I'm using macromedia flash player (version=4,0,2,0) to display a slide show on
my website (as an .swf flash video). Is it possible to add a variable to the
player code so that the flash video does not start automatically but rather
requires user input (such as a mouseclick) to start the video?

As a newbie, I'd appreciate any on this.

Here's the embed code for the player: <OBJECT
classid="clsid27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"

codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#ve
rsion=4,0,2,0"
ID=crocky-2 WIDTH=500 HEIGHT=333>
<PARAM NAME=movie VALUE=""> <PARAM NAME=quality VALUE=high> <PARAM
NAME=bgcolor VALUE=#000099> <EMBED src="" quality=high bgcolor=#000099
WIDTH=500 HEIGHT=333 TYPE="application/x-shockwave-flash"
PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Vers
ion=ShockwaveFlash"></EMBED>
</OBJECT>

Start your slideshow on frame 2.

Make a new layer and put a blank keyframe on frame 1 and 2.

On frame 1, use the text tool to write the words, "Click to Play" or whatever
you want.

Using the Selection tool, right click the text and convert it to a symbol.
Call it whatever you want. Once it is created, select it with the Selection
tool and in the properties window give it the instance name "play".

Create a new layer, title is Actions and in the first frame put the following
action script in the action script window.

stop();

play.onPress = down;

function down() {
gotoAndPlay(2);
}


Your embed code is peculiar in that the <EMBED src="" is blank. Not sure what
that's about.

If you're slideshow is looping, you may want to put this on a blank keyframe
of the Actions layer on the last frame (or at the point in which you want it to
start over again at frame 2):

gotoAndPlay(2);