installed == null)
			{
				jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.installed = false;
			}
			fAX = null;
		}
	},
	/* METHOD: isVersion();
	 * PURPOSE: Determine if Flash is installed at a specified major version
	 * ARGUMENTS: exactVersion : INT : the exact version for which to check
	 * RETURN: BOOL : TRUE if Flash is at specified version, FALSE if not
	 */
	isVersion: function(exactVersion)
	{
		return (jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.version!=null && jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.version==exactVersion);
	},
	/* METHOD: isLatestVersion();
	 * PURPOSE: Determine if Flash is installed the latest released version of Flash (as configured in property 'lastMajorRelease' documented above)
	 * ARGUMENTS: VOID
	 * RETURN: BOOL : TRUE if Flash is at latest version, FALSE if not
	 */
	isLatestVersion: function()
	{
		return (jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.version!=null && jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.version==jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.lastMajorRelease);
	},
	/* METHOD: meetsMinVersion();
	 * PURPOSE: Determine if Flash is installed at a specified minimum version
	 * ARGUMENTS: minVersion : INT : the version number that installed Flash should be at OR above
	 * RETURN: BOOL : TRUE if Flash is at minimum version, FALSE if not
	 */
	meetsMinVersion: function(minVersion)
	{
		return (jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.version!=null && jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.version>=minVersion);
	}
};
//Run detect() during page load so that the properties are immediately available.
jimAuld.utils.flashsniffer.detect();