So here's my site's situation. On one of my pages I have a flash document that acts as a music player; this flash doc is accessing .mp3 files located in sub folders on my host's (linux) server. The way the access is setup on my site a user can't access the folder the .mp3s are located in, however if they know the file names they can link directly to the .mp3s to either download them or play them directly from a browser window.

I've tried chmod'ing access from the server to 700 or several variations however I haven't ended up with what I want. It seems that the only way I can deny (via permissions) direct access to the files is to remove all but the owner permissions. This however has the undesired effect of preventing the flash document from accessing them as well.

I've also tried password protecting the folder that they're in; however anytime any page accesses the flash document (because it's located on more then one page) the browser prompts for a username/password. Also not desireable. I want the "protection" to be as transparent as is possible.

Here's the directory structure:

root_folder
|_index.php (the main page that uses the flash doc)
|_audio_folder (contains the flash doc and audio files I want protected)
  |_flash.swf (plays the music files)
  |_song1.mp3
  |_song2.mp3
  |_songxxx.mp3

If moving the .swf out of the audio_folder is necessary to protect the .mp3s, that's fine. I just want the player to work with transparent access to the .mp3s while preventing users from directly accessing/downloading my tunes.

Thanks for any help guys!

You can't prevent people from saving anything that plays in their computer. It is not your server that is playing them. There are many add-ons and other software out there which allow you to rip whatever is playing in your computer. That is why some web sites only allow you to listen to or watch a short, quality diminished videos and MP3's. If you like them, you can buy a full, high quality version.

I'm aware of that, I mean I've used tricks to download .swf files and other files that haven't been readily accessible in my time. I'm just looking for something that will keep it from being so easy to get at the file. I mean if someone really wants to get at the file, fine, let them do it, I just don't want it to be something someone with slightly-more-than-casual html knowhow could get at it.

Given that... any thoughts?

I have to stick with what I've said. The moment some slightly-more-than-casual html knowledgeable person becomes interested in saving website contents, they start investigating using google, yahoo etc. Within 24 hours they'll have the tools and within the next couple of days they'll have the skill as well.

There is no point trying. Like I've said: Once it's in your computer it can be made to stay there as well.

The pointlessness of your effort can be compared to disabling the right mouse click or HTML code edit lock.

Sorry but that's the way things are.

Originally Posted by toastysquirrel

So here's my site's situation. On one of my pages I have a flash document that acts as a music player;

Hi toastysquirrel,

Can you set up a movieclip and dynamically load the mp3s into a movieclip within the SWF file? That way, its not "so easy" to access from within the HTML and they would have to decrypt the SWF file to find it?

By the time someone does that, then as previous guy said, they are determined to get what they want. To me its like the hack who's figured out a way to copy a Dual Layer DVD, ripped it for 5 hours and spend $$ on the disks when he could've just plopped the $15 and bought the DVD.

One last thing, I'm still learning Flash myself and have been looking for a good MP3 player that will play from a set of files. Do you care to share the FLA file. Email me privately if you prefer, or if anyone else out there has a player or link they can show or send me, that would be great.

Thanks!
Bob