Need support for Pano2VR

[nikivan]

I do aerial photography 360' panoramas and I've been using Pano2VR for some time. However I have trouble with the hot spot links not working (even when using absolute links) when panoramas are hosted on different server/domain than the embedding HTML file.

Here is an example:

Site A (primary site)
Page 1: http://aerialphotoimage.com/panoramas/G ... ouver.html
(hot spots work, HTML and swf files are hosted on the same site, loads very slowly because the server has limited bandwith)
Page 2: http://aerialphotoimage.com/panoramas/G ... uver2.html
(hot spots DO NOT work, HTML page is hosted on site A, swf file is hosted on site B, loads much faster)

Site B (media storage site)
Page 1: http://amazing360s.com/Panoramas/Olympi ... uver2.html
(hot spots work and point to site A, HTML and swf panorama are hosted on site B, note the swf file is the same as in Page 2 above)

I am not using domain lock for the swf file hosted on site B and it should work on any domain. I've been slummed with traffic (more than 1500 visitors per day) and my primary site aerialphotoimage.com is becoming slow. My intend is to host all swf files on my secondary site, which has higher bandwith and is used for storage. But since the hot spots don't work, I can't do this for now. Can you offer a suggestion how to resolve this issue?

Thank you,
Nick

[nikivan]

23 views and not a single answer. I've also sent email to Thomas a week ago and no reply. Great support, thanks a lot

[k.ary.n]

Nick,

I'm not an expert in this area and perhaps others also are not and hence the reason for no reply. But why not host the HTML and SWFs on the same server (Site B) if this is the faster of the two? Can't you point to your second site from the first site and use the same domain name? Also, are the hotspots in the same directory as the SWFs?

Sorry if my question is simple and ignorant, but perhaps it sparks a discussion.

Nice images, by the way.

[jeroen]

Nick,

the no answer can happen that you discoverd a problem no one had before

Is it possible to use iframes on the slow site like karyn? If not I can try to make a simular setup.

[Hopki]

Hi Nick

I have done this before, I have a customer that hosts the swf, on one server but his website is on another, as you say faster delivery because of bandwidth.
I am out of the office for the moment but will have a look at it when I get in tonight.

Question:

Do you open the tour from a button from your website, or is it on one of your webpage’s.
I have two host servers which I can test this with, and make sure it works before posting.

Not posted before coz im busy.

Regards
Hopki

[Hopki]

Hi
This demonstration has a folder on my Hopki Host with the html and the p2q_embed_object.js file.

I then have a folder on my addresstoview Host with the three swf files.

Html on Hopki Host, points to http://www.addresstoview.com/address/One.swf to call the first swf.

All the hotspots have the Urls of:
http://www.addresstoview.com/address/One.swf
http://www.addresstoview.com/address/Two.swf
http://www.addresstoview.com/address/Three.swf

I do not call html files just the swf files. Pleaes note that all the pointing still works.

Test Here
http://www.hopkimedia.co.uk/hopki

I have also attached the html and ps file, extract them to your desk top and they will call the swf from my server just like local files, but with some loading.

I asked if you open with a button or if it is displayed on one of your html pages on your website because Karyn is quit right, if you have all the files on your site B, then just use a button from site A to call it. Alternatively use an I frame to call it from site B, the demonstration does work, and very well, but you can get in to a bit of a muddle with the absolute paths to the swf files.

Regards
Hopki

[nikivan]

Thank you for your replies, guys.

Here are my answers. There are several reasons why I'd like to keep site A. It is dedicated server where I have full control on what is installed. Why I'd like to link to html files and not swf files directly? Moving from one panorama to another will not be captured by the traffic counters. I would not have any idea which panoramas are viewed and what are visitors' paths. Also, linking to html files gives you some other benefits. You could have different text below each pano, as well as page title. This is important for the search engines. Having 20 panoramas in a single html container is not a good solution.

So, my question remains. Why linking to html page fails in this scenario? It seems to work fine when URLs point to swf files directly, as demonstrated by Hopki here. I would call this a bug, unless there are explanation why it should work (or should I say not work) this way.

[thomas]

I think the problem here are the Flash security measures. You can find some information here: http://go.adobe.com/kb/ts_tn_14213_en-us . Also a search on Google for "Flash multiple domains" may help you further.

[Hopki]

Hi

I understand what you are saying, however I see no reason why you cannot have all the html pages on site A and all the swf on site B.

All the individual html pages can have their own text etc and have the tracking code as well as the text for search engines; in fact it will be better as they will point to your site A domain.

“Having 20 panoramas in a single html container is not a good solution”

Indeed, but how would you call the individual html pages from site B? Your website will still have to call an html, be it from site B or A, it makes no difference to the website, it’s just a path.

I am not being augmentative, just trying to understand and help.
Hopki

[nikivan]

... All the individual html pages can have their own text etc and have the tracking code as well as the text for search engines; in fact it will be better as they will point to your site A domain ...

That's exacly what I was hoping to do, but it does not work. See below:

SiteA.com/Page1.html -> points to pano1 located in SiteB.com/Pano1.swf
SiteA.com/Page2.html -> points to pano2 located in SiteB.com/Pano2.swf

SiteB.com/Pano1.swf -> hotspot points to SiteA.com/Page2.html
SiteB.com/Pano2.swf -> hotspot points to SiteA.com/Page1.html

When user loads SiteA.com/pano1.html page and clicks hotspot which should take him to SiteA.com/pano2.html -> nothing happes.

If I change URL hotshops to point to actual swf files located on SiteB.com, the navigation works, but all subsequent panorama loads happen in Page1.html. Also the progression bar is only shown when the first panorama is loaded. All subsequent loads do not show progression bar, even when brand new pano is being loaded. The user can't use back button of the browser to go to previous panorama, since all navigation is now done within the flash player itself. The lack of progression bar is the biggest issue.

Thomas, I've read that page on Adobe's web site. It is written in such manner that it makes it difficult to understand what exactly they are trying to say. My understanding is that since version 7 there are some restrictions on loading information into the container from another domains. But how this relates to the the problem with URLs not working? We are not loading any information here across the domains, no?

Cheers,
Nick

[k.ary.n]

Hi,

Also the progression bar is only shown when the first panorama is loaded. All subsequent loads do not show progression bar, even when brand new pano is being loaded.

Everything else is out of my domain, but perhaps this helps for the loading bar:

In the skin editor, add the following action to the existing loading bar:
Source = Reload; Action = Show Element; Target = $self
(http://gardengnomesoftware.com/wiki/Pan ... not_appear.)

[Hopki]

Arrr I see now,
You are calling other tours/html from inside of another panorama, hotspot.

No this will not work, it’s a flash thing, I was thinking that the tours were all individual and called from site A.

It’s down to having the html and PS file on site B with the swfs and having an I-Frame on site A, other than that can not think of anything helpful.
Kind regards

Hopki

[nikivan]

Hi,

Also the progression bar is only shown when the first panorama is loaded. All subsequent loads do not show progression bar, even when brand new pano is being loaded.

Everything else is out of my domain, but perhaps this helps for the loading bar:

In the skin editor, add the following action to the existing loading bar:
Source = Reload; Action = Show Element; Target = $self
(http://gardengnomesoftware.com/wiki/Pan ... not_appear.)

Thank you, I will try that.