Issue
When trying to edit the properties of a Flash movie in Contribute, the Format > Flash Movie Properties option is grayed out.

Note: This option appears in the Format menu only when a Flash movie is selected.

Reason
This can happen when the HTML page containing the Flash movie does not include code that specifies the movie as a Flash file.

type="application/x-shockwave-flash"

Dreamweaver and Contribute include this code by default, so the error will most likely happen with pages created or hand coded with third-party software.

Solution
Add this code to the Embed tag of the Flash movie using an advanced code editor like Dreamweaver. It can also be done in Contribute by deleting the Flash file from the page and inserting again. Contribute will write the correct code and the properties will then be available.

Make sure you know the name and location of the Flash file before removing it from the page. This information is needed to reinsert it onto the page.