Create Flash XML Gallery and XML Slideshow

Flash is the innovative technology to display content on website. By using XML, you can easily update your Flash slideshow with new images and descriptions quickly and easily. Generally speaking, you'll need Flash and ActionScript skills to make XML gallery or slideshow. But this article will show you another simple way to make flash XML gallery and XML slideshow with Wondershare Flash Gallery Factory Deluxe. No prior knowledge required. 

Wondershare Flash Gallery Factory is an easy to use flash photo slideshow maker which provides a wide range of free flash slideshow templates and transition & motion effects for you. You don't need to program XML codes at all. Just a few clicks to create flash gallery or flash slideshow with XML support. Below is the easy steps to make XML gallery or slideshow and change XML file to update XML gallery with new content (images, caption, desription, duration, etc.). XML gallery sample is included in the end of this article.

Create Flash XML Gallery Without XML Skills

Download and install Flash Gallery Factory, and open it after installation complete. You may find that the software includes Gallery Mode and Slideshow Mode. Here we choose Gallery Mode.

Step 1: Import Digital Images and Background Music

You'll start from "Browse" tab. Click "Add Photo" button and choose photo from computer to the storyboard. If you want background music, click "Add Music" button to choose music file on computer for your XML gallery.

Step 2: Choose a XML Gallery Template

Flash Gallery Factory Deluxe includes over 40 free XML photo gallery templates in Gallery Mode. Simply click your favorite one and you can immediately preview it to the right. There are options for you to customize your gallery, including background color and background images.

Step 3: Preview and Create Flash XML Gallery

Go to "Publish" tab, click "Save" to output XML gallery files to computer so that you can upload to your website. A SWF file, an HTML page and a "resource" folder with XML files will be generated automatically.

You can also directly upload XML gallery to your website via FTP, or upload it to our Online Album to get the link to embed to web page.

Step 4: Modify XML Files to Update Flash Gallery

One of the benefit of XML is that you can easily update slideshow with new content. But without generate the SWF and HTML, this may be difficult and time consuming. By change XML file, Flash may read content from XML file and display on your XML gallery instantly.

Prepare the images and their thumbnails with your favorite image editing program. Then:

1. To change images, caption and description, duration, etc., open "/resource/xml/album_1/slide.xml" and change text. Below is for one image. You can duplicate it to include more images in your XML gallery.

<viewItem type="image" startTime="4" duration="4">
<info> <caption>Photo Caption</caption>
            <description><![CDATA[<font face="Tahoma" color="#FFFFFF" size="14">Photo Description</font>]]></description>
</info>
<dataInfo size="0" url="resource/res/images/album_1/image_0.jpg" thumbUrl="resource/res/images/album_1/thumb_0.jpg" />
</viewItem>

 2. To change XML gallery template, copy the template file (*.swf or folder) in "Template" folder under installation location (usually C:Program FilesWondershareFlash Gallery FactoryTemplate) to "/resource/res/others/, and open "/resource/config.xml" to change the tag as below.

  <maTempXMLData url="resource/res/others/HemicycleIn.swf" />

  or 

  <maTempXMLData url="resource/res/others/template/template.xml" />

A little bit of difficult? Not at all once you mastered it. XML is like a magic! 

XML Gallery Example

Watch the following flash xml slideshow sample made by Wondershare Flash Gallery Factory: